Ancient Egypt was called "Gift of the Nile"

Geographical position

Ancient Egypt is one of the oldest world civilizations, originated in Northeast Africa, in the Nile Valley. It is generally accepted that the word "Egypt" comes from the ancient Greek "Aygyuptos". It arose, probably, from Het-ka-Ptah - the city, which the Greeks later called Memphis. The Egyptians themselves called their country "Ta Kemet" - Black Earth - according to the color of the local soil.

Egypt occupied a favorable geographical position. The Mediterranean Sea connected it with the Asiatic coast, Cyprus, the islands of the Aegean Sea and mainland Greece. The Nile was the most important navigable artery that connected Upper and Lower Egypt and the whole country with Nubia, which the ancient authors called Ethiopia.

Formation of a single state

For more details about the first centuries of Ancient Egypt and the formation of the state, we read in the article - “Formation of the state. The Early Kingdom of Ancient Egypt".

In the era preceding the formation of the state, Egypt consisted of separate regions, as a result of their unification, two kingdoms arose - Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. After a long war, the Upper Egyptian kingdom won, and both parts merged. The exact date of this event is unknown, but it can be assumed that around 3000 BC. e. a single state already existed in the Nile Valley.

The name of King Min (Greek: Menes) - the founder of the 1st dynasty, probably identical to Horus Aha - is associated with the beginning of the Egyptian chronicle tradition. According to the legend preserved by Herodotus, Ming founded the capital of the united kingdom at the junction of Upper and Lower Egypt, erecting a dam to protect the city from flooding. From here it was convenient to manage both the south and the north of the country. The Greeks later named this city Memphis.

Former kingdom

After the reign of his heir Thutmose II, the throne was seized by Hatshepsut, who initially retained the minor king, her stepson, Thutmose III, as nominal ruler, but later openly declared herself pharaoh. Having come to power, Thutmose III sought to erase any reminder of Hatshepsut, destroying her images and even her name. He made many campaigns in Syria and Palestine, and his empire began to extend from the fourth threshold of the Nile to the northern outskirts of Syria.

In the first half of the XIV century. BC e. the reign of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton) falls, whose name is associated with the most important religious reform. Under the two successors of Amenhotep IV, a departure from his policy began. Semnekh-kere restored the cult of Amun, under the next pharaoh - Tutankhamen - the cult of Aton, approved by the reformer king, lost state support.

Under Ramesses I (XIX dynasty), long wars began with the Hittites for dominance in Syria. In the reign of Ramesses II, the famous battle with the Hittites took place under the walls of the Syrian city of Kadesh, in which up to 20 thousand people participated on each side. In his description of this battle, Ramesses claims that it was he who won the victory. But it is known that the Egyptians failed to take Kadesh and the Hittites, led by King Muwatallis, pursued them during their retreat. The long war ended in the 21st year of the reign of Ramesses II with a peace treaty with the Hittite king Hattusilis III. The original treaty was written on silver tablets, but only copies in Egyptian and Hittite have survived. Despite the power of Egyptian weapons, Ramesses II failed to restore the borders of the empire of the pharaohs of the 18th dynasty.

Under the heir of Ramesses II, his thirteenth son Merneptah, and under Ramesses III, the son of the founder of the XX dynasty Setnakht, waves of conquerors fell upon Egypt - the "peoples of the sea" and the Libyan tribes. Having hardly repulsed the onslaught of the enemy, the country found itself on the verge of serious upheavals, which in domestic political life were manifested in the frequent change of rulers, rebellions and conspiracies, in the strengthening of the positions of the nome nobility (especially in Thebaid, in southern Egypt), closely connected with priestly circles, and in in the sphere of foreign policy - in the gradual decline of the military prestige of Egypt and in the loss of its foreign possessions.

The era of the New Kingdom was for Egypt a time not only of territorial expansion, but also of rapid economic development, stimulated by the influx into the country of a huge amount of raw materials, livestock, gold, all kinds of tribute and labor in the form of prisoners.

From the 18th dynasty, bronze tools began to be widely used. But because of the high cost of copper, they still continue to use stone tools. A number of iron products have been preserved from this era. Iron was known in Egypt before. But even at the end of the XVIII dynasty, it continued to be considered almost a jewel. And only in the VII-VI centuries. BC. tools in Egypt began to be made everywhere from iron, which was extremely important for economic progress.

In the era of the New Kingdom, an improved plow, leg bellows in metallurgy, and a vertical loom began to be widely used. Horse breeding, previously unknown to the Egyptians, is developing, serving the Egyptian army with its war chariots. From the reign of Amenhotep IV, the first image of a water-lifting structure, the shaduf, has come down to us. His invention was of great importance for the development of horticulture and horticulture in high fields. Attempts are being made to grow new varieties of trees exported from Asia (pomegranate, olive, peach, apple, almond, cherry, etc.) or from Punta (myrrh tree). Glass production is developing intensively. Unsurpassed perfection reaches the art of mummification. Internal trade is gaining more and more importance. International trade, on the other hand, for the development of which there was no incentive in Egypt during the era of conquest, because he received everything he needed for himself in the form of booty and tribute, acquires a certain significance only in the second half of the New Kingdom.

During the period of the New Kingdom, the widespread use of slave labor was noted, primarily in the royal and temple households (although slaves also served private estates). So, during his 30-year reign, Ramesses III donated over 100 thousand prisoners from Syria, Palestine and more than 1 million sechats (Greek “arur”; 1 arura - 0.28 hectares) of arable land to the temples. But the main producer of material goods was still the working population of Egypt, entangled in all kinds of duties.

By the beginning of the XI century. BC. In Egypt, two kingdoms were formed: Lower Egyptian with a center in Tanis, in the northeast of the Delta, and Upper Egyptian with its capital in Thebes. By this time, Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine had already come out of Egyptian influence, the northern half of Egypt was flooded with Libyan military settlers, led by leaders who were in alliance with the local Egyptian authorities. One of the Libyan commanders, Sheshenq I (950-920 BC), founded the XXII dynasty. But his power, like the power of his successors, was not strong, and under the Libyan pharaohs (IX-VIII centuries BC), Lower Egypt broke up into a number of separate regions.

At the end of the 8th century BC. The Nubian king Pianhi captured a significant part of Upper Egypt, including Thebes. The local influential priesthood supported the conquerors, hoping with their help to regain their dominant position. But the ruler of Sais in Lower Egypt, Tefnakht, who relied on the Libyans, managed to lead the fight against the invasion. Memphis also opposed the Nubians.

However, in three battles they defeated the army of Tefnakht and, moving north, reached Memphis, taking the city by storm. Tefnacht was forced to surrender to the mercy of the victors. The next Nubian king to rule over Egypt was Shabaka. According to a legend preserved by Manetho, he captured the Lower Egyptian pharaoh Bokhoris and burned him alive. In 671 BC Assyrian king Esarhaddon defeated the army of the Nubian pharaoh Taharqa and captured Memphis.

The liberation of Egypt and its unification was carried out by the founder of the XXVI (Sais) dynasty, Psammetich I. The next pharaoh, Necho II, sought to establish his dominance in Syria. In 608 BC The Jewish king Josiah blocked the Egyptian army from Megiddo (a city in northern Palestine), but was mortally wounded. After that, Judea began to pay a large tribute in gold and silver to the Egyptian king. The power of the Egyptians over Syria and Palestine lasted three years, and in 605 BC. The Egyptian army was pushed back to its border by the Babylonians. Under Apria (589-570 BC), one of the successors of Psammetichus I, Egypt supported Judea in the struggle against Babylonia. Apries defeated the fleet of Sidon, one of the largest Phoenician cities. In 586 BC The Egyptian army appeared under the walls of Jerusalem, but was soon defeated by the Babylonians.

By that time, to the west of Egypt, on the Libyan coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the Hellenes had created their own state - Cyrene. Apries decided to subdue him and sent a significant military force against him, but they were defeated by the Greeks. A rebellion broke out in the Egyptian army against Apries, and Amasis (570-526 BC) was elevated to the throne.

Persian rule

In 525 BC In the battle of Pelusium, the Persian army, led by King Cambyses, defeated the Egyptians. Then Cambyses was proclaimed king of Egypt (XXVII dynasty). In order to legitimize the capture of Egypt, legends were created about the matrimonial relations of the Persian kings with the Egyptian princesses and about the birth of Cambyses from the marriage of his father Cyrus with Nitetis, the daughter of Pharaoh Apria.

Capture of Egypt by Alexander the Great

Egypt several times sought independence from the Persian rulers (XXVIII-XXX dynasties), until it was conquered in 332 BC. Alexander the Great, in whom the Egyptians initially saw a liberator from the oppression of the Persians. Egypt's time for the pharaohs is over. The Hellenistic era began. http://civilka.ru/egypet/egipet.html

Ancient Egypt lasted the longest time compared to other civilizations in the world. The heyday of the empire is marked in the period from 3000 to 1000 BC, however, the pharaohs ruled for centuries.

Egypt took over as the leading power in the Middle East from 612 to 525 BC after it liberated the country from foreign invaders.

He received the status of pharaoh, which meant the continuation of the tradition of ancient Egypt. In 305 BC appointed commander Ptolemy became an independent ruler of the country. The dynasty ruled until 31 AD. death of Queen Cleopatra. After that, Egypt was conquered by the Roman Empire and became its province.

History of Ancient Egypt

The culture of the country has undergone significant changes. The period of history since the beginning of the founding of civilization in 3000 B.C. before the conquest by the Romans in 31 BC, was almost three thousand years.

Egypt is located in the Nile Valley in northeastern Africa. Civilization originated in Upper Egypt, on the territory of the cities of Abydos and Hirakonpolis. Then the power of the pharaohs spread to the north in the city of Memphis and the Mediterranean.

By 3000 B.C. the united kingdom of Egypt occupied the entire valley of the Nile north of the first cataract of the Nile in the south - a cataract, next to modern Sudan.

By 1250 B.C. Ancient Egypt occupied lands in the north near the Assyrian kingdom and in the east to the Red Sea, in the south - along the Nile to, in the west - to the Libyan Desert

The life of the population of Egypt was centered around the Nile River and the fertile lands along its banks. Farmers in the Nile Valley have developed irrigation methods to control the flow of water during seasonal floods and to irrigate during the dry season.

The lands of the valley were so rich in crops that there was a surplus of agricultural crops. With the proceeds from their sale, incredible architectural projects were erected, like the pyramids of Giza and the temples of Luxor. The elite grew rich, foreign trade and diplomacy developed. A rich reward was offered for waging wars of conquest.

The main achievements of civilization were:

• the invention of hieroglyphs;
• creation of a management system;
• the emergence of the science of mathematics;
• development of industry;
• the invention of irrigation technologies and efficient agricultural practices;
• organization of the judiciary.

The control system of ancient Egypt

In ancient Egypt, one of the first state apparatuses was created - the government exercising power on the territory of the entire state. The Sumerian civilization consisted of several city-states with a population of several dozen each. They had their own script. In a united Egypt, government authority extended over thousands of square meters with a population of several million inhabitants.

The pharaoh was considered both the political leader and the center. He bore the status of "ruler of two lands." This meant that he ruled Upper and Lower Egypt. He was also called the "high priest of every temple", as he was considered the main cult for worship on earth. In the eyes of the ancient Egyptians, the power of the pharaoh extended between heaven and earth. How well the pharaoh was, determined the state of the country and its people.

The pharaoh was responsible for military support and border protection. With the threat of the seizure of territories, he collected. Tribute was collected from the conquered lands - valuable gifts and war trophies.

Officials helped to manage the pharaoh: scribes, overseers, ministers and courtiers. The vizier, an approximate court, received great power. He represented the pharaoh in resolving issues in the treasury, in resolving justice and in the administration of lands. The control was carried out both over wealthy citizens and the poorest peasants. The land of Egypt was divided into nomes - administrative regions. Each region was ruled by a Nomarch.

Temples were used as places of worship, granaries and treasuries for storing grain and goods.

Egyptian army in antiquity

The armament of the army of ancient Egypt were:

• bows and arrows;
• spears;
• round shields;
• wooden frames made of stretched animal skin.

Weapons and armor were made of bronze. Shields were made of hardwood with a bronze buckle, spears with tips were used. During the period of the New Kingdom, chariots were introduced into the army.
The pharaohs followed on horseback as the head of the army. Many kings went into battle personally to justify the hopes of the people, although this was not always safe for them.
The first duty of the army was to defend Egypt against foreign invasion. The most difficult was to ensure safety and near Nubia, where important trade routes passed.

Religion of ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians adhered to the pagan faith. They worshiped many cults, which included Ra (the Sun), Isis (nature and magic), Horus (protected in war), Osiris (ruled in the kingdom of the dead).

The number of figures to worship and their meanings have changed over time. Worship or refusal to perform rituals in honor of certain gods reflected the political developments in Egypt. For example, when the rulers came to power, the event was marked by the founding of the New Kingdom. Amon, united by Ra, was put at the head, so Amon-Ra turned out.

Worship was conducted in temples, rituals were introduced by priests. Usually the figure of the cult was placed in a closed room. Only on special occasions was it shown to the people. Each house had its own statue, which was worshiped by family members. Amulets and pendants were worn to ward off the evil eye.

Religious ideas about the afterlife of the ancient Egyptians also changed over time. Initially, the afterlife was associated with the preservation of the physical body. As the idea of ​​the underworld developed, the priests came to the conclusion that in addition to the material shell, there is a spirit that also travels to another world. Some people became disembodied souls wandering the earth. For good deeds, a person could become “blessed”. In the other world, he was promised a life of goodness and abundance.

Life in ancient Egypt

As in all pre-industrial civilizations, the economy of Ancient Egypt was based on agriculture. Most of the population were peasant farmers. The fertile lands of the Nile Valley provided a constant income to the treasury, providing a luxurious life for the pharaoh, his ministers and numerous priests. The peasants gave away part of the harvest - they paid tribute. These funds were used to build pyramids and a temple along.

Tomb of the Guardian Amon. Egypt, Luxor

Agriculture in Egypt

Fertile lands stretched for several kilometers from the Nile River. On both sides, the valley is still surrounded by lifeless deserts. The flood season lasted from June to September, resulting in the formation of a fertile layer of silt on the lands. Flood waters were poured into reservoirs and preserved in ponds. After the water receded, the growing season began, lasting from October to February. Precipitation in Egypt was extremely rare, so the peasants irrigated the fields with river water from reservoirs and the river. For this, branches were built - channels that carried water to the fields.

Ancient Egypt: photo

Trade in Egypt

Trade within the state was carried out between cities located along the Nile River. For that time, the water route was much cheaper than the land route. Sales were carried out in local markets, valuable items were received by the administration of the nome or city. However, the Egyptian cities, unlike the Sumerian ones, did not have independence. The largest settlement was the city of Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt.

In the Bronze Age, trade between states was carried out in the form of an exchange or "gift" for the ruler of another civilization. Before the development of caravan routes across the Sahara, the Nile Valley was the only center through which goods traveled from South Africa north to the Mediterranean countries.

Expeditions went far south, to the territory of modern Sudan and the Red Sea, in search of exotic goods: ivory, gold, ostrich feathers and "black" slaves. This property was highly valued in the international space. Providing such goods gave the advantage of political influence in the Middle East. Egypt acquired priority in the region before the Hittite and Syrian empires, among the states of Mesopotamia.

Valley of the Queens Egypt

Natural resources of ancient Egypt

Egypt was rich in mineral resources widely exploited in ancient times. Limestone and granite were mined in the Nile Valley. Alabaster, carnelian and emeralds were mined in the Eastern Desert. Extensive gold mines were discovered in. Copper was smelted from malachite ore mined in the Sinai. In the Late Period, copper deposits were developed in Upper Egypt.

The listed minerals were mined in remote places of the eastern desert of Sinai. Their development required the departure of numerous scientific expeditions.

Periodization of the history of ancient Egypt

The history of ancient civilization is conditionally divided by modern historians into several periods:

• Pre-dynastic (early dynastic) period;
• Old kingdom;
• Middle Kingdom;
• New kingdom;
• Roman period.

The first pharaoh of ancient unified Egypt, the northern and southern lands, is considered.

The history of the existence of the ancient state of Egypt ended with the conquest of Egypt by the descendant of Julius Caesar, the emperor of Rome, Augustus (Octavian) in 30 BC. The last pharaoh was Cleopatra VII.

Periods of the history of ancient Egypt

Predynastic period

3500 BC - The first settlements in the Nile Valley
3400 BC
3300 BC
3200 BC
3100 BC — Hieroglyphic writing emerged. Pharaoh Narmer unified Lower and Upper Egypt.
3000 BC
2900 BC
2800 BC
2700 BC - Construction of the first stone.
2600 BC - The pyramids of Giza were erected.
2500 BC
2400 BC
2300 BC
2200 BC Egypt is ruled by several kings at the same time.
2100 BC 2055 BC - Pharaoh Menhotep II regained control over the territory of the entire state of Egypt
2000 BC -Development of agricultural technologies in .
The first halls of the city-temple of Karnak (modern Luxor) were built.
The Egyptians control Nubia.
1900 BC
1800 BC
1700 BC The Hyksos seized power in the Nile Delta.
1600 BC — Pharaoh Ahmose unites the country.
1500 BC Pharaoh Hatshepsut ascended the throne of Egypt.
1400 BC Akhenaten carried out a religious reform in Egypt.
Became a pharaoh.
Return to traditional religion: paganism and polytheism.
1300 BC A hypostyle hall was built in the temple of Karnak.
1247 - Ramses II wins the Battle of Kadesh.
1200 BC
1100 BC — Division into Upper and Lower Egypt.
1000 BC
900 BC
800 BC 728 BC Pius, king of Nubia, conquered Egypt.
700 BC 671 BC The Assyrians took over Egypt.
600 BC 525 BC The Persians occupied Egypt.
500 BC
400 BC 332 BC liberated Egypt.
305 BC - Ptolemy I formed a new dynasty of pharaohs of Egypt.

300 BC
200 BC 196 BC - The Rosetta Stone is written.
100 BC 31 BC - Battle of Actium.
30 BC - Pharaoh of Egypt Cleopatra VII died.
0
100 AD
200 AD
300 AD Last entry on .
400 AD
500 AD
600 AD 642 AD - Arab conquest of Egypt.
700 AD
800 AD 820 AD Caliph Al Ma'mun found the entrance to the Great Pyramid.
900 AD 969 - The city of Cairo is founded. The first stones were laid in the foundation of the capital from the pyramids of Giza.
1000 AD
1100 AD
1200 AD
1300 AD
1400 AD
1500 AD 1517 - Ottoman Turks rule Egypt.
1600 AD
1700 AD 1798 - Napoleon Bonaparte launched a military campaign into Egypt.
1799 - The Rosetta Stone is found.
1800 AD — Travelers and explorers go to see the buildings of Ancient Egypt
1822 - Egyptian script is deciphered.
1859-1869 - The Suez Canal was built.
Official excavations began and the science of Egyptology arose.

1900 AD 1922 - discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen.
1953 - Egypt gains independence.
1960 - Aswan Dam built.
2000 AD 2015 - The White Walls of Memphis are discovered.

Story ancient Egypt: see

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There is a proverb in Egypt: "Man is afraid of time, but time is afraid of the pyramids." Indeed, the Egyptian pyramids are so ancient that it is impossible to accurately determine their age. Interestingly, a variety of sources confirm that the Egyptian civilization is much older than we think.

630,000 years ago...

It is officially accepted that the history of civilized Egypt began around the fifth millennium BC. However, many sources give completely different dates and indicate that a developed civilization already existed in Egypt long before that time.

The famous Herodotus (484-425 BC), for example, in Euterpe (the second part of his famous History) wrote:

“Until now, the Egyptians and their priests have given me tales of ancient times. They explained to me that from the time of the first Egyptian king to this last priest of Hephaestus, 341 generations of people had passed, and during this time there had been as many high priests and kings.

But 300 generations is 10,000 years, counting three generations per century. Yes, in addition to 300, another 41 generations give 13,400 years.

These figures, given by the father of history, as Herodotus is called, far exceed those accepted in the official historiography of Egypt.

The Byzantine historian George Sinkell, who lived in the 8th century, also wrote quite interesting things about the ancient Egyptian dynasties: “The Egyptians have a certain plate called the Old Chronicle; it contains 30 dynasties over 113 generations over a period of 36,525 years. The first dynasty of princes is the Aurites, the second is the Mestroenes, the third is the Egyptians.

The famous philosopher and scientist Diogenes generally claimed that the Egyptians conducted astronomical observations almost 49,000 years before the appearance of Alexander the Great, by the way, who was born in 356 BC.

And the Greek philosopher Simplicius of Cilicia, who lived in the 6th century AD, went even further and wrote that the Egyptians studied space for 630,000 years!

Story from a priest

And what did the Egyptians themselves write? Let us give the floor to Manetho, who lived in the III century BC, the high priest of the temple of the city of Heliopolis. This city (today Al-Mataria near Cairo) was considered the center of the scientific thought of Ancient Egypt. Many documents, papyri, tablets with hieroglyphs and other evidence of the past were stored here.

All this information allowed Manetho to write a unique "History of Egypt". It listed the various dynasties of Egyptian kings, compiled from authentic documents.

However, Manetho's work perished in a fire in the Alexandrian Library, along with many other priceless manuscripts of the ancient world. From the "History" of Manetho, only a few passages have been preserved, which were quoted in the writings of the ancient historians Julius Africanus and Eusebius.

And this is what the history of Egypt looked like in the description of the priest.

“The first man (or God) in Egypt is Hephaestus, who is also known to the Egyptians as the discoverer of fire. The heir of his son Helios (the Sun) was Sosis, then in turn Kronos, Osiris, Typhon, brother of Osiris, and finally Horus, son of Osiris and Isis. They were the first rulers of Egypt. After that, the royal power passed from one to another, without interruption, up to Beedis for 13,900 years.

Then gods and demigods ruled for 1255 years, and again for 1817 years another royal family gained power in the country. Then another thirty Memphis kings ruled for 1790 years, and after them another 10 kings for 350 years. Then came the reign of the "spirits of the dead", which lasted 5813 years.

Agree that these numbers do not correspond to what we know about Ancient Egypt.

Papyrus from Luxor

The Turin papyrus also confirms the existence of the most ancient rulers of Egypt. It was purchased in 1820 in Luxor by the Italian Bernardino Drovetti and taken to Turin, where it is kept to this day. Papyrus was originally about 170 centimeters long, but crumbled into several fragments during transportation.

The time of its manufacture is not exactly known, but on the back there is the name of Ramesses III, who ruled in 1185-1153 BC. This papyrus lists the names of all Egyptian kings and pharaohs, and it is obvious that this list was copied from more ancient sources.

The dynasties listed in it are much wider than those known to science. It is curious that the list begins with the dynasty of gods: Ptah, Amon, Anubis, Ibis, Apis, Mnevis and others.

The most curious thing: only in 2009 it was announced that several previously unknown papyrus fragments were found in the storerooms of the Turin Museum. This begs the question: why was such a rarity forgotten for so many years and what is written in these found pieces? It is possible that there we are talking about some even more ancient dynasties.

T Here, in Italy, the Palermo stone is kept, taken out of Egypt under unknown circumstances.

For a long time he lay in the Palermo museum, without causing any interest. And only at the end of the 19th century this ancient black basalt slab attracted the attention of researchers, and the stone began to be studied in detail.

It turned out that the names of the mysterious ancient rulers of Egypt are listed on it. Moreover, later it turned out that this stone is one of the similar ones, so somewhere there are similar steles with carved names of the rulers of Egypt, who lived many, many millennia ago.

Dendera Temple

However, the most curious evidence that the civilization of Ancient Egypt is much older than one can imagine is stored in the Dendera temple.

More precisely, it was kept, because the enterprising Europeans, who plundered Egypt in past centuries, took this evidence out of the country in its entirety.

We are talking about the famous ceiling in the Dendera temple, which so impressed the French that they sent it entirely to Paris. Now it is kept in the Louvre, and an exact copy has been recreated in the temple. This ceiling depicts the zodiac circle of amazing beauty.

But the most curious thing about this ceiling turned out later - the signs of the zodiac on it depict the stars in the position in which they were approximately 90,000 years before our era! So those who created this zodiac circle clearly saw another sky above them...

Stolen piece

And recently, a sensational piece of news was printed in the media, which confirms that the Egyptian civilization is much older than one can imagine. In Egypt, an almost curious incident occurred that proved that the pyramids were indeed built earlier than is commonly believed.

The official history claims that the construction of the pyramid of Cheops was completed around 2540 BC. And so two German students climbed inside this pyramid, broke off a piece, secretly took it out of the country and checked its age in Germany. It turned out that this piece is more than 20 thousand years old! And it is still not known exactly how many thousands of years more - it is possible that very, very much.

But since the method of obtaining information by students turned out to be, to put it mildly, illegal, research did not receive the usual development - how can one rely on a piece stolen and smuggled out to prove the antiquity of the pyramids?

So nothing has changed in the official historiography of Egypt so far - and scientists bypass all the secrets of the past ...

Natalia TRUBINOVSKAYA

6000 thousand years ago or 4000 thousand years BC, settlements began to form in the Nile River Valley (Northeast of the African continent). The basis of these settlements was one clan - these settlements became the cradle of ancient Egypt.

The civilization of ancient Egypt briefly went the following way: from the formation of settlements on the banks of the river, to the creation of a single state with a population of several million people, an army, a single religion and headed by an absolute monarch - the pharaoh, the viceroy of God on earth.

The rise of Egypt as a state, of course, contributed to the geographical position of the country.

Despite the proximity of the desert, life gave and supported the Nile. After its flood, fertile silt remained on the banks, on which fields were cultivated, and the rich water world of the river gave a lot of various fish to the table of people.

For more efficient use of river wealth and the gifts of oases, the settlements combined human and material resources to build irrigation systems, cultivate fields, and defend against Libyan and Nubian raiders. With the enlargement, an administrative superstructure appeared, in the form of priests. It was the priests who acted as the organizers of the first Egyptian states. They organized the collection of taxes, carried out calendar calculations for the movement of the Nile, designed irrigation and irrigation systems, and organized defense.
The established states - Upper and Lower Egypt, were united by the king of Upper Egypt - Menes.
At the head of the united state stood the pharaoh, the sole ruler and "son of God."
In its development, the civilization of ancient Egypt, in short, was one of the most ancient in the Mediterranean region. The divine origin of the pharaoh was the basis of the religion of the Egyptians. From our point of view, they were pagans. They revered the Sun God Ra as their main god. According to their beliefs, God Ra came out of a lotus and built the whole world surrounding people, all other gods were a continuation of God Ra, and people appeared from his eyes. The Egyptians also sacredly believed in the eternity of life, and that the physical death of a person does not interrupt the path of a person, but simply transfers him to another state. This is what played a big role in the development of culture and architecture. The greatest buildings built by the incredible efforts of the ancient Egyptians are the tombs of the pharaohs.

It is also difficult to overestimate the importance of scientific discoveries made in ancient Egypt. The civilization of ancient Egypt, in short, gave the world a solution to the Pythagorean theorem, long before Pythagoras himself, the Egyptians knew the number Pi (3.1415). They compiled one of the first calendars.
In the history of Ancient Egypt, there were ups and downs, there were devastating wars, there were times of general prosperity. In conclusion, we can say that without the Civilization of ancient Egypt, our world would be different.

Egypt (Arabic مصر‎‎ Misr/Miṣr, Masri مصر Masr/Maṣr [ˈmɑsˤɾ]), the official name of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Modern Egypt is one of the third world countries. There is an opinion that such countries in the modern world distribution of labor play practically no role. It is believed that such countries serve as a raw material appendage for developed countries, and they are also a supplier of cheap labor. Egypt is also known as one of the most popular tourist destinations. The backward countries of the third world: Egypt, Israel, Thailand - rely on tourism as a possible locomotive for their own economies

Ancient Egypt (from Aygyuptos, other Greek Αἰγυπτος, lat. Aegyptus) the most ancient self-name: Kemet, Kemi, Hemi (Egypt. kmt, other Greek Χἑμ [μ]ις, -ιδος, Coptic ancient civilizations that arose in the northeast of the African continent along the lower reaches of the Nile, where today the modern state of Egypt is located. The creation of civilization dates back to the end of the 4th millennium BC. e. - the time of the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the rule of the first pharaohs. Its development continued over the next three millennia, in which several stable kingdoms alternated with periods of relative instability known as periods of transition. Ancient Egypt reached its peak during the New Kingdom, after which a gradual decline began. During this late period, a number of powers successively conquered Egypt. As a result, the rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 30 BC. when the early Roman Empire took over Egypt and made it their province.

Among the achievements of the ancient Egyptians were mining, field surveying and construction techniques used in the construction of monumental pyramids, temples and obelisks; mathematics, practical medicine, irrigation, agriculture, shipbuilding, Egyptian faience, glass technology, new forms in literature, and the oldest known peace treaty. Egypt left a lasting legacy. His art and architecture were widely copied, and his antiquities were exported to all corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imagination of travelers and writers for centuries. A new interest in antiquities and archaeological excavations in the 19th century led to the scientific study of Egyptian civilization and a greater understanding of its cultural heritage for world civilization.

The oft-quoted phrase that Egypt is the gift of the Nile is true, but no less was the ancient state the creation of the pharaohs. The origin of this institution dates back to the prehistoric period, when the North African nomads depended on the rain to make their pastures fertile, and those who knew how to call them played a vital role in the life of the tribes. The earliest pharaohs were depicted as pastoral leaders with a staff and an animal skin on their backs, which later became their ceremonial attire.

At the very beginning of the history of Egypt, the pharaohs had already determined their functions; this can be judged from the drawings on the head of the mace and the ceremonial tablet, which were found in Hierankopolis. The last one depicts the scorpion pharaoh performing the ritual of cleaning the canals after the flood and spreading fertility over the fields. The prehistoric rain casters who kept the tribe, crops and animals in good health by magically manipulating the weather have evolved into pharaohs capable of sustaining an entire nation by commanding the floods of the Nile. From that moment on, the pharaohs and the Nile had an inseparable connection with each other. Even Akhenaten, with his one god the sun, was called "the Nile, always flowing and giving life to Egypt." In some cases, the ruler acted as a dowser in case a well had to be dug in the desert. Ramesses II, reputedly, had a special power over nature even in the distant lands of the Hittites, where he could make it rain or save it for his pastures. This power over water (and rain is the heavenly Nile, created by a beneficent god for those small peoples who do not live near its banks), was not supposed to end with the death of the pharaoh, but passed to Osiris, with whom he merged.
It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that the tablet of Pharaoh Narmer is the most important monument of its kind found in Egypt. It expresses the essence of the institution of the pharaohs, its symbols, dogmas and art. The name of the ruler is depicted inside the palace building and surrounded by the heads of Hathor with the head of a cow and the face of a woman, which expresses the essence of heaven as the mother of the human race. It also depicts the sky god Horus, the incarnation of which is the pharaoh.

"The Last Great Pharaoh" Pharaoh Ramesses II ruled Egypt for sixty-seven years. The time of his long reign is rightfully considered one of the eras of the highest flowering of Egyptian civilization. But even the legendary pharaoh could not prevent the decline of the golden age of the empire.

• 1279 BC e.-1213 BC e. - Reign of Ramesses II.
• 670 BC e. The conquest of Egypt by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon.
• 655 BC e. - the expulsion of the Assyrians by Psammetichus I and the foundation of the last independent Egyptian kingdom with its capital in Sais.
• 525 BC e. - The conquest of Egypt by the Persian king Cambyses II.
• 332 BC e. - Conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great. Alexandria founded.
• 305 BC e. - 30 BC e. - Greek Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt
• 30 BC e.-395 - Egypt as part of Ancient Rome.
• I century - the spread of Christianity.
• 395-645 - Egypt as part of Byzantium.
• 451 - formation of the national Coptic (Egyptian) church.
• 645-1171 - Egypt as part of the Arab Caliphate. The spread of Islam. Arabization of Egypt.