The Nile is famous for being the longest river in the world. The river got its name from the Greek. The Neilos, which means Valley Egypt today, is still dependent on the Nile River. While the Nile River is associated with Egyptians, it actually touches parts of Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan.
Still dependent on its clockwork floods every year to keep not only them alive but the crops, animals and local wild life alive as well. The Nile gave the Egyptians ways to gain water, food and a way of transportation. The Nile was the fastest way to travel through Ancient Egypt. It was very easy. The currents flowed north so they would let them carry them to their north destination. When they wanted to return south, the winds would carry them southwards. But when the wind was not blowing they would use paddles or long poles to move them forward.
The ancient Egyptians used to think that the Nile was some sort of god. Ancient Egyptians developed complex irrigation methods to increase the effect of the Niles waters. When the river overflows in the middle of summer, they diverted the water through canals and damns. As the water flooded into farming land, rich deposits of silt ensure a successful harvest. Egyptians base most of their lives around the Nile and depend on it for survival. The land is more than 90% desert, so the weather is hot, dry, and humid.
3100BC- The Egyptians settled around the Nile. The Majority of civilizations that form around the globe form around things that boost their chances of survival of they're people. Just like the Egyptians formed around the Nile. Egypt has often been referred to as “the gift of the Nile” Because the river fills the needs for basic civilization.
Water is considered necessary for life, as living creatures can't survive for a long period without it. Egyptians, as religious people, drive lots of their culture features from their beliefs. Throughout mans history, the basic requirement of water has led developing communities to rivers. The rivers provide moisture required to produce crops and support both animal and plant life on with that then feeds man. Rivers provide the means to transport grains, minerals, materials, products from one region to another.
The Nile River was and still is very important to the Ancient Egyptian because it kept them alive, gave them water to drink and helped develop their knowledge. The Egyptians depended on the Nile River for food, water, transportation, and allot more. The Egyptians even thought it was some kind of god. The river is useful because it floods once every year creating well fertile soil for growing their crops.
The Nile was the fastest way to travel through Ancient Egypt. Travelling on the Nile River was an easy task for the Egyptians. The currents flowed north. Boats could let the currents carry them to their north destination. When the boat wanted to return south, the winds carried them southward. When the winds were not blowing the Egyptians used paddles or long poles to move them forward.
The first few successful attempts to do irrigation were in Egypt, where the remains still exist. The building process involved many slaves digging trenches from the Nile River to their civilisations. Even though it was hardly ever short of water the quality was often poor for that was where the Egyptians put their waste. The land was covered with basins of water. But the problem with theses were that when the Nile was flowing high villages were flooded and people killed but when it was flowing low crops could not grow and they did not receive any water so it was a good thing and a bad thing. Allot of the fields were too high to receive any water so they used a bucket on a long cord that hung from the long end of a pivoted boom, counterweighted. These were called a swape or a shaduf.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tools/Materials/Construction
Bow and arrow: The Bow and arrow was Egypt's most dangerous weapon, it was used for hunting, warfare and leisure. It was used mostly with the chariot, one man would steer the chariot as one man on the back would fire, this is the main reason that the Egyptians conquered most of the middle east, and some of Asia. The Egyptians were so advanced compared to the other countries, that they kept remodelling their bow several times. At first the bow was made of two antelope horns, with some wood in the middle, sinew was used for string, although strong the bow was not flexible enough. So the Egyptians invented the perfect bow, by cutting bendable wood into the shape of a bow and using sinew. This bow was the key to Ramses wining the battle of Kadesh, against the Hittites and sealing the victory for Egypt.
Gold: In Egypt gold was one of the most important things. It was a symbol of wealth and royalty. Gold was always worn by the pharaoh. Ancient Egyptians believed that gold was a divine and indestructible metal associated with the sun. The Pharaoh was called "the Golden Horus ", and they believed that the skin of the gods was golden.
The royal tomb was called the "House of Gold" during the New Kingdom and Isis and Nephthys were often depicted on the ends of sarcophagi kneeling on the hieroglyph meaning "gold". This is why gold was so important to ancient Egypt because the gods loved gold, the Pharaoh believed that he was a god, so he wore gold and his followers believed him so they respected gold.
COPPER
Copper was first mined in Egypt in about 3400 BC. Copper was the main metal to be worked in Egypt, even before gold. The earliest copper artefacts contained a high level of impurity, but as the years passed and better technology came available it developed more. They used copper in the early Egyptian graves copper ornaments, vessels and weapons have been found as well as needles, saws, scissors, pincers, axes, mines, harpoons, arrow tips and knives.
Plough
The ancient Egyptians used to the plough in the early farming days. They made huge advances to the old plough that the men of ancient times made. Horses, oxen and even camels pulled the chariot like cart called the plough. To make the ploughs they used light but sturdy wood so that it wouldn't break while farming.
EGYPTIAN FOOD:
ALICE EDWARDS, CHLOE RICHARDSON, EMMA FURGUSON, MADDIE JONES
The foods the Ancient Egyptians used to eat were probably one of the better diets than some other countries at that time. Archaeologists today have found many statues and pictures of ancient Egyptians who are well overweight.The kitchen was usually situated at the rear of the house, or in the roof. It was quite open, but partially shady. Egyptian food was cooked in simple clay pots, using wooden utensils and stored in jars.
The kitchen tables on which the meat and fish were cut up had three or four legs, but most preparations were made with the dishes on the floor and the cooks crouching or sitting on the ground beside them.
Most Egyptians used dishes which we the made from clay but those who we wealthier like the emperors use dishes which were made from bronze, silver and even gold.
The most was made by mixing the dough, kneading it with both hands or sometimes with the feet in large containers. Yeast, salt, spices, milk and sometimes butter and eggs were then added, before the bread was placed in a baking form or patted into various shapes.
THE EGYPTIAN DIET
An Egyptians diet included many foods which are a part of our diet today. Those foods are; fish (there were many species of fish found in The Nile and other rivers and lakes), birds (geese etc.), meat from cattle (but also from gazelles...), bread and pastry, and many types of vegetables and spices.
Egyptians liked strong-tasting vegetables such as garlic and onions. They thought these were good for the health. They also ate peas and beans, lettuce, cucumbers, and leeks. Vegetables were often served with an oil and vinegar dressing. Figs, dates, pomegranates and grapes were the only fruits that could be grown in the hot climate. The rich could afford to make wine from their grapes. Baskets of figs have been found in Egyptian tombs.
The Egyptians liked to season their food. Some of the seasonings included: salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, sesame, dill, fennel, fenugreek and assorted seeds.
In the Ancient times, the Egyptians didn’t really eat beef. The priests who performed the sacrifice of animals to the gods, were probably the only ones to eat this type of meat. Because Egypt was very dry, and still is, they relied mostly on the Nile River to water the crops. The Egyptians could only grow certain kinds of food. Mainly they grew wheat and barley.
Numerous varieties of fruits and vegetables were grown in irrigated gardens. Fruits included figs, grapes, plums, dates, and watermelon. Vegetables included beets, sweet onions, radishes, turnips, garlic, lettuce, chick peas, beans, and lentils.
The Egyptians ate a variety of meat, fish, and fowl. Beef, mutton, pork, and wild game such as hyenas were also part of their diet. The Nile supplied many kinds of fish, including catfish, mullet, bolti, and perch. Having a wide range of food, the poor Egyptian’s ate a fairly healthy diet. Bread was the staple food of most Egyptians even those who were rich. For dessert, dates were eaten. Obviously, even for the poor, other items such as vegetables, fruit and fish were consumed. Most of these foods came from the Nile or grown there.
Beer was the main drink, made from the crops of barley. To improve the taste the Egyptians would add spices and it was usually stored in labelled clay jars.
The Ancient land of Egypt was one of the most fertile valleys in the world and supported one of the world’s greatest civilisations. Rich soil, provided by the river’s annual flooding, deposited thick silt over the land providing sometimes two, or even three, harvests a year. Herodotus, a famous Greek historian, once wrote that Egypt was the Gift of the Nile.
Other interesting facts:
• In the ancient Egyptian times bread was very popular and was made in thirty different shapes
• The bread was made in the shape of animals and birds
• Beer was the main drink in ancient Egypt, the beer had certain nutrients (made of barley)
• The average kitchen was situated on the roof or at the back of the house
• Meat was mostly served to the privileged or rich
• Many ingredients are still used in Egypt today
• Food was put into graves of people, they believed they could eat and enjoy it in there next life.
• The Egyptian ate with their fingers and at low tables.
• In Around 6,000 BC Egyptians began farming grains to make beer.
Entertainment in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egyptian games.
Ancient Egyptians all liked to play strategy games like chess, draughts and ludo. The Egyptian man Tutankhamun had invented game board and when he died this was put in his tomb so he could play it in the afterlife. This horse was a prize position for any child that owned one. They would sit on it ride around on it.
Most men went hunting. They would hunt birds and hippos. Only the brave would hunt crocodiles. Even the Pharaoh would go hunting. The pharaoh would take his nobles and a few professionals down to the water in chariots and sit and relax until the saw an animal. They used different types of hunting weapons like: sticks- to kill birds, Lasso and harpoon - the lasso would be thrown over the neck of the hippo and then they would stab the hippo with the harpoon. The main reason they hunt hippos is because the hippos would crush and destroy the Egyptians crops.
The children of Egypt loved to play Leapfrog and Tug of War. They also had Egyptian dolls that they played with. The children would also down to the river for a picnic or the try and catch fish or water birds.
Egyptians spent their spare time doing a wide variety of things, and many of these activities are shown on the tomb walls. Dramatizations were held in the temples, but the most important source of entertainment & relaxation was the Nile river. Activities on the river include fishing, river boat outings, swimming, hunting crocodiles and hippopotamuses, and boat games where two teams of men in boats with long poles, would try to push each other into the water. Hunting in the desert was another great pastime, especially for the noblemen. Men first hunted on foot, however, by the time of the New Kingdom, men used horses and chariots. Some of the animals the Ancient Egyptians hunted include the fox, hare, and hyena.
Wealthy Egyptians often entertained by holding extravagant parties with plenty of food to eat and beer and wine to drink. Singers, dancers, acrobats, and musicians were hired to entertain. The Egyptians loved music, and played instruments such as the lute, harp, and lyre. Other favourite pastimes included board games like Hounds & Jackals, and Senet. Children kept themselves entertained with toys like carved ivory animals, wooden horses on wheels, and balls.
Festivals held in Ancient Egypt were usually holidays in honor of the gods. The important gods had festivals in their honour that were held by the priests. A statue of the god was carried through the streets.
More friendly gods had celebrations held by the people, and not the priests. Bes is one of the gods the people held a festival for. On the day of Bes, no work was done on the pyramid, and people would parade down the street dressed in masks of Bes, while dancers and tambourine players followed. The townspeople joined in the singing from their rooftops, while the children would run along beside the dancers singing and clapping their hands. The whole town enjoyed the festival and feast.
Slaves in Egypt
Clothing-
Egyptians were not self conscious about nudity, so most of the slaves worked naked. If the slaves didn’t work naked, most common workers would wear loin cloths made of animal fur and skin, linen and simple tunic dresses. Most males wore a short linen kilt, while females wore a skirt which went from their shoulders, to their ankles. A loin cloth is a piece of material fastened around the waist and worn by men. The cloth that was used in common peoples clothing was less see-through than the cloth that the wealthy used. Colour or patterned cloth wasn't used very much.
The better you dressed, showed the wealthier your master or mistress was.
If you were an important slave, you would wear the same as your master or mistress.
Many of the slaves who worked building the temples, monuments, quarries or mines usually worked naked. In the summer, children would usually wear nothing, but in winter, they would wear wraps and cloaks. Although the Egyptians were usually barefoot, both men and women sometimes wore sandals made from papyrus, palm leaves, or leather.
Hair and Jewellery-
Slaves wouldn't wear jewellery, only wealthy people would. Both men and women wore jewellery such as earrings, bracelets, anklets, rings, and beaded necklaces. Both boys and girls hair was usually shaved. They would shave their hair of cut it very short because of the intense heat, they would then wear a wig.
Everyday Life as a Slave-
Slavery in the Egyptian times was very usual. A slave didn't have a very fun life. There were different kind of slaves; if you were lucky you got a job as a house maid or slave. The reason for this was that as the house slaves were working with protection from the sun whereas the slaves that were building the pyramids were out in the sun with NO protection, as most of the slaves worked naked ,or very poorly dressed because they could not afford many clothes and because of the extreme heat. The slaves who worked inside were in charge of carrying food to their masters (people who were a higher class than them), taking produce to their master to be inspected, They moved storage containers, the slaves were sometimes used to carry their toilet pots around and they also prepared food for the masters and their guests and sometimes fed them.
As an outdoor slave you had to help make the pyramids. It was a very hard job, you had to work in the boiling heat for the whole day with not many breaks. To make the pyramids they had to get dry.
How they became slaves-
Many slaves in ancient Egypt were caught in wars and were often prisoners who had been captured from Egypt's enemies. Other Egyptian men, women and children also were enslaved for committing serious crimes. Some Egyptians volunteered to become slaves to pay off debt. The women could own slaves just like any other possession. Some women also worked as servants, spinning and weaving cloth. Slaves could own property and save up to buy freedom. To get freedom some women slaves married their male owner and other slaves were given freedom.
Who ordered slave around-
The slaves masters could be an everyday Egyptian or a royal person. It was better to work for the royal people because they could supply better things for you and have better work conditions. They could give you food and you wouldn’t work in a very dirty home that could make you sick. Mud and mix that with water, they then had to mould it into shape with special tools,and wait for it to harden in the sun. They then used wood pillars and rolled the bricks up to be put in place. Many slaves died during making the pyramids because of how many bricks fell down during the construction. Most of the Egyptians slaves were often prisoners who had been caught from their Egyptians enemies. But being a slave wasn’t all bad you could buy your own land, buy goods and sometimes slaves could buy their freedom. After the Egyptians died they were buried at the bottom of the pyramid whereas there masters or just royalty were buried higher up, or at the very top.
Living conditions -
Slaves were often prisoners who had been captured from Egypt's enemies in war. The Egyptian Slaves were people who had the lowest rank in society, which meant they didn’t have a lot of power to control how they lived. It also meant they often didn’t have a lot of money. Because of this they Egyptians might offer themselves up to slavery so that their family doesn’t have to live in poverty.
Egyptian men and their family might also be enslaved for a crime that they have committed. A slave in ancient Egypt was someone who was defined as "One bound in servitude as the property of a person or household". Slaves were valuable in Egypt and usually well treated depending on the ranking of their master. They could own their own property by saving up money and could be given their own freedom if they were female and married their male owner.
There were different types of Egyptian Slaves which meant they all lived in different conditions. The slaves that worked for a Pharaoh worked in a better living environment than those that worked for an everyday Egyptian.
It was better for a slave if they worked for a wealthy family, because they could afford to buy the necessities they need to survive, if a slave didn’t ever stop working for their master at all, their owner would repay them by giving them food and water.
The food that a typical Egyptian slave would eat would consist of bread, and onions. If they worked for a wealthy family they might also have cucumber washed down with a bottle of beer.
The slaves lived in extreme heat while working for their masters. Therefore didn’t wear much clothing. This didn’t offer much protection for themselves. The Slaves of ancient Egypt worked under these harsh condition to construct the Great Pyramids and Giza. These buildings were built by thousands of foreign slaves over a period of decades.
Egyptians were not self conscious about nudity, so most of the slaves worked naked. If the slaves didn’t work naked, most common workers would wear loin cloths made of animal fur and skin, linen and simple tunic dresses. Most males wore a short linen kilt, while females wore a skirt which went from their shoulders, to their ankles. A loin cloth is a piece of material fastened around the waist and worn by men. The cloth that was used in common peoples clothing was less see-through than the cloth that the wealthy used. Colour or patterned cloth wasn't used very much.
The better you dressed, showed the wealthier your master or mistress was.
If you were an important slave, you would wear the same as your master or mistress.
Many of the slaves who worked building the temples, monuments, quarries or mines usually worked naked. In the summer, children would usually wear nothing, but in winter, they would wear wraps and cloaks. Although the Egyptians were usually barefoot, both men and women sometimes wore sandals made from papyrus, palm leaves, or leather.
Hair and Jewellery-
Slaves wouldn't wear jewellery, only wealthy people would. Both men and women wore jewellery such as earrings, bracelets, anklets, rings, and beaded necklaces. Both boys and girls hair was usually shaved. They would shave their hair of cut it very short because of the intense heat, they would then wear a wig.
Everyday Life as a Slave-
Slavery in the Egyptian times was very usual. A slave didn't have a very fun life. There were different kind of slaves; if you were lucky you got a job as a house maid or slave. The reason for this was that as the house slaves were working with protection from the sun whereas the slaves that were building the pyramids were out in the sun with NO protection, as most of the slaves worked naked ,or very poorly dressed because they could not afford many clothes and because of the extreme heat. The slaves who worked inside were in charge of carrying food to their masters (people who were a higher class than them), taking produce to their master to be inspected, They moved storage containers, the slaves were sometimes used to carry their toilet pots around and they also prepared food for the masters and their guests and sometimes fed them.
As an outdoor slave you had to help make the pyramids. It was a very hard job, you had to work in the boiling heat for the whole day with not many breaks. To make the pyramids they had to get dry.
How they became slaves-
Many slaves in ancient Egypt were caught in wars and were often prisoners who had been captured from Egypt's enemies. Other Egyptian men, women and children also were enslaved for committing serious crimes. Some Egyptians volunteered to become slaves to pay off debt. The women could own slaves just like any other possession. Some women also worked as servants, spinning and weaving cloth. Slaves could own property and save up to buy freedom. To get freedom some women slaves married their male owner and other slaves were given freedom.
Who ordered slave around-
The slaves masters could be an everyday Egyptian or a royal person. It was better to work for the royal people because they could supply better things for you and have better work conditions. They could give you food and you wouldn’t work in a very dirty home that could make you sick. Mud and mix that with water, they then had to mould it into shape with special tools,and wait for it to harden in the sun. They then used wood pillars and rolled the bricks up to be put in place. Many slaves died during making the pyramids because of how many bricks fell down during the construction. Most of the Egyptians slaves were often prisoners who had been caught from their Egyptians enemies. But being a slave wasn’t all bad you could buy your own land, buy goods and sometimes slaves could buy their freedom. After the Egyptians died they were buried at the bottom of the pyramid whereas there masters or just royalty were buried higher up, or at the very top.
Living conditions -
Slaves were often prisoners who had been captured from Egypt's enemies in war. The Egyptian Slaves were people who had the lowest rank in society, which meant they didn’t have a lot of power to control how they lived. It also meant they often didn’t have a lot of money. Because of this they Egyptians might offer themselves up to slavery so that their family doesn’t have to live in poverty.
Egyptian men and their family might also be enslaved for a crime that they have committed. A slave in ancient Egypt was someone who was defined as "One bound in servitude as the property of a person or household". Slaves were valuable in Egypt and usually well treated depending on the ranking of their master. They could own their own property by saving up money and could be given their own freedom if they were female and married their male owner.
There were different types of Egyptian Slaves which meant they all lived in different conditions. The slaves that worked for a Pharaoh worked in a better living environment than those that worked for an everyday Egyptian.
It was better for a slave if they worked for a wealthy family, because they could afford to buy the necessities they need to survive, if a slave didn’t ever stop working for their master at all, their owner would repay them by giving them food and water.
The food that a typical Egyptian slave would eat would consist of bread, and onions. If they worked for a wealthy family they might also have cucumber washed down with a bottle of beer.
The slaves lived in extreme heat while working for their masters. Therefore didn’t wear much clothing. This didn’t offer much protection for themselves. The Slaves of ancient Egypt worked under these harsh condition to construct the Great Pyramids and Giza. These buildings were built by thousands of foreign slaves over a period of decades.
Accommodation in Egypt
Lots of archaeologists have found it hard to get an exact idea of what Ancient Egyptian houses were like, because when the Nile river used to flood, it washed the majority of houses away. When the Egyptians worked on the tombs they built some special villages for the workers and craftsmen.
In the front room, of the houses, there was a bricked off area meant for a small shrine. In this section, families left food for the gods and ancestors, and babies were also born in the area. They were born here because the parents believed that the ancestors would protect their babies from being evil or wicked.
The second room was the main one in the house. Some small windows were placed up high to let light into the room, and mud benches were around the walls. There were rooms coming off that were shrines to gods. The next two rooms were smalls ones, one was a bedroom with sleeping mats on the floor and the other was a room where the craftsmen worked. Then there were steps that lead up to the roof, which was where the families ate there evening meal, and sometimes slept here . The kitchen was also outside, in a yard at the back of the house.
Some Interesting Facts:
1. Both rich and poor people built their houses out of mud brick and wood.
2. Smaller houses often had four rooms with an out courtyard.
3. The walls inside the house were painted with scenes of animals, the countryside and ancestors.
4. Inside houses there were stools, chairs, low tables, beds, and boxes to hold clothes, make-up, jewellery and household items.
5. Most houses have windows with no glass.
6. They used oil lanterns for extra lighting.
7. Rich People owned spacious villas in the country side. A typical villa had a pond filled with fish, a walled garden and an orchard of fruit trees
8. Houses were made from mud bricks dried in the sun. Mud was taken from the Nile and straw and pebbles were added to make it stronger.
9. The trunks of palm trees supported the flat roofs.
10. The inside of the house was covered with plaster and often painted.
11. Wealthy Egyptians lived in large houses with several stories but poorer families often lived in a crowded single room
12. In most homes there was a small shrine which the family worshipped
13. Mats of woven reeds covered the floors
14. Common furniture was wooden stools, chairs, tables, storage chests and carved beds
15. In Egypt it was considered good manners to eat with your fingers, in rich households servants would even bring round jugs of water between courses so that people could wash their hands
16. Pottery oil lamps provided the lighting in homes
17. Houses had very small windows to keep out the strong sun therefore cooling the house, because of this there was often very little natural light
18. Food was cooked in a clay oven or over an open fire
19. Most kitchens had a cylinder-shaped oven made from baked clay, which burned charcoal or wood as fuel
20. They cooked food in two handled pottery saucepans
Egyptians lived in houses made of bricks. They used to mix mud and chopped straw and it's poured into moulds. The moulds bake into hard bricks for homes. The bake by putting them into the sun.
The rich homes had about 10 rooms and the poor homes had one. Lime and water were mixed together and used to make the walls of the richer homes white. Some of richest homes had painted walls. They usually had blue or yellow walls with coloured ceilings. The borders were paintings of ducks or lotus petals, (which is a type of flower). The poor had floors made of beaten earth. The floors of the rich were tiled. Some rich people had a room with an altar that was used for family worship of the friendlier gods.
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