Why is it said that Egypt had many great kings, especially in the New Kingdom?


       



        It was during the New Kingdom that the Egyptian Empire conquered the most lands. They sent ambassadors all over western Asia. The kings built huge temples and erected colossal statues of them. The period of the New Kingdom extended from 1570-1070 BC. For about 500 years, New Kingdom of Egypt was the world’s most magnificent civilization.



          The most famous Egyptian pharaohs came from the New Kingdom. They included Ramses II, and Seti I who were renowned military leaders, Akhenaten, who briefly abolished all the gods except the sun god, and Hatshepsut, a powerful queen who ruled with all the might of her male relatives. 


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Why is it said that the pyramids are an important part of Egyptian civilization?

          There are many wonders from the ancient world that have fascinated us, and the pyramid from Egyptian civilization is one among them.



          The pyramids are truly one of the world’s greatest architectural wonders. Egyptian pyramids are royal tombs. The Egyptians believed that pharaohs, their kings were gods, and so immortal. Therefore, they built the pyramids to safeguard their bodies.



          The Pyramids of Giza, located on the Giza plateau are the most magnificent structures in history. One among them was built for King Khu-fu, and is known as the Great Pyramid. It is thought to be constructed of over two million stone blocks that weigh from two to over fifty tonnes.



          The Great Pyramid of Giza is considered as the most colossal building ever erected by the Ancient Egyptians.



          Undoubtedly, this was the best example of Ancient Egyptians’ mastery in architecture.




Which are some of the prominent gods of Ancient Egypt?


          There were over 2000 gods and goddesses in Ancient Egypt. Some had the body of a human and the head of an animal.



          Ra was the Sun god and was one of the most important           ancient deities. The lord of all gods, he was portrayed as a falcon-headed man, with a white and red crown wearing a solar disc on his head with a sacred cobra. Later, Amun, the king of gods was merged with the sun god Ra into Amun-Ra.



          Bastet was the daughter of Sun god Ra, and was depicted either as a cat or woman with the head of a cat. She was the goddess of protection and household entertainments. Thoth was the god of wisdom, writing and knowledge and was portrayed as an ibis headed man. Horus the god of light and sky was depicted as a falcon headed male creature.



          The god of Earth was Geb. Tefnut was the goddess of rain. Sekhmet, the goddess of War was lion-headed. 


Why is the Egyptian practice of mummification a true wonder?

          The great land along the banks of the Nile has been mentioned extensively in history. The Ancient Egyptians originally threw their dead bodies into pits of sand. Later, they decided to put their dead in coffins, but the bodies quickly decayed. But soon they developed a method of preserving bodies called mummification.



          In mummification, all the internal organs of the dead are removed, and the body is then covered with a mixture of salt called natron. The body is then wrapped in linen, with protective amulets inserted between layers and placed in a decorated anthropoid coffin. All burials, regardless of social status, included goods for the deceased. Wealthy Egyptians were buried with larger quantities of luxury items.



          With the beginning of the New Kingdom, books of the dead were included in the grave, along with statues that were believed to perform manual labour for the dead in the afterlife. Rituals in which the deceased were magically re-animated accompanied burials. After burial, living relatives were expected to occasionally bring food to the tomb and recite prayers. 




Why is it said that Egyptian houses were unique?


            The earliest inhabitants of Egypt lived in huts made from papyrus reeds. However, it was soon discovered that the mud left behind after the annual flooding of the Nile could be made into bricks which could be used for building. Bricks were made by mixing mud and straw and leaving them to dry.



            As their civilization developed, the Ancient Egyptians began to build houses with two floors. The top floor was where people lived, and the lower floor was used to store crops. These people created reed canopies to protect their houses from the hot Egyptian sun. The houses of the wealthy had a courtyard in the centre. Floors were covered with reed mats. Household furniture consisted of wooden stools, beds raised from the floor and individual tables.



            The Ancient Egyptians placed a great value on hygiene and personal appearance. Most bathed in the Nile and used a pasty soap made from animal fat and chalk. Clothing was made from simple linen sheets that were bleached white, and both men and women of the upper classes wore wigs, jewellery, and cosmetics.



 


Why is it said that like the other ancient civilizations, the Egyptians were experts in trade?


          Trade always brought revenue, and this in turn, developed the economic life of those involved in trade. In Ancient Egypt also trade blossomed, and this was the economic basis of Egyptian civilization. They traded with people from foreign countries like Nubia and Afghanistan.



          They obtained incense and gold from their trade with Nubians. The Ancient Egyptians imported lapis lazuli, the blue stone which originated from Afghanistan. The goods imported by the Ancient Egyptians were mostly raw materials and products sought as luxury items in high society. Egypt’s Mediterranean trade partners also included Greece and Crete, which provided supplies of olive oil. Egypt mainly exported grain, gold, and papyrus, in addition to other finished goods including glass and stone objects.


Why is it said that farming in Ancient Egypt was completely dependent on the Nile River?


          Do you know that the seeds of the Ancient Egyptian civilization were first sown along the banks of the great Nile River? It was a true gift for the Egyptians, as it attracted them towards its banks by providing an ideal condition for the development of stable communities. The annual flooding of the river left the banks fertile, thereby encouraging agriculture.



          Farming was an important factor that facilitated the Ancient Egypt’s economic development. They depended on agricultural activities not only for livelihood but also for commercial purposes. Even though the land of Egypt consisted of dry desert, and received very little rain, they managed to flourish by utilizing the water of the Nile.



          The Egyptians ploughed and planted seeds in the fields, which were irrigated with ditches and canals. They cultivated all kinds of crops like barely, but three crops stood out. One was wheat which was ground into flour, flax that was spun into linen and papyrus that was dried and used as a paper substitute. 


Why is the Ancient Egyptian civilization said to be awe-inspiring?


            Egyptian civilization is one of the six historic civilizations to arise independently. Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt. It is believed to have begun around 3100 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, Narmer.



            The success of the Ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops.



            The fertile floodplain of the Nile gave Egyptians the opportunity to develop a settled agricultural economy and a more sophisticated, centralized society that became a cornerstone in the history of human civilization. 


Why is it said that there are many theories about the end of the Indus Valley civilization?


          What really happened to one of the world’s oldest and most advanced civilization is not yet known. The reason behind the decline of Indus valley civilization is based upon the speculations of historians.



          It is believed that the invasion of an Indo-European tribe from central Asia, the Aryans caused the decline of the Indus valley civilization, as they were the next settlers there. Some others opined that an increase in inter-personal violence and infectious diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis led to their decline.



          And some speaks of a great drought in the area, which led to the decline of trade with Egypt and Mesopotamia, and caused the collapse of the Indus valley Civilization. 


Why is Mohenjodaro a remarkable city in Indus Valley civilization?


          Mohenjodaro was an ancient city which had a lot in common with our modern society. This mysterious city built around 2500 BC, was prosperous, and used advanced technology and constructed buildings that were unique to the ancient world.



          It was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley civilization, and one of the world’s earliest major urban settlements. The city was divided into two parts, the Citadel and the lower city. Most of the lower city remained uncovered, but the citadel had a public bath, large residential structure and so on.



          The urban planning and architecture of the city has mesmerized archaeologists. It had a meticulous road plan with rectilinear buildings, channelled sanitization, a huge well that served as a public pool to bathe, the great granary and many more amazing designs on building.



          With the decline of Indus Valley civilization around 1700 BC, Mohenjodaro was abandoned. The great city vanished without trace from history until rediscovered in the 1920s. Now, Mohenjodaro is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 


What was the Harappan style of writing?

          Scholars have made innumerable efforts to solve the puzzle called ancient writing. But the writing system of the Indus Valley civilization, even today remains a mystery.



         Attempts to decipher it failed, and this was the reason why it is known as the earliest civilization of antiquity. Writings were found in pottery, amulets, carved stamp seals, on weights and copper tablets. Over 2000 stone seals have been found in the Indus valley, which were quadrangular in shape.



        The Harappan writing consists of short strings of symbols. Some say that each symbol represents a picture or Idea; others say it represents a sound.



        Some experts believe that these writings were slightly earlier than the writings of the Sumerians. These marking have similarities to what later became the Indus Script. Clay and stone tablets unearthed at Harappa, which were carbon dated 3300-3200 BC, contain trident-shaped and plant-like markings.





 


Why is it said that the Indus Valley civilization excelled in trade and transport?


          The prosperity of Indus Valley civilization depended, to a large extent, on its trade and transport. Raw materials were brought by land and water routes from within and outside the valley. They used bullock carts as well as boats for trading purpose.



          Boats were probably small, flat-bottomed crafts, perhaps driven by sails.



          From the distribution of Indus Valley civilization’s remains, we can assume that they had trade relations with the coastal regions of Persia, and Mesopotamia. Evidences show that trade contacts extended even to Crete and possibly to Egypt.



          There was an extensive maritime trade network operating between the Harappan and Mesopotamian civilizations. Such long-distance sea trade became feasible with the development of plank-built watercraft, equipped with a single central mast supporting a sail of woven rushes or cloth. 


Why is it said that the people of the Indus Valley civilization were technologically advanced?


         



         We may think of dentistry to be a modern practice, but it is not so. The people of the Indus Valley civilization already had knowledge of dentistry! Archaeological evidence from Indus Valley sites shows the first evidence of drilling human teeth, in a living person.



          What is more important about these people is that, they were the first to measure length, mass, and time accurately.



 



          People were familiar with new techniques in metallurgy and produced brass, copper, bronze and ivory which were used to make ornaments, utensils, seals etc. The people of the Indus Valley civilization developed techniques and tools to measure length, weight and time with impressive accuracy. They used the same for commercial as well as building purpose.



          Engineering skills were at its heights, and this is clear from the construction of docks at Lothal. They evolved some new techniques in metallurgy and produced copper, bronze, led and tin. 


Why is it said that Harappan cities had modern infrastructure?

            A ‘planned city’ is a title which even today, in modern times, many of our cities fail to achieve. But you will be surprised to know that this was achieved by the Harappan cities of the Indus Valley civilization centuries ago.



            The cities of Harappa were well planned. Large areas were built with the bricks of the same size and weight. They used kilns to make bricks, and used burnt bricks in domestic and public buildings.



            The main feature of Harappan town planning was the granaries or store houses used to store grains. The great bath was the earliest public water tank, and the lower town was the place where common people lived. Harappan streets were straight and the cities were well known for the drains built on either side of the road. The houses were varied in size some had more than one storey. Houses were built on massive platforms to save them from seasonal floods.



            The excavations conducted here have revealed the advanced town planning that characterized the Harappan cities, built more than 4000 years ago. 




Why the Indus Valley civilization is called a city civilization?


          Around 2500 BC, the people of the Indus Valley built huge cities including Mohenjodaro in the south and Harappa in the north.



          These cities were well planned. The buildings were constructed with mud-bricks. A proper drainage system and water storage system were some of the main features of these cities.



          Each city was divided into two areas. One area was where the people lived. Houses were arranged in rows along straight streets. Most houses had a well for water, in the courtyard and hygienic toilets.



          The city’s other half was a walled area containing huge public buildings like granaries, public halls, great bath etc. Near the granaries were threshing floors, where farmers from villages threshed their grains. The other important Indus Valley cities were Lothal, Dholavira, Sutkagendor, Surkotada and Banawali.