Early egyptians

Index

Introduction…………….……………………………………………………….....1

History…………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….2

Mummification…………………………………………….………………………………………………………………..3

Pyramids……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5

Illustrations…………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………7

Conclution……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….10

Introduction

The story of ancient Egypt has survived for thousands of years. Egypt was one of the greatest civilizations of the past. The monuments and tombs of their Pharaohs continue to stand intact today, some 4,000 years later!
A good portion of the Old Testament of the Bible takes place in or around Egypt. Egypt also plays a major role in the life of many Bible people from Moses and Joseph to Jesus.Egypt is situated in the northeast corner of the Africa.

1


History
Egyptian civilization combined around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh. In Predynastic and Early Dynastic times, the Egyptian climate was muchless arid than it is today. Large regions of Egypt were covered in treed savanna and traversed by herds of hoofed animals. Foliage and fauna were far more prolific in all surroundings and the Nile region supported large populations of freshwater bird
Ancient Egyptian Government was dominated by a single man, the Pharaoh. The people believed that the king was more than a man, however, but that hewas a god. This gave him absolute control over the affairs of the Empire and its people.
Ancient Egypt was also a theocracy, controlled by the clergy. The Pharaoh¹s advisors and ministers were almost always priests, who were considered the only ones worthy and able to carry out the god-king¹s commands. As in most religious ancient societies, priests had special status above the rest of thecitizens, forming a kind of nobility.
The majority of Egyptian people were peasants who worked the land along the fertile Nile flood basin. These people had no voice in their government, and accepted this fact because it was backed by their religion. This mingling of religion and government is probably what kept Egypt so powerful and centralized during its high points.

2

MummificationThe earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the desert. The heat and dryness of the sand dehydrated the bodies quickly, creating lifelike and natural mummies.
Over many centuries, the ancient Egyptians developed a method of preserving bodies so they would remain lifelike. The process included embalming the bodies and wrapping them in strips of linen. Today we call thisprocess mummification.
Embalming the body: First, his body is taken to the tent known as 'ibu' or the 'place of purification'. There the embalmers wash his body with good-smelling palm wine and rinse it with water from the Nile. One of the embalmer's men makes a cut in the left side of the body and removes many of the internal organs. It is important to remove these because they are the first part ofthe body to decompose.
The liver, lungs, stomach and intestines are washed and packed in natron which will dry them out. The heart is not taken out of the body because it is the centre of intelligence and feeling and the man will need it in the afterlife. A long hook is used to smash the brain and pull it out through the nose.
The body is now covered and stuffed with natron which will dry itout. All of the fluids, and rags from the embalming process will be saved and buried along with the body.
After forty days the body is washed again with water from the Nile. Then it is covered with oils to help the skin stay elastic.
The dehydrated internal organs are wrapped in linen and returned to the body. The body is stuffed with dry...