El Enfermo Imaginario

HISTORY
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology) with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh. The history of ancient Egypt occurred in a seriesof stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age and the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age. Egypt reached the pinnacle of its power during the New Kingdom, in the Ramesside period, after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was invaded or conquered by asuccession of foreign powers (such as the Libyans, Nubians, Assyria, Babylonia, Persian rule and Greece) in the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt and Late Period. In the aftermath of Alexander the Great's death, one of his generals, Ptolemy Soter, established himself as the new ruler of Egypt. This Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt until 30 BC, when it fell to the Roman Empire and became a Romanprovince.

The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which fueled social development and culture. With resources to spare, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions,the early development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a military intended to defeat foreign enemies and assert Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a Pharaoh who ensuredthe cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of religious beliefs.

PHILOSOPHY
Ancient Egyptian philosophy has been credited by the ancient Greeks as being the beginning of philosophy. It is characterized by being flexible, pragmatic, and giving attention to emotion.Ancient Egyptian philosophy was highly concerned with proper conduct and justice.Many texts were prescriptive, telling its readers how to behave. Although Egyptian philosophy did not discuss epistemology, it did discuss how to teach justice. The political system was not written about, but some writings pessimistically considered the consequences when there is no legitimate king, and others offered advice to princes that were to become kings. Methods of persuasion, such as Greekrhetoric, were not discussed.

Overall, Egyptian philosophies were flexible, pragmatic, and attentive to emotion.
According to the Egyptologist Erik Hornung, ancient Egyptian answers to philosophical questions were flexible. Rather than offering definite answers, Egyptian philosophy was pluralistic, and several explanations for the origin of the world were considered equally true.AncientEgyptian philosophy was pragmatic, and considered real-life situations without abstracting to general laws. Maat, the Egyptian notion of justice, stressed solutions to these problems. Older men would pass on knowledge to their children about the situations that they would encounter in life. While Egyptian philosophy recognized the power of emotion, it advised against giving in to transitory feelings.The ideal was the silent man, who ignored emotions and thought before acting. The opposite was the heated man, who was impulsive, and immediately submitted to his Emotions.

GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY
The pharaoh was the absolute monarch of the country and, at least in theory, wielded complete control of the land and its resources. The king was the supreme military commander and head of...