Ancient Egyptian Civilization

Ancient Egyptian Civilization
Kemet- the Black Land

The first image that comes to mind...
Pharoah Khufu: tallest man-made structure for 3800 years 481 ft high, 13 acres 2.3 million blocks – 2.5 tons miles 20 years moving 12 blocks per hour No wheel; no iron Limestone with gold top

Egypt: “Gift of the Nile”… stretched 600 miles long by 14 miles wide
No rain but agricultural prosperity was unmatched. July Inundation receded in October leaving rich, fertile soil.

The exact length of the Nile is difficult to come by, thanks to differing opinions on the river's source and its complex system of tributaries, creeks and streams. Located in Africa, the most recent and thorough expedition declared the Nile to be 4,175 miles (6,719 kilometers) in length [source: National Geographic]. This expedition, which took place in 2006, used high-tech mapping equipment. The explorers also determined that the true source of the Nile originates somewhere in the depths of the Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda, rather than Lake Victoria as the river's original explorer John Hanning Speke declared in However, Lake Victoria officially remains the principal source. It's doubtful that there will ever be a 100 percent consensus about where the river begins and what the exact length is (most sources say that it's just more than 4,000 miles long). Both tributaries are named for the color of the water they contribute. At its source, the Blue Nile is bright blue, then darkens in Sudan where it begins to carry black sediment. The White Nile carries light gray sediment, turning the water more whitish-gray in color. A consistent freak act of nature allowed the Egyptians to harness the capabilities of the Nile River. While the majority of Egypt was and still is covered with the aforementioned sand, the river basin next to the Nile boasts wildlife and fertile soils. This is all due to the predictable rise and fall of the Nile's water levels each year, known as inundation (rise) and relinquishment (fall). During the inundation period, which takes place sometime around July, water would rise and fill canals made by Egyptian laborers. Sometime around the end of October, the river would begin to recede, leaving rich silt deposits. The water that had been collected in the canals and basins during the inundation period was enough to supply nourishment for the crops for the next year. Crops were harvested in June before the return of the floods. The cycle somewhat reliably repeated every year, although it sometimes produced more water than needed, which had negative effects on the crops.

Isolation impacted on psyche-
harmony, everything was in balance: “ma’at”

Ancient Egypt (Kemet) was also dominated by the Nile River
Ancient Egypt (Kemet) was also dominated by the Nile River. The Nile River flows north. Either the largest or second largest river in the world (the other contender being the Amazon River) at 6,677 km (or 4,180 miles [note those numbers do not convert exactly]), the Nile also had unique characteristics that helped the nation of Egypt grow into a great civilization. Ancient civilizations first grew up on major river systems. One kind flooded, providing rich nutrient top soil renewal. The other kind provided a steady flow of water year round. The Nile has two sources, one of each kind, making it the only large river system in the world with both characteristics. The Nile River provided a continuous waterway that was straight and navigable for more than 2,500 miles. For about ten months out of the year, the prevailing winds blew in the exact opposite direction as the flow of the current, providing low cost water transport in both directions. The Nile River flows north into the Mediterranean Sea, with the predominant winds blowing to the south. The two sources of the Nile, the Blue Nile (source in the Abyssinian Mountains) and the White Nile (source in the Victoria Nyanza), join at Khartoum (in modern day Sudan), forming the Nile proper. In modern times the Nile divides a few miles north of Cairo into the Rosetta and the Damietta branches. The Nile proper is about 1,800 miles long and has been used for irrigation at least since 4,000 B.C.E. The Blue Nile is approximately 1,609 km (about 1,000 miles) flowing from northwest Ethiopia to the Sudan and is the primary headstream of the Nile. The White Nile flows mostly northward through eastern Africa.

Egyptian motto: “Eat, Drink and be Merry”
Egyptians saw nature as a benevolent force and believed that the forces of nature were living gods. The Egyptian religious system however, had no real theology – Egyptians were advised to go out and enjoy life- plant, harvest, drink wine, make love! Egyptians didn’t wear clothes…especially young went around naked. Even poor peasants and craftsmen wore clothes rarely. Maybe a sheer linen wrapped around their wastes. At sometime, all they wore were capes- look I have a cape! And nothing else Ha Ha. When other cultures, the Persians, the Greeks wrote about this nakedness, they were astounded, but to the Egyptians, this was natural.

Women in ancient Egypt:
Kept anything inherited from their parents Entitled to one-half the wealth both partners acquired within their marriage Work at jobs other than a housewife Own and sell property Be a witness in a court case or represent themselves in court Make a will giving their wealth to whomever they wished Go out in public and be in mixed company with men Keep their own name Be supported by their ex- husband after divorce

Like Mesopotamia, religion was the center of Egyptian life.
Religion was a thread deeply woven into Egyptian life. The Egyptians religious beliefs reflected the importance of nature in their lives. They believed that different gods controlled the forces of nature-giving good harvests or causing the crops to die. The sun god Amon-re was the most important. The east, where the sun rose symbolized birth and the west represented death. Tombs and funeral temples were always built on the west bank of the Nile. Egyptian farmers gave special attention to Osiris, god of the Nile. According to legend, Osiris was killed by his jealous brother Set. Isis, his wife, brought her husband/brother back to life but he didn’t return to earth, instead became god of the underworld and judge of the dead. Like Mesopotamia, religion was the center of Egyptian life. Religious beliefs reflected the importance of nature as a benevolent force

The Hall of Justice: key to an immortal afterlife
The day of judgement…and this may be the most distinguishing inheritance that western civilization received from Ancient Egypt: the belief in an immortal afterlife, a paradise but to get there, you will be judged. Interestingly enough, Ancient Egypt had no police force, in fact, they didn’t have a standing army for about 800 years, until the Middle Kingdom. The belief in living a good life was enough to keep most people in line- how strong was this belief! Now, nowhere in the ancient world does this idea appear It was the Egyptians that introduced the idea of a day of judgement and immortality of the soul in a paradise. As I said earlier, the Greeks admired the Egyptians- they had their act together. And Herodotus we know, travelled in Egypt and so did Plato. When we talk later about Plato- this underlying view of Plato is the existence of an immortal soul, an invisible soul that is part of an invisible, perfect world. Where did Plato get these ideas? From the Egyptians. We know that Plato went to Egypt and studied there and must have been influenced by this judgement/afterlife/immortal soul view. This view is part of the Greek consciousness and later, when Christianity was in its formative years – remember that the early fathers of the church were Greek- the New Testament was originally written in Greek- they incorporated this Egyptian view into their writings. So think about it….where would western culture be without Christianity and what is the central teaching of Christia ity? The idea of leading a good life, being judged and a reward of Heaven. So that’s the legacy of the Egyptians to us.

The Palette of Narmer, (King Menes) 3100 BC: The Archaic Period
The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archeological find, dating from about the 31st century BC, containing some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. It is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the king Narmer. On one side the king is depicted with the crown of one area and on the other side the king wears the crown of the other. Egyptologist Bob Brier has referred to the Narmer Palette as "the first historical document in the world".[1] The palette, which has survived five millennia in almost perfect preservation, was discovered by British archeologists James E. Quibell and Frederick W. Green in what they called the main deposit in the temple of Horus at Hierakonpolis during the dig season of 1897/1898[2]. Also found at this dig were the Narmer Macehead and the Scorpion Macehead. Unfortunately the exact place and circumstances of these finds were not recorded very clearly by Quibell and Green. In fact, Green's report placed the palette in a different layer one or two yards away from the deposit, which is considered to be more accurate on the basis of the original excavation notes.[3] It has been suggested that these objects were royal donations made to the temple.[4] Hierakonpolis was the ancient capital of Upper Egypt during the pre-dynastic Naqada III phase of Egyptian history. Palettes were typically used for grinding cosmetics, but this palette was too large and heavy to have been for personal use, and was likely a temple object. One theory put forward was that it was used to grind cosmetics to adorn the statues of the gods.

The Old Kingdom, or Age of the Pyramids, 2686-2181 BC
Legacy of fascination-the pyyramids were old even by Herodotus. From the watery marshes of the nile delta to the arid regions in the sourth, one cannot put a shovel in the ground without finding something. Egypt has attracted treasure-seekers-amateurs, professors, scholars. The dry climate has helped preserve the longest continuous civilization in man’s history with an external stimuli to affect it. The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt. There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008.[1][2] Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.[3][4] [5] The earliest known Egyptian pyramid is the Pyramid of Djoser which was built during the third dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep, and are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental structures constructed of dressed masonry. The best known Egyptian pyramids are those found at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo. Several of the Giza pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built.[6] The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. The Great Pyramid stands with two other pyramids. One for Khufu's son, Khafre (Chephren), and another for his successor, Menkaure (Mycerinus).

The Rosetta Stone 196 BC Ptolemy V Discovered in 1799 3½ x 2 ½
Discovered by Bouchard (Boussard) in August 1799, and deciphered by non- mason, Jean François Champollion ( ) in 1822, with the aid of inscriptions discovered by Italian freemason, Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778/11/ /12/03), the Rosetta Stone provided the key to deciphering the entire system of Egyptian heiroglyphs. Measuring 3ft. 9 in. (114 cm) long anf 2 ft 4 1/2 in. (72 cm) wide, it was carved from black basalt.

Jean Francois Champollion
took 13 years to decipher the Rosetta Stone, 1822. At 5-read French and Latin At 11-translated Virgil & Horace into french At 15-mastered Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Syrian, Ethiopian At 19-learned Persian, Sanskrit, Chinese At 32, began Rosetta Stone “Father of Egyptology” Jean Francois Champollion. He was, after all, credited with deciphering hieroglyphics from the Rosetta Stone and thus giving scholars the key to understanding hieroglyphics. For this effort along, he is frequently referred to as the Father of Egyptology, for he provided the foundation that scholars would need in order to truly understand the ancient Egyptians. Even though he suffered a stroke, dying at the age of forty-one, he himself added to our knowledge of this grand, ancient civilization by translating any number of Egyptian texts prior to his death.

The Old Kingdom ended around 2100 BC- the Nile had changed its flood pattern, the level of the river had dropped 12 feet- about 40% of the cultivated land could n0ot get water. Repercussions led to civil war. Civil War between Noble families ended the Old Kingdom (Flood pattern of Nile changed- floodwaters fell 12 feet reducing arable land by 40%)

The Middle Kingdom, 2090-1650 BCE
Mentuhotep II >re-established the central government and built a new capital at Thebes >major rebuilding program >drained swamps >restored irrigation systems >built canal to the Red Sea >Repelled the Nubians >trade flourished with the Kush, Syria, Mesopotamia and Crete After a Dark Age of four chaotic centuries a strong-willed Charlemagne arose, set things severely in order, changed the capital from Memphis to Thebes, and under the title of Amenemhet I inaugurated that Middle Kingdom Twelfth Dynasty during which all the arts, excepting perhaps architecture, reached a height of excellence never equaled in known Egypt before or again. Amenemhet III and family in Cairo museum Senusret I built a great canal from the Nile to the Red Sea, repelled Nubian invaders, and erected great temples at Heliopolis, Abydos, and Karnak; ten colossal seated figures of him have cheated time, and litter the Cairo Museum. Another Senusret the Third began the subjugation of Palestine, drove back the recurrent Nubians, and raised a stele or slab at the southern frontier, "not from any desire that ye should worship it, but that ye should fight for it. Amenemhet III, a great administrator, builder of canals and irrigation, put an end (perhaps too effectively) to the power of the barons, and replaced them with appointees of the king. The Middle Kingdom, BCE

Thy Hyksos invasions, 1720 BC – led to the 2nd intermediate period
Hyksos invaders introduce the chariot Then the Hyksos, nomads from Asia, invaded disunited Egypt, set fire to the cities, razed the temples, squandered the accumulated wealth, destroyed much of the accumulated art. For two hundred years subjected the Nile valley to the rule of the "Shepherd Kings." Soon, however, the conquerors in their turn grew fat and prosperous, and lost control; the Egyptians rose in a war of liberation, expelled the Hyksos, and established that Eighteenth Dynasty which was to lift Egypt to greater wealth, power and glory than ever before from the Middle Kingdom to the age of the Greates Empire in History.

Ahmose I - founder of the New Kingdom (1570-1070 BC
After Amosis drove out the Hyksos and established the Eighteenth Dynasty, the Egyptian kings dedicated themselves to preventing the Hyksos disaster from ever happening again. The period of Hyksos domination was a chaotic and shameful time for the Egyptians, and they were determined never to see a foreign king lording it over Egypt ever again. These were warrior-kings, great generals who did not stand apart from their people in divine aloofness. They were active administrators who built up fortifications all along the Egyptian border and actively seized territories outside of Egypt, such as Palestine and Syria. These kings subjugated foreign lands and exacted high taxes, making Egypt wealthy and powerful again. They didn't tolerate foreigners, who were treated relatively badly. Among those foreigners or sojourners were the Hebrews (Egyptian "apiru"="foreigner"), whose national identity was formed in their epic migration from Egypt in the thirteenth century BC. These warrior kings built mighty statues to their greatness and adorned their tombs with lavish wealth. The greatest of these warrior-kings was Tuthmosis III, a brilliant and fierce general.

Queen Hatshepsut, “Restorer of Egypt” (1479 - 1458 BC)
Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt not only as queen and wife of the pharaoh but as pharaoh herself, adopting the insignia, including beard, and performing the pharaoh's ceremonial race at the Sed festival [see "Athletic Skill" in Hatshepsut Profile].

Hatshepsut (or Hatchepsut, pronounced /hætˈʃɛpsʊt/),[3] meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies,[4] (1508 BC BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty. Although poor records of her reign are documented in diverse ancient sources, Hatshepsut was described by early modern scholars as only having served as a co-regent from about to 1458 B.C., during years seven to twenty-one of the reign previously identified as that of Thutmose III.[5] Today it is generally recognized that Hatshepsut assumed the position of pharaoh and the length of her reign usually is given as twenty-two years, since she was assigned a reign of twenty-one years and nine months by the third-century B.C. historian, Manetho, who had access to many records that now are lost. Her death is known to have occurred in 1458 B.C., which implies that she became pharaoh circa 1479 B.C. Hatshepsut was one of the most prolific builders in ancient Egypt, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout both Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, that were grander and more numerous than those of any of her Middle Kingdom predecessors. Later pharaohs attempted to claim some of her projects as theirs. Toward the end of the reign of Thutmose III and into the reign of his son, an attempt was made to remove Hatshepsut from certain historical and pharaonic records. This elimination was carried out in the most literal way possible. Her cartouches and images were chiselled off some stone walls, leaving very obvious Hatshepsut-shaped gaps in the artwork. At the Deir el-Bahri temple, Hatshepsut's numerous statues were torn down and in many cases, smashed or disfigured before being buried in a pit. At Karnak, there even was an attempt to wall up her obelisks. While it is clear that much of this rewriting of Hatshepsut's history occurred only during the close of Thutmose III's reign, it is not clear why it happened, other than the typical pattern of self-promotion that existed among the pharaohs and their administrators, or perhaps saving money by not building new monuments for the burial of Thutmose III and instead, using the grand structures built by Hatshepsut. Deir el-Bahri

Thutmose III “The Napoleon of Egypt” ( BC) >17 military campaigns during 32 year reign- never lost a battle! >captured 350 cities in Palestine & Syria During Thutmose III's 32-year reign, he led Egypt in 17 military campaigns and in the process never lost a single battle. Thutmose III (known as the Napoleon of Egypt) was a great Pharaoh, he succeeded his mother in law Hatshepsut with her death, and revenged himself by defacing her monuments -He is regarded as one of the greatest of Egypt's warrior Pharaohs, ruling from 1458 BC to BC -His battles were recorded in great detail by his royal Scribe and army commander, Thanuny, on the inside walls surrounding the granite sanctuary at Karnak, and inscriptions on Thanuny's tomb -He decided that the Levant offered the greatest potential for glory and wealth if the trade routes dominated by Syrian, Palestinian and Aegean rulers could be taken, and started a series of military campaigns along the Syrian coast. -During these campaigns he won decisive battles, and established Egyptian dominance over Palestine where he captured 350 cities. -He also made campaigns into Nubia where he built temples and restored Senusret's III old canal so that his armies could pass safely on their return to Egypt. -His vast empire stretched from southern Syria (Canaan) to Nubia. Egypt was at it's golden moment and the most important regional power . Thutmose built many projects in Egypt and Nubia, including a temple dedicated to the goddess Satet at Elephantine and a temple near Hatshepsut's temple in Deir el Bahri and a rock cut sanctuary to the goddess Hathor -But of these many monuments the most important construction took place at the Temple Amun at Karnak Wall relief near the sanctuary record the gifts of gold jewelry, furniture and rich perfume oils offered to the temple He erected the Sixth and Seventh Pylons, as well as considerable reconstruction within the central areas of the temple, two obelisks and a black granite Victory Stele embellishing his military victories. He also built a new temple at Karnak known the Festival Hall, In the rear is a small room with representations of animals and plants bought back from Syria during the 25th year of his reign. This room is known today as the Botanical Garden.

Possibly as a result of the foreign rule of the Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period, the New Kingdom saw Egypt attempt to create a buffer between the Levant and Egypt, and attained its greatest territorial extent. It expanded far south into Nubia and held wide territories in the Near East. Egyptian armies fought Hittite armies for control of modern-day Syria.

Akhenaton 1379-1362 BC Nefertiti
Started rule as Amenhotep IV….he became an extremeist in his belief and devotion to the idea of monotheism –and is especially noted for attempting to compel the Egyptian population in the monotheistic worship of Aten, although there are doubts as to how successful he was at this. Pharaoh Akhenaten was known as the Heretic King. He was the tenth King of the 18th Dynasty. Egyptologists are still tying to figure out what actually happened during his lifetime as much of the truth was buried after he died. Akhenaten lived at the peak of Egypt's imperial glory. Egypt had never been richer, more powerful, or more secure. Up and down the Nile, workers built hundreds of temples to pay homage to the Gods. They believed that if the Gods were pleased, Egypt would prosper. And so it did. Akhenaten and his family lived in the great religious center of Thebes, city of the God Amun. There were thousands of priests who served the Gods. Religion was the 'business' of the time, many earning their living connected to the worship of the gods. Pic of Nefertiti his wife. Famous wooden statue is in Berlin museum. Akhenaton BC Nefertiti

the period of warrior-kings came to a crashing halt when a young, possibly ill- formed boy came to the throne. Amenhotep IV had a religious conversion and rejected the pantheon of Egyptian gods. Rather, he believed that one and only one god existed and deserved to be worshipped; that god was Aten. Usurping the place of Horus or Re, the traditional Egyptian sun-gods, Amenhotep made Aten the sun-god and created a city dedicated to the worship of that sun-god, Akhetaten, "the Horizon of Aten." Renaming himself Akhenaten, the young king with his wife, Nefertiti, moved into this new city of Aten to concentrate on his new religion. This religion is the first monotheistic ("one god") religion we know of in human history. But Akhenaten devoted himself to his new religion and neglected the storm brewing on the Egyptian horizon. For the Hittite empire was pushing against the Egyptian frontier, and the neglect of Aten's king threatened the very existence of Egypt itself.

Tutankhamen King Tut’s burial mask. Howard Carter, 1922
Tutankhamen is probably the best-known of the pharaohs owing to the fortunate discovery of his treasure-filled tomb virtually intact (it is believed that the tomb may have been robbed once as some time and perhaps 60% of the tomb was stolen.) . His burial place in the Valley of the Kings had escaped the fate of the tombs of his predecessors. One explanation of this neglect is that as the son of the Heretic king Akhenaten, he did not receive the attention and much of his record was ignored. Also, since the entrance was hidden from plunderers by debris heaped over it during the cutting of the later tomb of Ramses VI. The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter Tutankhamun was nine years old when he became pharaoh and reigned for approximately ten years. In historical terms, Tutankhamun's significance stems from his rejection of the radical religious innovations introduced by his predecessor Akhenaten[4] and that his tomb in the Valley of the Kings was discovered by Carter almost completely intact — the most complete ancient Egyptian royal tomb ever found. As Tutankhamun began his reign at such an early age, his vizier and eventual successor Ay was probably making most of the important political decisions during Tutankhamun's reign. Tutankhamun was one of the few kings worshiped as a god and honored with a cult-like following in his own lifetime.[5] A stela discovered at Karnak and dedicated to Amun-Re and Tutankhamun indicates that the king could be appealed to in his deified state for forgiveness and to free the petitioner from an ailment caused by wrongdoing. King Tut’s burial mask. Howard Carter, 1922

Abu Simbel- temple of Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great)
Even though the warrior-kings reappeared with the dawning of the Nineteenth Dynasty and the great Ramesside kings (Ramesses I and his descendants), the Egyptian empire slowly crumbled over the generations as foreign powers encroached on its once mighty empire. The greatest of the Ramesside kings was Ramses II; his tenure as king corresponds to some of the most epic monumental architecture of ancient Egypt. He was followed, however, by a series of weaker kings and Egypt finally collapsed into another period of political chaos: the Third Intermediate Period. After the collapse of the Nineteenth Dynasty, the so-called Ramesside kings, Egypt descended into another period of political chaos. This chaos literally began during the kingship of the last Ramesside king, Ramsses XI. After the death of Ramsses XI, a man named Smendes, who lived in the town of Tanis, claimed the throne. From this point on, no-one was really in charge of Egypt. For a brief time, Libyans controlled Egypt. These Libyan chiefs made up the Twenty-second Dynasty and ruled Egypt at the same time as the kings of the Twenty-third Dynasty.

The Battle of Kadesh, 1275 BCE
Ramesses II ("the Great") sought to recover territories in the Levant that had been held by the 18th Dynasty. His campaigns of reconquest culminated in the Battle of Kadesh, where he led Egyptian armies against those of the Hittite king Muwatalli II and was caught in history's first recorded military ambush, but thanks to the arrival of the Ne'arin, Ramesses was able to rally his troops and turn the tide of battle against the Hittites. The outcome of the battle was undecided, both sides claiming victory at their home front, ultimately resulting in a peace treaty between the two nations. Ramesses II was also famed for the huge number of children he sired by his various wives and concubines; the tomb he built for his sons, many of whom he outlived, in the Valley of the Kings has proven to be the largest funerary complex in Egypt.

Temple of Horus, Ramses III
Hekla volcano in Iceland??? Labor strikes Civil unrest Series of droughts Below-normal flooding Famine Official corruption Power grabs by High Priests at Thebes Invasions by Sea Peoples and Libyan tribesmen The Decline and Fall of the Pharaohs During the New Kingdom, Ramsees II and his successors were unable to pull Egypt out of what would prove to be a long and steady decline, bringing to an end the glorious age of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. During the 20th dynasty, towards the end of the 2nd millennium B.C., the Egyptian empire began to falter under the strain of repeated attacks by Mediterranean invaders known only as "Peoples of the Sea," who crossed over from the region of Greece and attacked Egypt from the north, and via Libya in the west. The Third Intermediate Period was now upon Egypt. As one weak dynasty followed another, the country slid into anarchy. Competing dynasties, including one founded by priests and another by a Libyan prince, began to tear the country apart. Eventually, in 667 B.C., the country was invaded by the Assyrians, a neighboring Middle Eastern empire with a reputation for ruthlessness and, for a brief while, they dominated the country. The ancient Egyptian Pharaohs fought back and momentarily reestablished their rule, only to be invaded once more, in 525 B.C., by the powerful Persian Empire, which reduced their country to the status of a mere province. Despite initially respecting the customs and traditions of the ancient Egyptians, the new Persian rulers became heavy-handed once they had consolidated their power. A series of anti-Persian uprisings culminated in a brief spell of renewed Egyptian independence, only to be dashed by yet another Persian invasion in 341 B.C.

In 728 BC, after three hundred years of political chaos, Egypt was invaded by its sister civilization to the south, Nubia. The Nubians had built a civilization on the model of the Egyptians and had maintained Egyptian values and culture with a high degree of conservatism. Under the command of Piankhy, the Nubians rushed northwards and conquered Egypt. The Nubians wanted to return Egypt to traditional Egyptian ways and Egyptian religious practices. Many Egyptian traditions that had died out were restored by the Nubian conquerors. But the Nubian renaissance lasted for only the blink of an eye, for they wilted under the ferocity of the Assyrians and their king Ashurbanipal. Ashurbanipal placed another Egyptian on the throne of the Two Lands and so established the Twenty-sixth Dynasty. It took a couple generations to bring peace once again to Egypt, but the country would never accede to its former power and influence. Soon, the empire of the Babylonians fell to the Persians, and Egypt came under the control of Persia. The Egyptians writhed and suffered under Persian control so much so that in 332 BC they welcomed the Greek conqueror of Persia, Alexander the Great, into their country as their great liberator. But Egypt was to become a Greek kingdom under a series of Greek kings. After 332, no Egyptian would be king of Egypt until the nineteenth century AD.

Ancient Egyptian Civilization

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