How To Make Fast Money In Egypt

13 Fascinating Facts About Ancient Egypt

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Many civilizations have come and gone throughout world history, but none have been quite as fascinating as Ancient Egypt. It lasted from around 3150 BC to around 30 BC, but its legacy lives on today. Young children everywhere study about it in school, and adults travel to what is now the country of Egypt to view the remaining artifacts, artwork and architecture. If you're interested in learning even more about Ancient Egypt, here are some fascinating facts you may not know:

Makeup for Everyone

Not only did the women of Ancient Egypt wear makeup, but the men did too. They did so because it protected their skin from the sun, and some of the makeup was thought to help with healing and maintaining health. Most of it was black and green.

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Cat Worship

During the Middle Ages, the Pope believed cats were evil and had many of them killed. In Ancient Egypt, however, cats were considered sacred animals. Almost everyone animal had at least one for a pet, and the pharaohs owned many felines. One reason the Egyptians loved these furry creatures is their ability to kill snakes, scorpions and other creepy crawlers.

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Transportation

Many movies depict Ancient Egyptians traveling across the desert on camel back, but the truth is that they didn't actually ride camels. Instead, they traveled via donkey. They also made plank boats that they rode up and down the Nile River to get from one place to another.

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Irrigation Creation

Next time you go to the grocery store and see piles and piles of produce, you can thank Ancient Egyptians for the abundance of food. The civilization was located along the Nile River, which was the perfect spot for agriculture. Not only did the Egyptians become farming experts, but they helped create the practice known as irrigation, which farmers everywhere now use to keep their crops watered.

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Societal Contributions

Few people realize that the Ancient Egyptians were quite advanced for their time, and many of their scientific and mathematical inventions are still in use today. In addition to irrigation, they include toothpaste, building practices, surveying land, quarrying, glass, planked boats, makeup techniques, medicinal practices, calendars, plows, paper, pen, keys, locks, board games and musical instruments.

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Dining with the Dead

In the United States, you may visit your deceased relatives' graves to place flowers or mourn, but have probably never thought about sharing a meal with them like the Ancient Egyptians did. During the Feast of the Valley, a festival that celebrated the dead, the families of the deceased would visit their tombs with food and wine to enjoy a feast. Afterwards, they'd spend the night in tomb.

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Building of the Pyramids

You probably learned in school that slaves built the pyramids, but advancements in the study of Egyptian history have led experts to believe this isn't quite the case. The men who built the pyramids received salaries, a place to stay, food, drink and medical attention. They put in three-month shifts as part of a national service plan.

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Fat Pharaohs

If you've ever seen a piece of Egyptian art or the sarcophagus of a pharaoh's mummy, you probably assume that the civilization's rulers were thin and muscular. The truth is that these depictions are more about vanity than real life. Most of the pharaohs were obese, had poor diets and suffered from diseases like diabetes.

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Cleopatra's Past

Cleopatra is one of Ancient Egypt's most famous inhabitants and rulers, and today, she remains a cultural icon. But what many people don't know is that this young woman with the storied past wasn't even Egyptian. Even though her family ruled Egypt for hundreds of years, she was actually Greek and the first in her family to speak the Egyptian language.

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Men and Women

Unlike many other cultures and civilizations, men and women were legally equals in Ancient Egypt. Women were expected to fill in for their husbands when it came to business matters, and they could own land and conduct business on their own.

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1Female Kings

Not only were men and women equals, but women could also become king if a monarch died without any sons. That's not a mistake. The women were kings, not queens, as the word was not gender-specific. The king's wife was considered the queen. At least three women ruled Ancient Egypt successfully: Sobekneferu, Hatshepsut and Tausret.

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1Egyptian Alphabet

Our alphabet only has 26 letters, and it takes a little time for kids to learn how to turn those letters into words. So, imagine being a child in Ancient Egypt where the alphabet contained over 700 symbols. Instead of letters, they used 700 hieroglyphs.

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1So Many Gods

As if keeping up with all of those hieroglyphs wasn't enough, the Egyptians also had over 2,000 deities that they worshiped. Basically, there was a god (or goddess) for everything from the sky to evil. There was even a cat god.

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