Egypt

The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the 'black land' and

the 'red land'.

The 'black land' was the fertile land on the

banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians used

this land for growing their crops. This was the only

land in ancient Egypt that could be farmed

because a layer of rich, black silt was deposited there every year after the

Nile flooded.

The 'red land' was the barren desert that

protected Egypt on two sides. These deserts

separated ancient Egypt from neighbouring

countries and invading armies. They also

provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for precious metals and semi-precious stones.

Egyptian Life

Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around the Nile and the fertile land along its banks. The yearly

flooding of the Nile enriched the soil and brought good harvests and wealth to the land.

The people of ancient Egypt built mudbrick

homes in villages and in the country. They grew some of their own food

and traded in the villages for the food and goods they could not produce.

Most ancient Egyptians worked as field hands, farmers, craftsmen and scribes. A small group of people were nobles.

Together, these different groups of people made

up the population of ancient Egypt.

Pharoah

The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the pharaoh. The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding

the titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'.

As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.

As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built temples to honour the gods.

Many pharaohs went to war when their land was threatened or when they wanted to control foreign

lands. If the pharaoh won the battle, the

conquered people had to recognise the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler

and offer him the finest and most valuable goods

from their land.

Beit el-Wali Cast

This is a plaster cast of the wall reliefs in a temple built by Ramesses II, originally located in Beit-el-Wali (the modern name for the village near which

the ancient temple was located).

The Beit el-Wali temple is made of sandstone. This stone was easily

worn away by the blowing sand of the

desert, and the yearly flooding of the Nile.

By the early nineteenth century, when this cast was made, parts of the

wall reliefs were already worn away.

Horses were first brought to Egypt in about 1600 B.C. They were not very common and mostly

used to pull war chariots

Hieroglyphs are the characters used in ancient Egyptian

hieroglyphic writing. Hieroglyphic was the main script used to record information about the pharaoh,

rituals, and historical events.

Ostrich feathers were often used to make fans

for wealthy or important people in ancient Egypt. Fans made with ostrich feathers appear

frequently in wall reliefs.

Ebony was a special wood which was greatly

valued by the ancient Egyptians. Ebony trees grew in places south of

Egypt, and were brought into Egypt through tribute

and trade. The ancient Egyptians used ebony to make special furniture such as chairs, boxes, and couches for the

pharaoh

Ivory is made from the tusks of an elephant. The ancient Egyptians

used ivory to make jewellery and small

objects.

Many Egyptian pharaohs fought battles with their

southern neighbours, the Nubians. The

Egyptians wanted to protect their southern

border and have access to gold, wood and

animals that came from Nubia.

Oxen were brought as tribute to the Egyptian pharaoh from Nubia. They were used in

farming, provided meat for banquets, and were sacrificed to the gods.

Their hides were sometimes used for

covering shields and furniture.

Giraffes and many other kinds of exotic animals were brought to Egypt through Nubia. They

were kept by the pharaoh to show that he had conquered foreign

lands.

Dom nuts were the product of dom palm trees which grew in

Nubia. These large nuts were gathered and pressed for their oil

which was used by the ancient Egyptians for

cooking and seasoning.

Gold was one of the most important materials

for the ancient Egyptians. Known as

'nbw', gold was used to make jewellery,

statuettes, funerary equipment, and to decorate furniture.

Amenemope was the viceroy of Nubia during the reign of the pharaoh

Ramesses II. The viceroy of Nubia was a governor appointed by

the Egyptian pharaoh to watch over Nubia.

The vizier was a special advisor to the pharaoh.

He made sure that the local governors were

doing their jobs well and that the country was running smoothly.

The crown prince of Egypt (in this case

Amenhirwenemef) was the first son of the pharaoh. He was

chosen by the pharaoh to be the next ruler of

all Egypt.

Ramesses II was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt who ruled for 66 years from 1279 B.C. to 1213

B.C.. Ramesses II is known for building

many temples and for being a strong military

leader.