The culture of Ancient Egypt

The rich and highly developed culture of Ancient Egypt had a huge impact on the development of the peoples of the Middle East and the ancient Greeks. Up to the present time, the achievements of the era of the pharaohs continue to inspire the creation of works of art, and the scientific discoveries of Egyptians in mathematics and astronomy shock minds with their surprise.

Ancient Egyptian culture possessed a number of original features, conditioned both by the geographical position of this country, and by the internal laws of development .First of all, this is self-sufficiency and self-sufficiency .Isolated position of the Nile Valley hampered contacts with other peoples and did not give an opportunity to learn about the achievements of neighbors .Conservatism, orientation to tradition, further strengthened the ability to resist any influences from outside .However, because of this, even the innovations proposed by the Egyptians themselves were very poorly adopted in art, religion, and life..

Cosmology of Ancient Egypt

Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who lived in the 14th century BC. E., because of political considerations, decided to reform the religious system, replacing the numerous gods, whose functions often duplicated each other, monotheism - the cult of the one god Aton. Aton did not long reign on the territory of Egypt. Immediately after the death of Amenhotep, the newly appeared sun god was canceled.

At the heart of ancient Egyptian culture is man's fear of uncontrolled forces of nature. In the context of this world view, the pharaoh was perceived as the guardian of the world order, a force capable of creating the balance necessary for life. The main "hero" of culture is the great river Nile, and the main idea is eternity, expressed primarily in architecture. The famous pyramids, the most famous of which are located in the suburbs of Cairo Giza, is a thought expressed in stone about frozen time and space.

Nile crocodile was an object of worship in many cities, in particular, in Thebes. In honor of him, temples were built, in which richly decorated animals were kept. After death, crocodiles were buried with honors in a specially designated place.

Writing

One of the greatest secrets of the culture of Ancient Egypt is the writing that emerged at the end of the 4th millennium BC + $ .e .For a long time could not solve her puzzle .As a result, hieroglyphs deciphered in the 19th century the French scientist Zh .-F .Champollion .He took a stone found in the Egyptian city of Rosetta, where the same text was cut out in different languages, compared these variants and got the key to many works of the ancient Egyptians .The birth of writing is related to economic needs .The need for accounting, records management and created hieroglyphics, which were first applied to the stone and boards, and a little later - to the papyrus .Read the texts from right to left .

Karnak Temple

Frescoes in Abu Simbel

Culture of Ancient Egypt

Cults of Egypt

Ancient Egyptian religion was an intricate system, with a multitude of gods, complex rituals, the purpose of which was to create a balance between opposing origins. A clear idea of the functions of deities is extremely difficult to obtain, since there was no pantheon unique for the whole of ancient Egypt. Moreover, over time, cults were transformed, and the roles played by the gods were changing.

The gods were portrayed in the form of people and semi-human semi-animals that was not accidental Egyptians with great respect for the world around, endowing animals with the most precious elements in their culture..The most revered force of nature was the sun, embodied in the form of Ra (this god had other names that depended on the place where he was worshiped) .Pharaoh as the bearer of the divine power was the "Son of the Sun" or "Son of Ra" .Every evening it disappeared, falling into an invisible, afterlife, a man with a bird's head, whence he returned with a solar disk .The main god of the afterlife was Osiris, the myth of which and his wife Isis was central in ancient Egyptian mythology .A man after death, like the sun, fell into the afterworld, where he was met by Anubis, a god with a jackal's head, escorting the soul to the trial to Osiris .

Mummification was always performed by the priest in the mask of Anubis. It was believed that all actions in the world of people go in parallel with actions in the afterlife.

The temple where worshiped the gods was the focus of Egyptian life. Formation of the Egyptian state began precisely from here. The temple performed not only religious functions, but also was an administrative institution. Only priests had access to the building.