44 interesting facts about Ancient Egypt

The mighty civilization of Ancient Egypt was one of the most developed regions of the world for several millennia, and in those days When in Europe the ancient barbarians still lived in isolated villages, a huge kingdom flourished on the banks of the Nile. Enough information about the ancient Egyptians has survived to this day to appreciate all the advantages of this country, which has sunk into oblivion a long time ago.

Facts about Ancient Egypt

1. It often happened among the ancient Egyptian rulers that brothers and sisters got married. This provided the other half with sufficient education and knowledge of court life, and at the same time reduced the number of possible contenders for the throne.
2. The civilization of Ancient Egypt lasted about 4000 years, which is longer than most others (interesting facts about ancient civilizations).
3. The ancient Egyptian kingdom fell in the 7th century, when it was conquered by the Arabs.
4. The struggle of the rulers of Ancient Egypt with the Hittite civilization for possession of the lands of modern Syria lasted almost two centuries, but actually ended in a draw.
5. Despite the fact that in ancient Egypt, women usually ran the household, they had the same legal and financial rights as men.
6. It was in Ancient Egypt that the famous Library of Alexandria was located, in which many ancient inventors and philosophers. One of her students was Archimedes (interesting facts about Archimedes).
7. The famous ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra was originally a Greek from Macedonia.
8. In ancient Egypt, board games were popular, in particular the game of senet, which vaguely resembled the later invented chess.
9. While doctors in the Mediterranean civilizations had no specialization, ancient Egyptian doctors were clearly divided into separate professions.
10. Since Egypt is located in the arid part of Africa, the life of the country directly depended on the floods of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians even invented a system of irrigation canals to irrigate arable land (interesting facts about the Nile).
11. In ancient Egypt, there were marriage contracts that indicated how the property of the spouses would be divided in the event of a marriage break.
12. Paper was invented a long time ago, but it happened in ancient China, so the Egyptians used papyrus, which was made from reed, which grows in abundance in the Nile Delta.
13. Wine and beer were invented in ancient Egypt. Bread was also produced.
14. According to the surviving historical evidence, the famous ancient Egyptian pyramids were built not by slaves, but by hired workers, very skilled in construction.
15. Pets were popular among the ancient Egyptians, and cats were revered as sacred animals for many centuries (interesting facts about cats). monkeys and dogs.
16. Makeup among the ancient Egyptians was extremely popular, and not only women, but also men used it.
17. The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Pepi II could not stand flies, so several slaves smeared with honey were always on duty with him, who distracted these insects.
18. In ancient Egypt, it was believed that no one should see the pharaoh’s hair, so the rulers always wore a crown with a special cape.
19. Despite the fact that antibiotics only became widespread in the 20th century, the ancient Egyptians knew about 4000 years ago that some types of mold help against infectious diseases.
20. Ancient Egyptian men wore skirts and women wore dresses. At the same time, children up to adolescence usually did without clothes at all.
21. In ancient Egypt, children’s heads were shaved, leaving only a small pigtail so that lice would not start in their hair.
22. The first ancient Egyptian step pyramid was built about 4600 years ago.
23. The art of mummification of the dead began to develop in ancient Egypt more than 5000 years ago.
24. The famous pharaoh Tutankhamun died at the age of 18.
25. The pedigree in Ancient Egypt was conducted along the maternal line, and not along the paternal line.
26. It was not customary for the ancient Egyptians to enter the house, and even into one’s own, in shoes. Shoes were left at the doorstep.
27. Carrier pigeons were widely used to deliver letters in ancient Egypt (interesting facts about pigeons).
28. Ancient Egyptians made cosmetics mainly from copper and lead. They simply did not know about the dangers of lead exposure to the skin. In ancient Rome, for example, water pipes were made of lead for the same reason.
29. Birthday celebrations in ancient Egypt were not customary.
30. Many pharaohs wore false golden beards, imitating to the god Osiris, who was usually depicted as bearded.
31. Apparently, the ancient Egyptians were well versed in astronomy. Thus, the famous pyramids of Giza are located so that they coincide with the belt of Orion, as it is seen on the surface of the Earth.
32. The ancient Egyptians used three calendars at the same time – lunar, astronomical and agricultural.
33. The construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the most famous of the pyramids of Ancient Egypt, took about 2.5 million limestone blocks with an average weight of more than 25 tons each.
34. Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II lived to be 90 years old and left behind more than a hundred children.
35. Makeup on the face in Ancient Egypt was used, first of all, not for decoration, but to protect the skin from scorching sun (interesting facts about the Sun).
36. The prototypes of modern fly swatters were made by the Egyptians from the tails of giraffes.
37. There are about 700 hieroglyphs in the ancient Egyptian alphabet. In the Chinese traditional alphabet, for comparison, there are many thousands of them.
38. Concrete was invented in ancient Egypt. To make it, sand and stone chips were mixed with river silt.
39. The Egyptian pyramids are the only Wonders of the World that have survived to this day.
40. Pharaoh Pepi II ruled Ancient Egypt for the longest time, whose reign lasted 88 years. He became pharaoh at the age of 6 and died at 94.
41. The word «pharaoh» translated from ancient Egyptian as «big house», and it meant, first of all, the palace of the ruler, and then himself.
42. Tombs in the pyramids have always been equipped with many ingenious traps designed to protect them from plunder.
43. A special science, Egyptology, deals with the study of the history and culture of Ancient Egypt.
44. The ancient Egyptians filled pillows with stones, not feathers or down.