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Ancient Egyptian Culture |
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The Ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the longest in the west,
beginning in approximately 3000 B.C., and lasting until nearly 300 B.C.
Even the Ancient Greeks considered themselves as too young and
inexperienced as a society compared to the Egyptians. But at the same
time the amazing thing about the Egyptian's culture is that in spite of
their rapid growth and development, the Egyptians were able to preserve
the past and undergo relatively little change through the centuries.
Ancient Egypt is the point where history of western art begins. For
example, pyramids and sphinxes are not only symbols of Egypt anymore,
but also the expression of artistic genius as a whole.
The profession in Ancient Egypt was a major factor defining social classes and the whol social stratification could be presented as a pyramid. This "Social Pyramid" consisted of different rows - at the bottom were the soldiers, farmers, and tomb builders, who actually were the greatest percent of the Egyptian population. Then the skilled craftsmen followed, who made everything from carts to coffins using quite primitive tools. Above them were the scribes - the only Egyptians who knew how to read and write, and therefore had many types of job opportunity with their duties ranging from writing letters for townspeople, to recording harvests, to keeping accounts for the Egyptian army. The next row included more scholarly scribes on higher positions such as priests, doctors, and engineers. The position of a priest was not only limited to the religious duties in the temples. This was an activity they did for at least three months out of every year during which time they never left the temple but at other times they worked as judges and teachers. The interesting fact about the medical profession of Ancient Egypt was that it had its own hierarchy. The chief medical officer of Egypt was at the top, followed by the superintendents and inspectors of physicians, beneath whom were the physicians. The knowledge of herbal remedies and surgical techniques was very advanced in ancient Egypt, but also part of Egyptian medicine were magic, charms, and spells, with only psychological effects on the patients. The third part of the more scholarly scribes - the engineers with their mathematical and architectural knowledge, were responsible for the planning and building of the monuments, temples, and pyramids of Egypt so they were not the actual builders, but they were in charge of the branch of government involved. The next higher class were the high priests and noblemen appointed by the pharaoh as his assistants, generals, and administrators. Together they formed the government. The pharoah's closest advisor was the vizier and of course at the top of the social pyramid was the pharaoh who was considered a god on earth rather than simply a king. The ancient Egyptian peoples prospered under what was one of the longest spanning civilizations in recorded history with a historical record of their achievements dating from approximately 3000 B.C. through nearly 300 B.C. The ancient Greek culture that eventually conquered Egypt through the efforts of Alexander the Great and which was in its own right a highly developed culture, continuously referenced Egypt in its literary and historical texts and has provided modern historians with a foundation on which to base further studies. Most famously and extensively, Herodotus dedicated an entire chapter to Egypt in his Histories, worthy evidence of the interest Greeks had in this non-Western influence. Herodotus’ interpretation of Egyptian culture, like that of many Greeks presumably, was a contrast of admiration for a civilization more ancient than the Greeks own, infused with a rich religious history, and disquiet towards a culture still foreign and comprised of elements that did not align with the democratic Greek state. One of the more outstanding legacies of the ancient Egyptians is the integrity of the culture they were able to sustain throughout so many centuries despite rapid growth and development. Although much of our sense of the ahcievements of the culture is based on objects from a particular region, the south of Egypt, historians tend to agree on the integral quality of the material produced there. Ancient Egypt is the point where many art historians like to focus on as a period of early art because of the amount of resources left us to study. For this reason, the famed pyramids and the imposing sphinxes are not only symbols of Egypt but also referents to the expression of artistic genius as we have come to recognize it in western art history. A sense of preservation of the past and lasting documentation of their society by early Egyptians has allowed us to fully appreciate the level of sophistication in their awareness of their own cultural and historical relevance. Our insights into the religious and artistic rites of the ancient Egyptians are more solid than our knowledge of the social and economic traits primarily because that is what the archaelogical record has allowed. What nature has preserved in Egypt in the form of monuments and tombs is a culture that extended over roughly five thousand years. It is firmly settled in our collective imaginations as a site of artistic and architectural splendor as well as a region with a great political history. |
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