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Sunday 21 December 2014

Egypt (Ancient)

The Egyptians usually only had one main meal every day, at lunchtime, with light snacks for breakfast and supper.

Rich Egyptians never ate fish as they regarded them as evil creatures.

Everybody ate bread, for which the Egyptians had 15 different words, it was the most important part of most peoples diet.

Alcohol was very important in ancient Egypt. This is indicated by the fact that while most gods were only worshiped locally, Sesmu- the god of wine- was worshiped throughout the country.

The Egyptian term for "Pharaoh" means literally the "Great House." Originally, it designated part of the large palatial complex at Memphis, one of the early cạpitals of Egypt in the 3rd millennium BC. Soon thereafter, it denoted the Egyptian government itself. The king and his administration not just the buildings from which they gave governed.

The process by which the king of Egypt became known as "Pharaoh" was gradual, involving various stages. In the first stage, sometime before. Thutmose Ill became king (1479 BC), the title occasionally applied to Egypt's monarch. A more advanced stage occurred before the end of the New Kingdom period (1069 BC), when the use of "Pharaoh", referring to the king moved from everyday speech into the official language of the country. From the time of King Ghosheng 1 (or Sheshonk, 945-924 BC) "Pharaoh" was added to the king's official title.

Pharaohs lived in spectacular palaces (the word “pharaoh” means “great house”.)

Hatshepsut, the sixth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, was one of the few—and by far the most successful—women to rule Egypt as pharaoh. During her remarkable reign  between c. 1479-1458 BC, she donned male clothing and wore a fake beard. Below is a large granite sphinx bearing the likeness of Hatshepsut, depicted with the traditional false beard, a symbol of her pharaonic power.

By Keith Schengili-Roberts - Wikipedia

The Greeks laughed at the Egyptians' strangely constructed tombs, calling them "wheaten cakes," which gave us the word "pyramid."

The cat was proclaimed to be sacred in ancient Egypt. Thousands of cats were mummified after their deaths to ensure them eternal life.

In Ancient Egyptian religion there were 42 commandments and 42 gods who ruled on the fate of the dead in the afterworld.

Ancient Egyptians would shave off their eyebrows in order to properly mourn the death of their cats.

In ancient Egypt, priests plucked every hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes as part of their ritual.

According to Greek historian Herodotus, Ancient Egyptian men never became bald. The reason for this was that, as children, Egyptian males had their heads shaved, and their scalps were continually exposed to the health-giving rays of the sun.

Green was a sacred color to the Egyptians representing the hope and joy of spring. The floors of Egyptian temples were green.

About 3,000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30.

Reports of people receiving shocks from electric fish date back to ancient Egyptian texts of 2750BC.

Archery was a sport in ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians were famous for their skill with the bow.

The Ancient Egyptians trained baboons to wait at tables.

Along with the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians were the first people to develop their language into a codified form of writing. The Ancient Egyptians also invented the first paper-like material from the papyrus plant.

In Ancient Egypt, the tax system was linked to water levels of the River Nile. It was used to predict farmers' wealth each year.

Memphis, Egypt remained the largest city in the world from at least 3100 BC to 2240 BC when the Babylonian city of Akkad claimed the title.

Sources Europress Enyclopedia,  Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, So That's Why Bible, Thomas Nelson Bibles

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