Egyptians
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Ancient civilizations are studied today to help us understand more about our worlds past and what has brought us to where we are today. Our findings have not only answered questions, but also bought us to ask more questions. Perhaps one of the most studied and yet least understood civilizations is the Ancient Egyptian Civilization. Many studies have been done one what is now left of their ruins. Ancient towns have left us with hieroglyphics, items that help us understand the way they lived, and even tombs.
One of the keys to understanding the ancient civilization is the Rosetta Stone, which was discovered and helps us even today interpret the ancient writing of hieroglyphics. All of Egypts history, religion, and beliefs are only some of the writings that are left. Some of the writings include proof that exotic plans did exist then that dont exist today. These writings have told the stories of all the kings and their rule. Gods were very prominent in this time and played a large role in the way people lived their lives. If it werent for these writings, this civilization may have never been fully discovered. Not everyone was able to read and write hieroglyphics, there was a special school for children who were exceptional. The school would start for the child at about five to ten years of age. They would learn how vile the other occupations in the town really were. For example, the smith slaves over a hot furnace, and his hands were like crocodiles, and the mason who was achy and weary. Scribes seemed to have the better life among the people because they had the power over everyone. The actual power to read and write was more valuable than food, drink, and clothes. There is little evidence that women knew how to write. There was only one tomb where a woman had left a journal of her every day life. It is believed that only the wealthy women were able to read and write, but there was no place for them in the career world to do this. Scribes were so important because they were able to copy sacred texts into royal books of the Nether World into the walls of the tombs of kings and queens.
From the hieroglyphics we learn about the average life of an Egyptian. Egyptian marriage wasnt always arranged, this was usually only done by royal family where a brother would marry a sister in an arranged marriage. On the other hand most marriages were done out of love; there is evidence of this in love poetry that has been found, which shows that there was genuine love. Most men were married by the age of twenty and the women were married by the age of fourteen. The actual marriage laws werent complicated, there was really no state or church ceremony, they simply moved in together with a simple marriage contract. Divorce was just as easy, if the man was at fault then the woman was entitled to one third of the settlement, and if the woman was at fault she was still entitled to maintenance from her ex husband.
Gods played a serious role in the everyday life of Egyptians, and this includes childbirth. A man and a woman would have a child to keep the family line going. Even though we call this civilization ancient, they understood the very same signs of pregnancy as we do today. They checked the pulse rate, the color of her eyes, and the frequency of her vomiting. They would pass water over wheat and barely; if barely sprouted then the mother would be blessed with a boy and if wheat sprouted then the child would be a girl, and if nothing came up then there would be no baby. The mothers often massaged themselves with an oil in order to take away some of the discomfort. Many procedures were taken to protect the mother and her child during the birth, the dwarf god and the hippo god were painted on the wall to protect the mother and her baby from evil spirits during the births, and spells were chanted.
A childs life did not last very long before they became an adult and took on the family trade. A few dolls and evidence of sports were found in some of the ruins. This proves that the children played a little before being apprenticed into the family trade. Almost all children took on the family trade except for those select few who became scribes. There is actually only evidence of two schoolhouses that were probably used by the workers children, to learn how to read and write.
The social system was actually very well defined. The Pharaoh was above everyone, he was considered a god, and after every pharaoh begins a new life with a new king. There was the Pharaoh and his family, and then the nobles, the priests, and the officials who helped the king keep order and advise him. There were then the lower priests, the artists and the soldiers, and then the peasants who worked the land and the slaves. The difference between a slave and a peasant was that the peasants worked the fertile land and the slaves worked in mines, on pylons and obelisks. Because the pharaoh didnt trust just anyone to build his tomb there were actually special villages for people to live in who were building his tomb. In return for working on his tomb he would feed, clothe, and house them. These people had a ten-day workweek and an eight our shift with only one day off.
Holidays and festivals relieved these ten-day workweeks. Sometimes they celebrated the Nile, a new season, a coronation, and royal anniversaries.