|
Ancient Egyptian Culture.The ancient Egyptian culture was pretty much centred around one thing - preparing for the afterlife. The worship of gods, the pyramids and the importance of priests, show just how important it was to them. But not everything they did centred directly on the departure of their souls from the living world. Many aspects of their lives revolved around simple day to day living. Happy families. Ancient Egyptian society had a social structure as well built and unlikely to fall as the pharaoh Khufu's own pyramid. The lower classes such as peasants, servants, farmers and fishermen took up the base, the scribes, craftsmen, nobles and priests took up the narrower middle and the pharaoh was the pointy tip. In each level the family passed on their entire lifestyle, employment skills, tradition and culture to their children and nothing would ever change their social standing...ever. Sons and daughters learned everything the knew from their parents in the lower classes as formal education was not available to them. Perhaps this stone-set class system strengthened the bond of the family unit, because the image of warm, close knit families is evident in discoveries from ancient Egypt. Spare time. It's hard to believe the ancient Egyptians had time for anything other than work, but they did have time for other things. In fact, they were very much the same as we are today. They played music, danced, played games and other recreational activities such as fishing. (Also hunting for the higher classes.) Artistic pursuits, however, such as pottery, drawing or painting were reserved for more practical purpose. It seems that the ancient Egyptians did not carve statues for pure relaxation or creativity as we would today. Keeping a sense of identity. The Egyptians were very individual in every aspect. The link to their gods and the godlike stature of their pharaoh moved them to construct elaborate constructions such as the pyramids, unprecedented by any other culture. Their belief in the afterlife was very different also and their preservation of the deceased took eternal life to a whole new level. The careful high standards of their work have paid off for the generations that followed. They have left behind their world for us to explore in detail. From Tutankhamun's tomb alone we can see the trappings of royalty in all it's splendor. We have learned from writing on the wall that the ancient Egyptian culture revolved around gods, pharaohs and the life giving river Nile. We have learned that they married, had children and worked the fields. The fact that they were so well organized, set in their ways and able to record the events of their time means that they could keep their culture strong for thousands of years. Now let's take a look at some fascinating aspects of ancient Egyptian culture. Return from Ancient Egyptian Culture page to Home Page.
|
