Bird's Eye Gallery
Micah "Doc" Daugherty
Discover the Ancient Civilization of...
EGYPT
Ancient Architecture
Since I was a young child, I always had a fascination with Egypt. I cannot point to what brought this on inside me. Maybe it was my sense of adventure, or maybe it is the fact that Egypt is a place full of mystery and wonder. This carried on with me as I grew older. I studied the ancient Egyptian culture, their gods and people, the architecture, and even learned the basics of reading hieroglyphics. Needless to say, when I had the opportunity to visit this country, I was beyond excited.
The Kingdom of Egypt can be dated back to around 6000 B.C. Egypt was the economic center of North Africa, and its people and pharaohs ruled the lands until the Macedonian Greeks conquered the civilization around 300 B.C. The Ancient Egyptians were innovators and creators of many things. They were the first people to use money as an exchange system. Gold was the standard, as it is today. They minted coins with value based on the weight of the coins. The people earned money for the work they performed and used it as a means to purchase goods. The ancient Egyptians also created cosmetics, paint, beer, farming implements, the calendar, clocks, wigs, police, and paper (or papyrus)... just to name a few.
However, some of the most noted inventions the we have today from the Ancient Egyptian culture comes in the form of science and engineering. Geometry and mathematics can be traced back to Ancient Egypt. The ancient people learned how to measure area, length, and volume. All were extensively used in the construction of their buildings, monuments, and temples. They also used math in creating plots for farming and agriculture. Ancient Egypt is also credited for creating the foundations of metallurgy. They learned how different metals could be combined to create stronger alloys that wouldn't wear down during use. And of course, their knowledge of architecture and building still fascinates anthropologists today. Some of their structures have literally stood the sands of time for over 8000 years!
Life On The Nile
The Nile River is the longest river in the world. The Nile flows for approximately 4,000 miles (6,800 kilometers) north through Northeastern Africa and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Its source begins in the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria on the borders of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The Nile was significant to the development of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization. The river was rich in nutrients due to the large amount of silt deposits it contained. As the river flooded in ancient times, those deposits would settle in the soil along the shores of The Nile which provided fertile land on which to plant and farm various fruits, vegetables, trees, and grains, as well as to raise cattle for meat. The fertile soil provided perfect conditions to grow papyrus, which the Egyptians used to make paper.
The Nile also provided transportation from the southern reaches of the region to the north, where most of the population lived. The river was used to barge crops and cattle from the south, as well as stone from the many quarries that could be found in the region. Today, the Nile River system is still used to transport goods and for agriculture. A series of dams throughout the river system have been constructed to control flooding and allow easy passage of larger barges and ships. However, the locals to the region can be seen using skiffs loaded with crops (such as alfalfa, sugarcane, and vegetables) to traverse the river to bring goods to processors and markets.
