Emerged almost 40 centuries ago in Africa, Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest and most mysterious on our planet. Already then, on the banks of the Nile there was a state with its religion, culture and structure. Further in the article you will learn the history and year of formation of a single state in Egypt and the particularities of the state.
ProtoStates
The name Ancient Egypt is used to denote the historical region within which Egyptian civilization was located. The year the united state was formed in Egypt is not exactly known. Ancient civilization arose another 6 thousand years BC on the banks of the sacred river Nile. On both sides of the river were settlements or proto-states that gave impetus to the further development of Upper and Lower Egypt. Scientists designate this period as pre-dynastic.
In the V century, there were more than forty separate settlements formed in the river delta. Even before the formation of a single state in Egypt, the population of proto-states were active. Each settlement was independent. The population was engaged in cultivating the land and growing cereals. Good location made it possible to engage in trade. At that time a slave system arose. Prisoners who became captured as a result of military raids became slaves.
Year of Unified State in Egypt
The development of agriculture and the creation of irrigation systems made it possible to centrally control the irrigation of territories and significantly simplified the life of the local population, accelerating the formation of the state. Ancient Egypt then represented nomes - separate independent settlements that united into larger entities. The southern region was Upper Egypt, and the north was Lower Egypt.
The period from which the beginning of the Egyptian state is reckoned is called dynastic, since it is he who opens the centuries-old dynasty of the pharaohs. Among researchers, it is believed that a single state in Egypt formed about 3 thousand years BC. Upper and Lower Egypt were combined, and the capital was the city of Cheney or Tinis (in ancient Greek). There is an assumption that both parts of Egypt were united and again divided before. Different sources report differently the name of the ruler who created the Egyptian Kingdom, presumably it was Menes, sometimes called the name Min.
Society hierarchy
In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh was an absolute monarch. His power was unlimited, he was considered the main ruler and commander of the Egyptian lands. There was a special cult of the pharaoh, for he was identified with God. Only the pharaoh could appoint people to positions, choose priests, and impose the death penalty. Each ruler possessed attributes: an artificial beard, bracelets on his hands, a lion's skin.
The family of the pharaoh occupied the highest social stage. The pharaoh's right hand was chati. He managed money, property, archives. Chati, officials and scribes stood on the second level - they were the cream of Egyptian society. After them in the social hierarchy stood the priests - counselors of the pharaohs and managers of temples and religious cults. All of them constituted the ruling class of society.
Next in the hierarchy were soldiers, followed by artisans. Craftsmen were under state control and received salaries directly from the treasury. They were assigned certain jobs. This was followed by peasants, working mainly on irrigation canals. The lower stage was represented by slaves.
Culture of Ancient Egypt
The cultural heritage of ancient Egypt is quite large. Basically, art developed as a religious cult. Mostly the works were created for the deceased. World-famous pyramids were tombs, or after-death homes of the pharaohs and their families.
The architectural heritage is represented by temple complexes and palaces, for example, Luxor Temple. Fine art was symbolic. Murals at temples, tombs, inside palaces often included not only drawings, but also hieroglyphs. Even then, the Egyptians used paints similar in principle to modern ones. These were natural dyes, such as soot, coal, copper and iron ores, mixed with a special substance that provided their viscosity. The mixture was dried and divided into pieces, and moistened with water before use.
There was a developed system of beliefs and rituals that accompanied them. The Egyptians did not have one particular religion. Instead, there were many individual cults. For each god there was a temple, where they did not come every day, and visited the temple only on holidays. The priests conducted and controlled the rites and religious holidays.
Conclusion
Thanks to the good adaptation and development of the Nile river valley and the good organization of human resources, the ancient Egyptians were able to form a powerful state. Scientists are still not exactly aware of the year the united state was formed in Egypt. However, it can be said with confidence that the ancient Egyptian civilization left a significant mark in the history of mankind.