Ancient Egypt has always been the subject of attention ever since the discovery and deciphering of the Rosetta stone in Egypt during the French occupation. This deciphering enabled us to understand and crack the codes of the ancient Egyptian culture and get to know it after it was lost for many centuries. And you can by this article Read more about What is the difference between modern and ancient Egypt?
Who were the Egyptians?
The Ancient Egyptians are the oldest people and perhaps the first to have inhabited the land of Egypt. Most likely because of the river Nile. The river Nile, which is the longest Nile in the world, was a great source of freshwater and the fuel to the Ancient Egyptian civilization that was based on agriculture.
For thousands of years, Ancient Egyptians lived across Egypt and built their everlasting civilization until the collapse of the Bronze age which led to the fall of most ancient civilizations in the world.
A lot of People may ask and wonder, how is today’s modern Egypt different from its Ancient ancestor? How are Egyptians today different from those who lived thousands of years ago and built the great pyramids? How similar are they? Stick around to find out.
Economics
Ancient Egypt economy and trade
Ancient Egyptians relied heavily on agriculture. They used to plant many crops which they later used for food, clothes, and medicine. They lived sustainably and they made pretty much everything they needed. They ate their produce, they made clothes made from linen which they grew widely. They made many medicinal recipes from the plants that grew in their land. They even planted papyrus that was used as paper to write on.
Thus the ancient Egyptians didn’t rely heavily on trade although they traded with other countries. They also knew money and were taxed on their properties, land, produce, and cattle.
How is the economy in Egypt today?
As for modern Egypt, it is far more complicated. Egypt is a Metropolitan country located in the heart of Africa. It has gone through many changes after the end of the ancient period, including modernization in the industrial revolution and colonialism. Egypt still relies on Agriculture but it’s not the only source of income. There is tourism, natural resources, the Suez canal, industry, media, and agriculture.
Lifestyle Differences
There are some major drastic changes in the lifestyle of Modern Egyptians vs Ancient Egyptians and it all can be attributed to technology.
Egyptians no longer live in houses built from mud, they no longer have to work in Agriculture as they no longer experience floods as well. They have a modern lifestyle in which they are open to the world.
For example, Egyptians can enjoy any product from anywhere in the world given the very vivid trading exchanges as in importing and exporting. To name a few examples, Modern Egyptians like to drink tea and coffee, ancient Egyptians never knew these products.
Egyptians import most of their clothes from outside while ancient Egyptians made their own. All these differences make Ancient Egypt Stronger economically although it had fewer resources.
Ancient and Modern Egypt facts
The Major change that causes the differences in every aspect of life is of course religion. While Ancient Egyptians were polytheists, Modern Egyptians are Muslims and Christians. This particular difference makes Modern and Ancient Egyptians very different from each other.
Ancient Egyptians
In Ancient Egyptian history, Egyptians worshiped many gods. Their most famous are Raa and Amoun, Gods of the sun. They also had Gods for The Nile, death, mercy, and much more. Religion was the sparking agent behind their entire civilization. For instance, The reason they built pyramids is that they wanted great graves for their kings.
The pyramid after all was a grave. The reason they were so keen on graves is that they believed in the afterlife very much that they were certain they were going to be resurrected after their death, so they wanted to be buried with their treasures and belongings. Religion was the reason they took good care of Nature, their lands, and the River Nile and paid respect to each element.
They built great statues and temples to worship their gods and kings and made so many great objects using the finest elements. It was one of the reasons behind mummification, which is the preservation of bodies using salt and certain wax substances. Ancient Egyptians believed that their bodies should be preserved for the afterlife. Some mummies survived time and could date to 4000 years ago.
Modern Egypt Culture
Modern-day Egyptians are very different. To begin with, they are either Muslims or Christians. So they are considered theists. They speak An Arabic dialect called Egyptian Arabic. They don’t speak any Ancient Egyptian Language although their dialect may include borrowed words from it.
They don’t believe in many gods, they are not skilled in certain arts like mummification or building temples. Modern Egyptians are estranged from their ancient ancestors as the loss of language made them for centuries unaware of the Ancient Egyptian civilization.
For decades and decades, it was just stones and unexplained writings on temples. Modern Egyptians are influenced by their two major religions and those who occupied them over the years of the Modern period. Those include the Turks and the English.
However, there remain similarities between ancient and Modern Egyptians, especially those who live in upper Egypt where the ancient capital used to exist. Like Egyptian women love Gold and jewelry. They are very conservative and religious even if the religion itself is quite different.
During Eid, Fitr Egyptians bake certain cookies that ancient Egyptians first made. They still use some Ancient Egyptian words that survived the language extinction. Most of them live near the river Nile and rely heavily on agriculture.
What are the similarities between ancient and modern Egypt?
Like there are differences between modern and ancient Egypt there are also some similarities that still exist in nowadays life. In ancient Egypt there was still no technology however the Egyptians found many ways to enhance and ease their lives, Let’s face it, it is human nature to search for the easiest way to do something.
So, what are the similarities between ancient and modern Egypt? Here they are:
Sports.
In ancient Egypt, sports did exist, but in the past, they were used for protection and hunting, and sometimes for fun and competitions. For instance, Archery is one of the sports created by ancient Egyptians and still exists in modern Egypt. In the past, it was used for hunting but in modern Egypt, it is used for fun and for competition.
Another famous sport that was created in Ancient Egypt and is still used in modern Egypt is the marathon. Except now it is used for fun. Also, swimming is one of the sports that was created by ancient Egyptians and still exists. Ancient Egyptians used to race in the Nile River for fun, and now, it is used for fun and competitions.
Agriculture.
Agriculture existed in Ancient Egypt and was very common even though they had no technology to help them, Agriculture strived in ancient Egypt. But now, technology exists to make our lives easier, Instead of humans doing everything on their own, now we have machines to do most of the hard work.
Facts About Ancient Egyptians
- They had board games.
- They had sarcastic cartoon writings.
- They invented paper and writing on paper.
- They loved cats and considered them sacred.
- They had many Gods, over 2000!
- They believed women and men are equals.
- They had a great empress named Hatshepsut.
- They signed the first peace treaty known to mankind.
- They were the first to wear makeup and perform plastic surgery.
- They developed a pregnancy test using plants they grew.
If you are fond of Egyptian culture, you can read more about their customs and traditions in the follow articles:
What kind of houses did ancient Egyptians live in?
How did people live in ancient Egypt?
Egyptian Street Food
