Ancient Egypt

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT EGYPT BY BRIAN DUNLAP

Brian Dunlap wrote... •Ancient Egyptian men were fortunate to live to 35; women rarely made it in to their 30s at all. Infant mortality was severe. It's oftentimes fascinating to think the ancient Egyptians accomplished so much, while individual ancient Egyptians lived such a short while. •Despite the reach of ancient Egypt, throughout its history the vast majority of the population lived along the Nile and its delta. Most of the territory ancient Egypt was ever composed of was barren and empty (and this continues to be true with modern Egypt). •"Upper" Egypt is to the south. "Lower" Egypt is to the north. "Upper" and "Lower" reference altitudes, not latitudes (simple enough, but it often seemed many were confused by this). •Death by crocodile or hippo was not uncommon in ancient Egypt. After development along the Nile in the centuries since, including the Aswan Dam, you'll likely never see either animal in what was once ancient Egypt. •The Cleopatra of legend was actually Greek - a legacy of Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt and the subsequent establishment of the Ptolemaic dynasty. What's more, she was but the last of several Cleopatras - it was a name oft-chosen by Ptolemaic queens. •The common image of an Egyptian pharaoh is along the likes of what's below - fit, imposing, with a defined chest, looking healthy and able. Likewise, ancient Egyptian art often presents pharaohs and other nobles as such. In truth, however, mummies have shown us pharaohs and wealthy ancient Egyptians were often obese - not fit and trim as portrayed in statues and in art, but overweight and not entirely healthy-looking given their fondness for unhealthy food and other such indulgences. •Ancient Egyptians loved their beer. It might not be recognizable to today's beer drinkers, but ancient Egyptian beer was central not only to their diet, but also society; beer could be bartered for other goods and services, and wages were sometimes paid in beer. A substantial portion of any ancient Egyptian's diet could be beer. "The mouth of a perfectly contented man is filled with beer." - 4000+ year old ancient Egyptian inscription.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

1 comment:

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