Portal:Ancient Egypt

THE ANCIENT EGYPT PORTAL Showcased content about Ancient Egypt The golden funeral mask of king Tutankhamun, a symbol for many of ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient Northeast Africa. It was concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River, situated within the contemporary territory of modern-day Egypt. Ancient Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around 3100 BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology) with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under pharaoh or king Menes (often identified with Narmer). The history of ancient Egypt unfolded as a series of stable kingdoms interspersed by periods of relative instability known as "Intermediate Periods". The various kingdoms fall into one of three categories: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age, or the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age. Ancient Egypt reached the pinnacle of its power during the New Kingdom, ruling much of Nubia and a sizable portion of the Levant. After this period, it entered an era of slow decline. During the course of its history, ancient Egypt was invaded or conquered by a number of foreign powers, including the Hyksos, the Nubians, the Assyrians, the Achaemenid Persians, and the Macedonians under Alexander the Great. The Greek Ptolemaic Kingdom, formed in the aftermath of Alexander's death, ruled until 30 BC, when, under Cleopatra, it fell to the Roman Empire and became a Roman province. Egypt remained under Roman control until 642 AD, when it was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate. The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which supported a more dense population, and social development and culture. With resources to spare, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a military intended to assert Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a pharaoh, who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of religious beliefs. The many achievements of the ancient Egyptians include the quarrying, surveying, and construction techniques that supported the building of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks; a system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems, and agricultural production techniques, the first known planked boats, Egyptian faience and glass technology, new forms of literature, and the earliest known peace treaty, made with the Hittites. Ancient Egypt has left a lasting legacy. Its art and architecture were widely copied, and its antiquities were carried off to be studied, admired or coveted in the far corners of the world. Its monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for millennia. A newfound respect for antiquities and excavations in the early modern period by Europeans and Egyptians has led to the scientific investigation of Egyptian civilization and a greater appreciation of its cultural legacy. (Full article...) Selected article - The gods Osiris, Anubis, and Horus in the Tomb of Horemheb (KV57) in the Valley of the Kings Ancient Egyptian deities are the gods and goddesses worshipped in ancient Egypt. The beliefs and rituals surrounding these gods formed the core of ancient Egyptian religion, which emerged sometime in prehistory. Deities represented natural forces and phenomena, and the Egyptians supported and appeased them through offerings and rituals so that these forces would continue to function according to maat, or divine order. After the founding of the Egyptian state around 3100 BC, the authority to perform these tasks was controlled by the pharaoh, who claimed to be the gods' representative and managed the temples where the rituals were carried out. The gods' complex characteristics were expressed in myths and in intricate relationships between deities: family ties, loose groups and hierarchies, and combinations of separate gods into one. Deities' diverse appearances in art—as animals, humans, objects, and combinations of different forms—also alluded, through symbolism, to their essential features. (Full article...) List of selected articles Ancient Egyptian literature Thinis Valley of the Kings Nefertiti Bust Gaza City Makuria Sirius Rosetta Stone Gebelein predynastic mummies Memphis, Egypt Ancient Egyptian religion Mask of Tutankhamun Pyramid of Neferirkare Abuwtiyuw Pyramid of Unas Decipherment of ancient Egyptian scripts Pyramid of Nyuserre Egyptian temple Death of Cleopatra Osiris myth Egyptian mythology Library of Alexandria Middle Kingdom of Egypt Pyramid of Userkaf Ancient Egyptian agriculture Military of ancient Egypt Book of the Dead Layer Pyramid Eye of Ra Pyramid of Sahure Selected picture The pyramids of Giza are among the most recognizable symbols of the civilization of ancient Egypt. Did you know... ... that 995 graffiti from the Greco-Roman period (pictured) can be seen in the tomb of Ramesses VI, left by pilgrims. They include "I visited and I did not like anything except the sarcophagus!", "I admired!" and "I cannot read the hieroglyphs!" ... that Pharaoh Ramesses II had about 100 children, and that some of his children were also his grandchildren because he married his own daughters? ... that the Coptic language, the last stage of the Ancient Egyptian language, remains in daily use as the liturgical language of Coptic Christians? News 5th September 2018. Rock-cut Tomb discovered in a 4,000-year-old Elite Cemetery August 2018: in the tomb of the mayor of Memphis Ptahmose who dates around 1300 BC was found well preserved cheese, more than 3000 years old. [1] Selected biography - Bust of Ptolemy II, National Archaeological Museum, Naples Ptolemy II Philadelphus (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Φιλάδελφος, Ptolemaîos Philádelphos, "Ptolemy, sibling-lover"; 309 – 28 January 246 BC) was the pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 284 to 246 BC. He was the son of Ptolemy I, the Macedonian Greek general of Alexander the Great who founded the Ptolemaic Kingdom after the death of Alexander, and Queen Berenice I, originally from Macedon. During Ptolemy II's reign, the material and literary splendour of the Alexandrian court was at its height. He promoted the Museum and Library of Alexandria. In addition to Egypt, Ptolemy's empire encompassed much of the Aegean and Levant. He pursued an aggressive and expansionist foreign policy with mixed success. From 275 to 271 BC, he led the Ptolemaic Kingdom against the rival Seleucid Empire in the First Syrian War and extended Ptolemaic power into Cilicia and Caria, but lost control of Cyrenaica after the defection of his half-brother Magas. In the Chremonidean War (c. 267–261 BC), Ptolemy confronted Antigonid Macedonia for control of the Aegean and suffered serious setbacks. This was followed by a Second Syrian War (260–253 BC) against the Seleucid empire, in which many of the gains from the first war were lost. (Full article...) List of selected biographies Amenhotep I Ahmose I Akhenaten Philitas of Cos Darius the Great Artaxerxes III Thutmose I Tutankhamun Djedkare Isesi Atlanersa Neferefre Unas Menkauhor Kaiu Nyuserre Ini Userkaf Isis Sheshi Hathor Neferirkare Kakai Ramesses VI Ptolemy VI Philometor Sneferu Seth-Peribsen General images The following are images from various ancient Egypt-related articles on Wikipedia. Ancient Egyptian Predynastic stone vessels. Louvre Museum, Paris (from Prehistoric Egypt) A typical Naqada II pot with ship theme (from Prehistoric Egypt) Ancient Badarian mortuary figurine of a woman, held at the Louvre (from Prehistoric Egypt) Portrait of "Black Pharaoh" Taharqa, Louvre Museum reconstruction (from History of ancient Egypt) Mesopotamian king as Master of Animals on the Gebel el-Arak Knife, dated to the Naqada II period circa 3300-3200 BC, Abydos, Egypt. Louvre Museum, reference E 11517. This work of art both shows the influence of Mesopotamia on Egypt at an early date, and the state of Mesopotamian royal iconography during the Uruk period. (from History of ancient Egypt) Statuette of Merankhre Mentuhotep, a minor pharaoh of the Sixteenth Dynasty, reigning over the Theban region c. 1585 BC. (from History of ancient Egypt) Pottery model of a house used in a burial from the First Intermediate Period, on display at the Royal Ontario Museum. (from History of ancient Egypt) A guardian statue which reflects the facial features of the reigning king, probably Amenemhat II or Senwosret II, and which functioned as a divine guardian for the imiut. Made of cedar wood and plaster c. 1919–1885 BC (from History of ancient Egypt) Ovoid Naqada I (Amratian) black-topped terracotta vase, (c. 3800–3500 BC). (from Prehistoric Egypt) Egypt and its world in 1300 BC. (from History of ancient Egypt) Aterian point from Zaccar, Djelfa region, Algeria. (from Prehistoric Egypt) Map of Lower Egypt, and location of the Faiyum Oasis (from Prehistoric Egypt) Map of Ancient Egypt, showing the Nile up to the fifth cataract, and major cities and sites of the Dynastic period (c. 3150 BC to 30 BC) (from Prehistoric Egypt) Naqada figure of a woman interpreted to represent the goddess Bat with her inward curving horns. Another hypothesis is that the raised arms symbolize wings and that the figure is an early version of the white vulture goddess Nekhbet, c. 3500–3400 B.C.E. terracotta, painted, 11+1⁄2 in × 5+1⁄2 in × 2+1⁄4 in (29.2 cm × 14.0 cm × 5.7 cm), Brooklyn Museum (from Prehistoric Egypt) Greywacke statue of the pharaoh Menkaure and his queen consort, Khamerernebty II. Originally from his Giza temple, now on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (from History of ancient Egypt) Colossal depictions of Ramesses II at one of the Abu Simbel temples. (from History of ancient Egypt) Clapper discovered in Maadi, Louvre Museum (from Prehistoric Egypt) An Osiris statue of Mentuhotep II, the founder of the Middle Kingdom (from History of ancient Egypt) Nabta Playa "calendar circle", reconstructed at Aswan Nubia museum. (from Prehistoric Egypt) Stela of the Second Dynasty Pharaoh Nebra, displaying the hieroglyph for his Horus name within a serekh surmounted by Horus. On display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (from History of ancient Egypt) Golden mask from the mummy of Tutankhamun (from History of ancient Egypt) A Gerzeh culture vase decorated with gazelles, on display at the Louvre. (from History of ancient Egypt) Egyptian soldier of the Achaemenid army, circa 470 BCE. Xerxes I tomb relief. (from History of ancient Egypt) Possible prisoners and wounded men of the Buto-Maadi culture devoured by animals, while one is led by a man in long dress, probably an Egyptian official (fragment, top right corner). Battlefield Palette. (from Prehistoric Egypt) Bull palette, Naqada III (from Prehistoric Egypt) The prisoners on the Battlefield Palette may be the people of the Buto-Maadi culture subjected by the Egyptian rulers of Naqada III. (from Prehistoric Egypt) Merimde culture clay head, circa 5,000 BC. This is one of the earliest known representations of a human head in Egypt. (from Prehistoric Egypt) Ring with engraved portrait of Ptolemy VI Philometor as Pharao (3rd–2nd century BCE). Louvre Museum. (from History of ancient Egypt) Tasian beaker, found in a Badarian grave at Qau; tomb 569, around 4000 BC; Upper Egypt; British Museum (from Prehistoric Egypt) Carved catfish bones, and jar discovered in Maadi (from Prehistoric Egypt) Arrowheads from Al Faiyum (from Prehistoric Egypt) Evolution of Egyptian prehistoric pottery styles, from Naqada I to Naqada II and Naqada III (from Prehistoric Egypt) 25th Dynasty (from History of ancient Egypt) Related portals All Africa-related portals WikiProjects History Ancient Near East Ancient Egypt Religion work group Archaeology Main topics Ancient Egypt History of ancient Egypt Prehistoric Egypt Protodynastic Period Early Dynastic Period Old Kingdom of Egypt First Intermediate Period of Egypt Middle Kingdom of Egypt Second Intermediate Period of Egypt New Kingdom of Egypt Third Intermediate Period of Egypt First Persian Period Graeco-Roman Period Arab Conquest Egyptian language Old Egyptian language Middle Egyptian language Late Egyptian language Demotic (Egyptian) Coptic Writing in Ancient Egypt Hieroglyph Hieratic Demotic (Egyptian) Ancient Egyptian literature Ancient Egyptian cuisine Ancient egyptian warfare Egyptian calendar Beautiful festival of the valley Ancient Egyptian architecture Pyramid of Djoser Bent Pyramid Giza pyramid complex Great Pyramid of Giza Pyramid of Userkaf Pyramid of Unas Black Pyramid Egyptian pyramids Mastaba Karnak temple Luxor temple Abu Simbel Ramesseum Deir el-Bahri Serdab Benben False door Block statue (Egyptian) Art of Ancient Egypt Symbols Ankh Djed Wadjet Was sceptre Uraeus Pschent Hedjet Deshret Atef Reserve head Egyptian burial rituals and protocol Military history of Ancient Egypt Battle of Kadesh Ancient Egyptian technology Ancient Egyptian medicine Ancient Egyptian units of measurement Ancient Egyptian royal titulary Egyptian mathematics Racial characteristics of ancient Egyptians Notable Pharaohs Narmer Djoser Sneferu Khufu Khafre Menkaure Userkaf Unas Pepi II Mentuhotep II Amenemhat I Senusret III Amenemhat III Kamose Ahmose I Thutmosis I Hatshepsut Thutmosis III Amenhotep III Akhenaten Tutankhamun Horemheb Seti I Ramesses II Ramesses III Psusennes I Taharka Psamtik I Ptolemy I Cleopatra VII Ancient Egyptian religion Ancient Egyptian offering formula Pantheon Osiris Ptah Amun Isis Horus Set Montu Ra Ma'at Sekhmet Nepthys Anubis Bastet Shu Tefnut Geb Ammit Bes Religious concepts Ba Ka Akh Duat Atenism Egyptian soul Ennead Ancient Egyptian funerary texts Book of Caverns Book of Gates Book of the Dead Book of the Earth Book of the Netherworld Books of Breathing Sites Abu Gorab Abu Mena Abu Rawash Abu Simbel Abydos Alexandria Amarna Aswan Asyut Avaris Beni Hasan Bubastis Buhen Busiris (Lower Egypt) Buto Dahshur Edfu Deir el-Madinah El-Lahun Deir el-Bahri Gerzeh Giza Gaza Gebel el-Silsila Memphis, Egypt Thinis Egyptologists Ludwig Borchardt Alan Gardiner Auguste Mariette E. A. Wallis Budge Édouard Naville Edward R. Ayrton Bob Brier Edwin Smith Flinders Petrie Categories Category puzzle Select [►] to view subcategories Ancient Egypt Early Dynastic Period of Egypt Old Kingdom of Egypt First Intermediate Period of Egypt Middle Kingdom of Egypt Second Intermediate Period of Egypt New Kingdom of Egypt Third Intermediate Period of Egypt Late Period of ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt-related lists 1st millennium BC in Egypt 2nd millennium BC in Egypt 3rd millennium BC in Egypt 4th millennium BC in Egypt Ancient Egyptian music Ancient Egyptian architecture Dynasties of ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptians Egyptology People executed by ancient Egypt Foreign contacts of ancient Egypt Geography of ancient Egypt Historians of ancient Egypt Ancient Jewish Egyptian history Ancient Egyptian language Ancient Egyptian medicine Military history of ancient Egypt Nomes of ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt in popular culture Ptolemaic Kingdom Ancient Egyptian science Ancient Egyptian society Ancient Egyptian technology Works about ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt stubs Recognized content Featured articles Abuwtiyuw Ahmose I Ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptian literature Atlanersa Cleopatra Death of Cleopatra Cleopatra Selene of Syria Decipherment of ancient Egyptian scripts Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun Djedkare Isesi Ancient Egyptian deities Egyptian temple Hathor Isis Menkauhor Kaiu The Mummy (1999 film) Margaret Murray Mysteries of Isis Neferefre Neferirkare Kakai Merenre Nemtyemsaf I Nyuserre Ini Osiris myth Pepi I Meryre Philitas of Cos Pyramid of Neferirkare Pyramid of Nyuserre Pyramid of Sahure Pyramid of Unas Ramesses VI Rosetta Stone Sahure Shepseskaf Shepseskare Sheshi Sirius Tomb of Kha and Merit Unas Userkaf Featured lists List of cities founded by Alexander the Great Good articles 317a and 317b mummies Abgig obelisk Aetia (Callimachus) Ahhotep I Alexander the Great Amenemhat IV Amenhotep I Ankh Apion family Assassin's Creed Origins Book of the Dead Callimachus Jean-François Champollion Criticism of the Book of Abraham Darius the Great Diaspora Revolt Early life of Cleopatra Eye of Horus Eye of Ra Four sons of Horus Gebelein predynastic mummies Gospel of Jesus' Wife Hall of Records Tiberius Julius Alexander Khaba Tomb of Tutankhamun Layer Pyramid Library of Alexandria Medjed Nebka Neferhotep I Nefertiti Bust Osorkon IV The Prince of Egypt Ptolemy I Soter Ptolemy XII Auletes Pyramid of Khentkaus I Pyramid of Userkaf Natacha Rambova Reign of Cleopatra Saluki Seneb Seth-Peribsen Sobekneferu TT1 Tessarakonteres Thinis Thutmose I Tutankhamun Valley of the Kings Did you know? articles 317a and 317b mummies Abgig obelisk Abu Mena Abuwtiyuw Aetia (Callimachus) Ahhotep I Amanitore Ancient Egyptian cuisine Ancient Egyptian retainer sacrifices Ancient Egyptian creation myths Ankhhaf Ankhhaf (sculpture) Apion family Archelaus (high priest of Comana Cappadocia) Bab el-Gasus Käthe Bosse-Griffiths James Henry Breasted Mary Brodrick Callimachus Jean-François Champollion List of cities founded by Alexander the Great Jean Clédat Walter E. H. Cockle Codex Glazier Coffin of Nedjemankh Coptos Decrees Crosby–Schøyen Codex MS 193 Death of Alexander the Great Decipherment of ancient Egyptian scripts Dedi Demetrius the Chronographer Dendera zodiac Diadochi Diaspora Revolt Djed Double Falcon Dwarfs and pygmies in ancient Egypt Egyptian Bridge Egyptian numerals Ancient Egyptian deities Egyptian medical papyri Egyptian mythology Egyptian temple El-Tarif Eye of Horus Eye of Ra False door Fayum mummy portraits Four sons of Horus Funeral of a Mummy on the Nile The Greatest Pharaohs George Francis Hardy Head of Nefertem Hearst papyrus Heroninos Archive History of Alexander History of general anesthesia Horus Sa Imyremeshaw The Indestructibles Instructions of Kagemni International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia Ka statue Kadesh inscriptions KV15 Pierre Lacau Oscar Lemm Library of Alexandria Jens Lieblein List of Book of the Dead spells List of Egyptian obelisks Loyalist Teaching Mask of Tutankhamun Medjed Memphite Formula Meni (high official) Mereruka Mining industry of Egypt Minshat Abu Omar Miriam Mysteries of Isis Nefertiti Bust Neues Museum Hans-Åke Nordström Obelisk of Montecitorio Obelisk of Theodosius Osiris myth Osorkon IV Oxyrhynchus Papyri Papyrus Carlsberg Collection Pedestals of Biahmu Periodization of ancient Egypt Petubastis III Pinakes Ptolemy I Soter Pyramid of Khentkaus I Pyramid of Merenre Pyramid of Neferefre Pyramid of Neferirkare Pyramid of Nyuserre Pyramid of Sahure Pyramid of Senusret I Qurna Queen Ramesses III prisoner tiles Ramesseum medical papyri Reserve head Rhacotis S 9 (Abydos) Sack of Gezer Wafaa El Saddik Saqqara Bird Seneb Senenmut Shanakdakhete Shemay Sheshi Shrine of Taharqa Sobekneferu Statue of Ramesses II Temple of Dakka Temple of Amada Temple of Derr Temple of Maharraqa Temples of Wadi es-Sebua Tesem Tharbis Theban Desert Road Survey Thutmose I Tomb of Akhethetep Tomb of Aline Tomb of Kha and Merit Turin King List Turin Papyrus Map Two Ladies Ugaritic texts Wadi al-Jarf Caroline Ransom Williams The Younger Lady Yuya Christiane Ziegler Featured pictures All Gizah Pyramids Ancient Egypt map-en Edwin Smith Papyrus v2 File, Asuán, Egipto, 2022-04-01, DD 93 Giambattista Tiepolo - The Banquet of Cleopatra - Google Art Project Giza pyramid complex (map) Grand sphinx de Tanis - Musée du Louvre Antiquités égyptiennes N 23 ; A 23 ; Salt 3837 Le Jardin de Nébamoun Sphinx partially excavated2 Standing Hippopotamus MET DP248993 Templo funerario de Hatshepsut, Luxor, Egipto, 2022-04-03, DD 13 The Mummy 1932 film poster In the News articles Abydos Dynasty Aten (city) Khentkaus III KV40 Neues Museum Psamtik I Sekhemre Khutawy Sobekhotep Senebkay Sesheshet Main page featured articles Abuwtiyuw Ahmose I Alchemy Ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptian literature Mark Antony Atlanersa Behistun Inscription Cleopatra Death of Cleopatra Cleopatra Selene of Syria Decipherment of ancient Egyptian scripts Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun Djedkare Isesi Ancient Egyptian deities Egyptian temple Hathor Isis Athanasius Kircher Menkauhor Kaiu The Mummy (1999 film) Margaret Murray Mysteries of Isis Neferefre Neferirkare Kakai Nyuserre Ini Osiris myth Oxyrhynchus Pepi I Meryre Philitas of Cos Pyramid of Neferirkare Pyramid of Nyuserre Pyramid of Sahure Pyramid of Unas Ramesses VI Rosetta Stone Sahure Shepseskaf Shepseskare Sheshi Sirius Unas Userkaf Main page featured lists List of cities founded by Alexander the Great Picture of the day pictures All Gizah Pyramids Ancient Egypt map-en Edwin Smith Papyrus v2 File, Asuán, Egipto, 2022-04-01, DD 93 Giambattista Tiepolo - The Banquet of Cleopatra - Google Art Project Giza pyramid complex (map) Le Jardin de Nébamoun Sphinx partially excavated2 Standing Hippopotamus MET DP248993 Templo funerario de Hatshepsut, Luxor, Egipto, 2022-04-03, DD 13 The Mummy 1932 film poster Things to do Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Stubs : Expand articles listed at Category:Ancient Egypt stubs Wikimedia The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: Commons Free media repository Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Free knowledge base Wikinews Free-content news Wikiquote Collection of quotations Wikisource Free-content library Wikiversity Free learning tools Wikivoyage Free travel guide Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus Sources Discover Wikipedia using portals List of all portals The arts portal Biography portal Current events portal Geography portal History portal Mathematics portal Science portal Society portal Technology portal Random portal WikiProject Portals