Welcome to Ancient Egypt Online; a site dedicated to the culture, language, religion, and history of ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians did not call their home “Egypt” (that name is based on the Greek pronunciation of the name of Ptah’s temple in Memphis – “Hwt-ka-Ptah”), instead they referred to it as Kemet (or Kem – the black land) or Ta Mery (the beautiful land).
Ancient Egypt was divided into Ta Shemau (Upper Egypt) and Ta Mehu (Lower Egypt). The division between upper and lower Egypt was retained after the unification of the kingdom around 300 BC (Pre-dynastic Period). From that point on the pharaoh was often known as the King of Upper and Lower Egypt. This concept of duality is a constantly reoccurring feature of the Egyptian civilisation and was echoed in the pairing of differentgods and goddesses to represent upper and lower Egypt.
The Egyptian civilisation survived, in a relatively stable form, for a staggering three and a half thousand years. Find out more about the different periods of ancient Egyptian history and learn about the kings, queens and nobles who shaped this amazing culture by checking out the pages of ourAncient Egyptian Timeline.
The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic language is both fascinating and beautiful. For many hundreds of years their meaning was lost, but thanks to the hard work of egyptologists hieroglyphs can again be read and enjoyed. In the hieroglyphs section you can find out about the development of hieroglyphs and investigate some of the most important artefacts such as theNarmer Palette and famous texts such as theOffering Formula and theNegative Confession (from theBook of the Dead). Ancient Egypt Online also features a collection of tutorials toteach yourself hieroglyphs.
The ancient Egyptians were polytheistic (they had many gods) and their religion was both complex and fascinating. At Ancient Egypt Online we have detailed pages on all of theAncient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Find out which gods were associated with which cities, and what happened whenAkhenaten tried to replace the traditional gods withthe Aten. You can also find out about sacred symbols such as theAnkh, theEye of Horus, theDjed Pillar and theTjet, or learn about their sacred texts such as thePyramid Texts and theBook of the Dead.
TheGreat Pyramid and theSphinx are perhaps the most famous monuments associated with Ancient Egypt. Yet, numerous other pyramids were constructed during theOld Kingdom and theMiddle Kingdom and the tombs of theValley of the Kings should not be missed. Egypt also has a wealth of beautiful temples such as theMortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the stunning island ofPhilae with itsTemple of Isis, theTemple of Hathor at Denderah (with its famous zodiacal calendar) and theTemple of Horus and Sobek at Kom Ombo.
Find out more in our section onAncient Egyptian Monuments.
Visit ourAncient Egyptian Society pages to learn about daily life in ancient Egypt. You can find out about burial practices though the ages includingmumification (even themummies of pets) and the spells and magical texts that the Egyptians hoped would help them in the afterlife (such as theBook of the Dead and theBook of Two Ways). You can also learn about ancient Egyptianclothing,crowns,regalia,jewelery, andperfume or find out more about the role of animals, such ascats, in Egyptian society. Perhaps you want to learn about theancient Egyptian diet and try someancient Egyptian recipes, or find out whatancient Egyptian beer was like? There is also a section on the administration of Egypt (including a look at the importance ofscribes) and thecalendar and dating system used by the Egyptians.
TheMysteries of Ancient Egypt have inspired people for centuries.Who was the pharaoh of the Exodus?,Was tutankhamun’s tomb cursed?.Was Cleopatra really beautiful?What was the purpose of the shafts in the Great Pyramid?Did the Egyptians understand electricity? You can find the answer to these questions, and many more.
In ourLibrary you can find links to primary sources about Egyptian history. Read the translations of tablets such as theDream Stele (or sphinx stele) or theVictory Stele of Merenptah (the first historical reference to Israel). Find out more about Egyptian Literature such as the famousStory of Sinuhe (arguably the world’s first historical novel) and read the tales of magic and wonder (theWestcar Papyrus) from the court ofKhufu (the pharaoh who built theGreat Pyramid). Investigate theAmarna Letters– correspondence between the “heretic” pharaohAkhenaten and the leaders of neighbouring kingdoms or read the biography ofAhmose son of Ebana – a soldier who served four different pharaohs in the fight against theHyksos.
Copyright J Hill 2008