Research Paper On Ancient Egypt Technology
Ancient Egyptian Technology
Introduction
Most of Ancient Egypt was in a River Valley. In its earliest days it would have resembled a mock version of Sumer and Akkad. However, Ancient Egypt developed into a more individual and independent civilisation and soon came to be one of the most powerful forces.
Location
Egypt is located in the far-northern part of Africa. The country covers roughly an area about 386,000 sqaure miles. [See Image 1 & 2]
Climate
Egyptian life was shaped a lot by their surrounding climate. It was usually a very hot day and a very cold night throughout the year. The Nile river, which runs north through the heart of the country, first runs through a forest high in the mountains to the south of Egypt. The water then runs over several different waterfalls into a valley. At this point the Egyptians referred to this part the Upper Nile. This is the higher area of ground where the river then runs through a valley which is bordered in limestone cliffs. It is located south of the Lower Nile region which fans out as the river hits an alluvial plain then moving into the sea. This river gave Egypt its water source removing the need to find a water basin or travel great distances to get a drink. …show more content…
Geography
Due to the Nile flowing through the middle of Ancient Egypt, and it being the only source of water in Egypt, they only built up around the river in narrow strips along most of the length.
Because the Egyptians were so associated with the Nile, they referred to it as a bringer of life. With a high rocky plateau to the east cutting off the rainclouds, a desert to the west and being close to the equator, the Nile turned into the only source of water and became a respected part of the Ancient Egyptian
society.
Technology
Ancient Egyptians had many inventions to make their daily life easier. Pyramids were a very common thing in ancient Egypt and thousands of slaves had to pull the large sandstone rocks up the pyramid to put into place. This is merely impossible to do by hand, but the Egyptians had a solution. They devised a pulley system with a lot of intricate rope placement to make the load as light as possible to pull up. Even though they now had the technology to get the sandstone up there, there still was the strenuous task of getting it to the pyramids. The sandstone that they used to make the pyramids was over 100 km from where they were actually building the pyramids. The solution was to use wooden logs to ‘roll’ the sandstone there and prevent the workers and slaves from getting severely hurt. These were some of the first steps in the Egyptians becoming more technologically advanced.
Through the years Egyptians had developed into a smarter civilisation and had achieved a high standard of productivity and sophistication. The Egyptians invented and used many basic machines to make their lives easier such as the ramp and the lever, to help with the construction processes. As the Egyptians advanced, more and more inventions came. Rope trusses were invented to stiffen beams of ships, and more modern buildings were built.
Architecture
The pyramids were the most iconic parts of the ancient Egyptian Civilisation. Most were built as tombs for the country’s pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom period in time. Some of the earliest pyramids were built in Saqqara, which is located north-west of Memphis. The number of workers and slaves who built the pyramides is estimated to be at a range from a few thousand, twenty thousand and up to 100,000. Some of the moore famous pyramids rest at Giza and the outer lands of Cairo. Some of Giza’s Pyramids are amoongy some of the biggest in the world.
Government and Social Structure
In Ancient Egypt the government was mainly centered around one person, the Pharaoh, who was to be believed as a god. This belief gave the Pharaoh the glory of infinite power and the rule of his people. A lot of the people who followed the Pharaohs orders were priests and holy men. They were put into their own social class and given superiority over the other citizens.
Conclusion
The ancient civilisation of Egypt was advanced to most others. They had strong technological advantages, a hot but generous surrounding and had a very strong social structure. Overall they were a good civilation.
Appendix
[IMAGE 1]
[IMAGE 2]
[pic]
Bibliography
http://www.indepthinfo.com/history-ancient/early-egypt.htm
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111208074210AAiaJy6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids
http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egypt-government.html
Introduction
Most of Ancient Egypt was in a River Valley. In its earliest days it would have resembled a mock version of Sumer and Akkad. However, Ancient Egypt developed into a more individual and independent civilisation and soon came to be one of the most powerful forces.
Location
Egypt is located in the far-northern part of Africa. The country covers roughly an area about 386,000 sqaure miles. [See Image 1 & 2]
Climate
Egyptian life was shaped a lot by their surrounding climate. It was usually a very hot day and a very cold night throughout the year. The Nile river, which runs north through the heart of the country, first runs through a forest high in the mountains to the south of Egypt. The water then runs over several different waterfalls into a valley. At this point the Egyptians referred to this part the Upper Nile. This is the higher area of ground where the river then runs through a valley which is bordered in limestone cliffs. It is located south of the Lower Nile region which fans out as the river hits an alluvial plain then moving into the sea. This river gave Egypt its water source removing the need to find a water basin or travel great distances to get a drink. …show more content…
Geography
Due to the Nile flowing through the middle of Ancient Egypt, and it being the only source of water in Egypt, they only built up around the river in narrow strips along most of the length.
Because the Egyptians were so associated with the Nile, they referred to it as a bringer of life. With a high rocky plateau to the east cutting off the rainclouds, a desert to the west and being close to the equator, the Nile turned into the only source of water and became a respected part of the Ancient Egyptian
society.
Technology
Ancient Egyptians had many inventions to make their daily life easier. Pyramids were a very common thing in ancient Egypt and thousands of slaves had to pull the large sandstone rocks up the pyramid to put into place. This is merely impossible to do by hand, but the Egyptians had a solution. They devised a pulley system with a lot of intricate rope placement to make the load as light as possible to pull up. Even though they now had the technology to get the sandstone up there, there still was the strenuous task of getting it to the pyramids. The sandstone that they used to make the pyramids was over 100 km from where they were actually building the pyramids. The solution was to use wooden logs to ‘roll’ the sandstone there and prevent the workers and slaves from getting severely hurt. These were some of the first steps in the Egyptians becoming more technologically advanced.
Through the years Egyptians had developed into a smarter civilisation and had achieved a high standard of productivity and sophistication. The Egyptians invented and used many basic machines to make their lives easier such as the ramp and the lever, to help with the construction processes. As the Egyptians advanced, more and more inventions came. Rope trusses were invented to stiffen beams of ships, and more modern buildings were built.
Architecture
The pyramids were the most iconic parts of the ancient Egyptian Civilisation. Most were built as tombs for the country’s pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom period in time. Some of the earliest pyramids were built in Saqqara, which is located north-west of Memphis. The number of workers and slaves who built the pyramides is estimated to be at a range from a few thousand, twenty thousand and up to 100,000. Some of the moore famous pyramids rest at Giza and the outer lands of Cairo. Some of Giza’s Pyramids are amoongy some of the biggest in the world.
Government and Social Structure
In Ancient Egypt the government was mainly centered around one person, the Pharaoh, who was to be believed as a god. This belief gave the Pharaoh the glory of infinite power and the rule of his people. A lot of the people who followed the Pharaohs orders were priests and holy men. They were put into their own social class and given superiority over the other citizens.
Conclusion
The ancient civilisation of Egypt was advanced to most others. They had strong technological advantages, a hot but generous surrounding and had a very strong social structure. Overall they were a good civilation.
Appendix
[IMAGE 1]
[IMAGE 2]
[pic]
Bibliography
http://www.indepthinfo.com/history-ancient/early-egypt.htm
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111208074210AAiaJy6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids
http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egypt-government.html