With a history that dates back more than five thousand years, Egypt is known for some of mankind’s earliest advancements and inventions. From clocks and calendars to pen and paper to a legal system based on a commonsense view of right and wrong, Ancient Egypt fostered the modern world. Their advancements in anatomy and architecture continue to be studied and debated to this day.
Time, clocks, and calendars
Ancient civilizations marked time using lunar calendars. The Egyptians were the first to establish a solar calendar consisting of twelve months, each of which had 30 days plus five extra days at the end of the year. They constructed the first leap year calendar in 238 BC, adding an extra day every fourth year.
In addition to tracking the days of the year, they also invented two methods for distinguishing the time of day. The first, the sun clock, was based on obelisks whose moving shadow throughout the day helped the early Egyptians to divide time into morning and afternoon. Additionally, they could determine the longest and shortest days of the year by the length of the shadow at noon, the longest day of the year projecting the longest shadow at noon. The second method for telling time, the water clock, enabled Egyptians to read time at night. This clock was a stone vessel with slanting sides and a small hole at the bottom through which water would drip at a constant rate. The changing level of water along the markings on the inner walls of the vessel would indicate the passage of each hour.
Health, beauty, and mummification
Ancient Egyptians were the first to practice holistic health by considering the whole person—physically, mentally, and spiritually. Remedies ranged from herbal and magic medicine to surgery. They prescribed contraceptives, performed circumcisions, and conducted pregnancy tests. Some of their more interesting practices included using crocodile dung as contraception and fats rendered from crocodiles, hippos, lions, snakes, geese, and ibex to treat baldness.
Both men and women used cosmetics as far back as 5,000 years ago to protect their skin from sunlight. Egyptians shaved off all of their body hair to combat lice and other insects. They invented combs, scissors, wigs, makeup, deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.
The practice of mummification enabled Ancient Egyptians to excel at anatomy. The process of mummification took around 70 days. All organs were removed except the heart; the body was filled with spices and herbs, and then packed in the natural salts that grew along the coast in Egypt. It took about 35 days for a body to completely dry out. At this time the body would be wrapped in cloth with prayers written on it and held together with resin. The outside layer of Tutankhamun’s wrap included melted paraffin wax.
Reading, writing, and arithmetic
Egyptians were among the very first people to invent writing, along with ink and paper. Ancient Egyptian mathematicians delved into equation solutions, geometric series, fractions, and the decimal system.
The legal system of Ancient Egypt
It is believed that early Egyptian law was based on a commonsense view of right and wrong, in keeping with the concept of Ma'at. Ma'at represented truth, order, balance, and justice in the universe. Mark Andrews goes on to say in his article, Law and Legal System in Ancient Egypt, that this concept allowed that everyone, with the exception of slaves, should be viewed as equals under the law, regardless of wealth or social position. Additionally, when a punishment was carried out, often the entire family of the guilty party suffered. Children of individuals sentenced to exile were automatically outlawed as well. An entire family might be imprisoned if one member deserted from military service or defaulted on the labor demands of the state.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
Cairo, the capital of Egypt, holds the distinction of being the largest city in Africa and the Middle East. Just southeast of Cairo lies the Great Pyramid in the Giza Necropolis, famously known for being the last remaining ancient wonder of the world. The Great Pyramid is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids at Giza, and its features are so large they are visible from the Moon. It is believed that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place. Though the chemical composition of the mortar used to build the Great Pyramid of Giza is known, it could not be reproduced using contemporary techniques.
The Great Pyramid is one of the most comprehensively studied buildings in the world. It remained the tallest man-made structure for a period of more than 3,800 years. There are three known chambers inside the pyramid: the King's chamber, the Queen's chamber, and the unfinished chamber. The temperature inside remains a constant 68 degrees F, the same as earth’s internal temperature. Learn more about the engineering of this structure.