One of the key regions, the culture of which left its mark on the entire civilization - Ancient Egypt. The symbols of this culture are still being studied, they are of great importance in understanding this vast civilization. It was located approximately within the borders of the modern state of the same name in northeast Africa.
History of Egyptian Symbols
Mythology is the main cultural component that Ancient Egypt is famous for. Symbols of gods, animals and natural phenomena are of particular interest to researchers. At the same time, it is extremely difficult to trace the very path of creating mythology.
Written sources that could be trusted came later. What is evident is the enormous influence of natural forces on the Egyptians. The same is observed in the formation of any ancient state. People who lived before our era tried to explain to themselves why the sun rises every day, the Nile overflows its banks every year, and thunder and lightning from time to time fall on their heads. As a result, natural phenomena were endowed with a divine beginning. This is how symbols of life, culture, power appeared.
Moreover, people noted that the gods were not always favorable to them. The Nile could overflowlow, leading to a lean year and subsequent famine. In this case, the ancient Egyptians believed that they had somehow angered the gods and sought to appease them in every possible way so that a similar situation would not happen again next year. All this played a big role for such a country as Ancient Egypt. Symbols and signs helped to understand the surrounding reality.
Symbols of power
The rulers of Ancient Egypt called themselves pharaohs. The pharaoh was considered a god-like monarch, he was worshiped during his lifetime, and after death he was buried in huge tombs, many of which have survived to this day.
Symbols of power in Ancient Egypt are a golden gartered beard, a staff and a crown. At the time of the birth of the Egyptian state, when the lands of the Upper and Lower Nile were not yet united, the ruler of each of them had his own crown and special signs of power. At the same time, the crown of the supreme ruler of Upper Egypt was white and also had the shape of a pin. In Lower Egypt, the pharaoh wore a red crown like a top hat. Pharaoh Men made the Egyptian kingdom unified. After that, the crowns, in fact, were combined, inserting one into the other, while retaining their colors.
Double crowns called pshent are symbols of power in ancient Egypt that have survived for many years. At the same time, each crown of the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt had its own name. The white one was called atef, the red one was called hedge.
At the same time, the Egyptian rulers surrounded themselves with unprecedented luxury. After all, they were considered the sons of the supreme sun god Ra. Therefore, the symbols of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt are simplystrike the imagination. In addition to those listed, it is also a hoop on which a ureus snake is depicted. He was famous for the fact that his bite inevitably led to instant death. The image of the snake was located around the head of the pharaoh, the head is exactly in the center.
In general, snakes are the most popular symbols of pharaoh's power in Ancient Egypt. They were depicted not only on the headband, but also on the crown, military helmet and even the belt. Along the way, they were accompanied by jewelry made of gold, precious stones and colored enamel.
Symbols of the gods
Gods played a key role for a state like Ancient Egypt. The symbols associated with them were associated with the perception of the future and the surrounding reality. Moreover, the list of divine beings was huge. In addition to the gods, it included goddesses, monsters, and even deified concepts.
One of the main Egyptian deities - Amun. In the united Egyptian kingdom, he was the supreme head of the pantheon. It was believed that all people, other gods and all things are united in it. His symbol was a crown with two high feathers or depicted with a solar disk, because he was considered the god of the sun and all nature. In ancient Egyptian tombs, there are drawings of Amun, in which he appears in the form of a ram or a man with a ram's head.
The kingdom of the dead in this mythology was headed by Anubis. He was also considered the guardian of necropolises - underground cemeteries and crypts, and the inventor of embalming - a unique method that prevented corpses from rotting, was used in the process of burying allpharaohs.
The symbols of the gods of Ancient Egypt were often very frightening. Anubis was traditionally depicted with the head of a dog or a jackal with a red collar in the form of a necklace. Its invariable attributes were the ankh - a cross crowned with a ring, symbolizing eternal life, the was - a rod in which the healing powers of an underground demon were stored.
But there were also more pleasant and kind deities. For example, Bast or Bastet. This is the goddess of fun, feminine beauty and love, which was depicted as a cat or a lioness in a sitting position. She was also responsible for fertile and fruitful years and could help establish family life. The symbols of the gods of Ancient Egypt associated with Bast are a temple rattle called a sistrum, and an aegis is a magical cape.
Symbols of healing
With great attention in ancient Egypt treated the cult of healing. The goddess Isis was responsible for fate and life, she was also considered the patroness of healers and healers. Gifts were brought to her to protect newborns.
The symbol of healing in ancient Egypt is cow horns, on which the disk of the sun was held. This is how the goddess Isis was depicted most often (sometimes also in the form of a winged woman with a cow's head).
Also, the sistrum and the ankh cross were considered her invariable attributes.
Symbol of life
Ankh or Coptic cross - a symbol of life in ancient Egypt. It is also called the Egyptian hieroglyph, for them it is one of the most significant and key attributes.
It is also called the key of life or Egyptiancross. Ankh is an attribute of many Egyptian deities, with which they are depicted on the walls of the pyramids and papyri. Without fail, he was placed in the tomb with the pharaohs, which meant that the ruler would be able to continue the life of his soul in the afterlife.
Although many researchers associate the symbolism of the ankh with life, there is still no consensus on this issue. Some researchers argue that its leading meanings were immortality or wisdom, and also that it was a kind of protective attribute.
Ankh enjoyed unprecedented popularity in such a state as Ancient Egypt. The symbols depicting him were applied to the walls of temples, amulets, all kinds of cultural and household items. Often in the drawings, he is held in the hands of the Egyptian gods.
Today, the ankh is widely used in youth subcultures, in particular among the Goths. And also in all sorts of magical and parascientific cults and even in esoteric literature.
Sun Symbol
The symbol of the sun in ancient Egypt is the lotus. Initially, he was associated with the image of birth and creation, and later became one of the incarnations of the supreme deity of the Egyptian pantheon Amon-Ra. In addition, the lotus also symbolizes the return of youth and beauty.
It is worth noting that in general the cult of worshiping the daylight was among the Egyptians one of the most important and significant. And all the deities, one way or another connected with the sun, were revered more than others.
The sun god Ra, according to Egyptian mythology, created all other gods and goddesses. Very commonthere was a myth about how Ra sails in a boat along the heavenly river, simultaneously illuminating the whole earth with the sun's rays. As soon as evening falls, he transfers to another boat and inspects the possessions in the afterlife all night.
The next morning he floats on the horizon again and so begins a new day. This is how the ancient Egyptians explained the change of day and night during the day, for them the solar disk was the embodiment of rebirth and the continuity of life for everything on earth.
Pharaohs at the same time were considered the sons or deputies of God on earth. Therefore, it never occurred to anyone to challenge their right to rule, as everything was arranged in the state of Ancient Egypt. The symbols and signs that accompanied the main god Ra are the sun disk, the scarab beetle or the Phoenix bird, which is reborn from fire. Much attention was also paid to the eyes of the deity. The Egyptians believed that they could cure and protect a person from troubles and misfortunes.
The Egyptians also had a special relationship with the center of the Universe - the Sun star. They rightly directly connected its impact on warmth, good harvests, a prosperous life for all the inhabitants of the country.
Another interesting fact. The ancient Egyptians called the apricot familiar to each of us the star of the sun. Moreover, in Egypt itself, this fruit did not grow, climatic conditions did not fit. It was brought from Asian countries. At the same time, the Egyptians fell in love with the "overseas guest" so much that they decided to name this fruit so poetically, correctly noting how its shape and color are similar to the sun.
Sacred symbols for the Egyptians
About what the symbols of Ancient Egypt mean and their meaning, many scientists still argue. This is especially true of sacred symbols.
One of the main ones is naos. This is a special chest made of wood. In it, the priests installed a statue of a deity or a sacred symbol dedicated to him. It was also the name of a sacred place of worship of a particular deity. Most often, naos were placed in sanctuaries or tombs of pharaohs.
As a rule, there were several pumps. One wooden one was small, it was placed in a larger one, hewn from a single piece of stone. They were most widespread in ancient Egypt already in the late period. At that time they were richly and variously decorated. Also, the temple itself or the sanctuary of some deity was often called naos.
Also sacred symbols of Ancient Egypt - sistrums. These are percussion musical instruments that were used by the priests during the mysteries in honor of the goddess Hathor. Among the Egyptians, it was the goddess of love and beauty, who personified femininity, as well as fertility and fun. Modern researchers believe that Venus was her analogue among the Romans, and Aphrodite among the Greeks.
The musical instrument sistrum was clad in a wooden or metal frame. Metal strings and disks were stretched between it. All this made ringing sounds, which, as the priests believed, attracted the gods. In rituals, two types of sistrums were used. One was called iba. It was in the form of an elementary ring with metal cylinders in the center. With the help of a long handle it was placedabove the head of the goddess Hathor.
A more formal version of the sistrum was called seseshet. It had the shape of a naos and was richly decorated with various rings and ornaments. The rattling pieces of metal that made sounds were located inside a small box. Seseshets were only allowed to be worn by priests and we althy upper-class women.
Symbol of culture
The symbol of the culture of Ancient Egypt is, of course, a pyramid. This is the most famous monument of ancient Egyptian art and architecture that has survived to this day. One of the oldest and most famous is the pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser, who ruled over 18 centuries BC. It is located in the south of Memphis and has a height of 60 meters. It was built by slaves from limestone blocks.
The pyramids built in Egypt are the most amazing wonders of the architecture of this ancient people. By right, one of them - the pyramid of Cheops - is considered one of the seven wonders of the world. And one more - the pyramids of Giza - one of the candidates to become the so-called "new wonder of the world".
Outwardly, these are stone structures in which the Egyptian rulers - pharaohs were buried. From the Greek language, the word "pyramid" is translated as a polyhedron. Until now, among scientists there is no single time about why the ancient Egyptians chose this form for the tombs. Meanwhile, to date, 118 pyramids have already been discovered in different parts of Egypt.
The largest number of these structures are located in the Giza region, near the capital of this African state - Cairo. Also known as the GreatPyramids.
Mastabas were the forerunners of the pyramids. So in ancient Egypt they called "houses after life", which consisted of a burial room and a special stone structure, which was located above the surface of the earth. It was these burial houses that the first Egyptian pharaohs built for themselves. For the material, unbaked bricks were used, obtained from clay mixed with river silt. Massively they were built in Upper Egypt, even before the unification of the state, and in Memphis, which was considered the main necropolis of the country. Above the ground in these buildings there were rooms for prayers and rooms in which grave goods were stored. Under the ground - directly burial of the pharaoh.
The most famous pyramids
The symbol of ancient Egypt is the pyramid. The most famous Great Pyramids are in Giza. These are the tombs of the pharaohs Cheops, Mikerin and Khafre. From the very first pyramid of Djoser that has come down to us, these pyramids differ in that they do not have a stepped, but a strict geometric shape. Their walls rise strictly at angles of 51-53 degrees with respect to the horizon. Their faces indicate the cardinal points. The famous pyramid of Cheops is generally erected on a rock created by nature, and placed exactly in the center of the base of the pyramid.
The Pyramid of Cheops is also famous for being the highest. Initially, it was more than 146 meters, but now, due to the loss of the cladding, it has decreased by almost 8 meters. Each side is 230 meters long and was built in 26centuries BC. According to various estimates, it took about 20 years to build.
It took more than two million blocks of stones to build. At the same time, the ancient Egyptians did not use any binders, such as cement. Each block weighed about two and a half thousand kilograms, some reached a weight of 80 thousand kilograms. Ultimately, it is a monolithic structure, separated only by chambers and corridors.
Two more famous pyramids - Khafre and Mykern - were built by the descendants of Cheops and smaller.
The Pyramid of Khafre is considered the second largest in Egypt. Next to it is a statue of the famous Sphinx. Its height was originally almost 144 meters, and the length of the sides - 215 meters.
The Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the great ones in Giza. Its height is only 66 meters, and the length of the base is a little more than 100 meters. Initially, its dimensions were too modest, so versions were put forward that it was not intended for the ruler of Ancient Egypt. However, this was never really established.
How were the pyramids built?
It is worth noting that there was no single technique. It changed from one building to another. Scientists put forward various hypotheses on how these structures were created, but there is still no consensus.
Researchers have some data on the quarries where stones and blocks were taken from, on the tools used in stone processing, as well as on how they were moved to the construction site.
Most Egyptologists believe that the stones were cut inspecial quarries using copper tools, in particular chisels, chisels and picks.
One of the biggest mysteries is how the Egyptians at that time moved these huge blocks of stone. Based on one fresco, scientists have established that many blocks were simply dragged. So, in the famous image, 172 people are pulling a statue of the pharaoh on a sleigh. At the same time, the sleigh runners are constantly poured with water, which performs the function of lubrication. According to experts, the weight of such a statue was about 60 thousand kilograms. Thus, a stone block weighing 2 and a half tons could be moved by only 8 workers. Moving goods in this way was reputedly most common in ancient Egypt.
The method of rolling blocks is also known. A special mechanism for this in the form of a cradle was discovered during excavations of ancient Egyptian sanctuaries. During the experiment, it was found that it took 18 workers to move a stone block of 2.5 tons in this way. Their speed was 18 meters per minute.
It is also believed by some researchers that the Egyptians used square wheel technology.
