the Nile and the "two lands"
- upper Egypt was a 500 mile long strip of fertile land along the Nile; lower Egypt was the wide land of the Nile delta, emptying into the Mediterranean sea
- the Nile was the major provider of life for the Egyptians and was much revered in love and writing
- C. 3100 B.C. the two lands were united under single king or "pharaoh"
government by a God-King
- pharaoh was all powerful, worshiped as a god and intimately connected to the other major Egyptian gods and goddesses
- Egyptians relied on a harmony and balance of the universe called "maat"
- pharaoh's had multiple wives, often their own sisters, and all routes to financial and social success were through the palace
- women could inherit money and land and divorce their husbands, only a tiny few ever wielded real political power
God, Humans, and ever-lasting life
- Gods were often portrayed with animal heads or bodies
- Egyptians believed in an after life and mummified bodies to preserve them for this post-death journey
- all souls would need to justify themselves at the point of death and be either sent to an after-world paradise, or the jaws of a monster (heaven or hell)
to be continued...
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