90% are seriously misunderstood
1. Queen Cleopatra was not Egyptian
Besides King Tut, the image of the beautiful Queen Cleopatra is always associated with stories about ancient Egypt. However, few people know that this powerful queen is not of Egyptian origin.
It is known that Cleopatra’s family origin was Macedonian Greek with ancestor Ptolemy I Soter, one of the generals under Alexander the Great. After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, Ptolemy established the rule of the Greeks in Egypt for nearly three centuries.
Although she was not an orthodox Egyptian, Cleopatra adopted many of the country’s ancient customs and was the first member of the Ptolemaic family to learn Egyptian.
2. The world’s first peace treaty
For more than two centuries, the Egyptians fought against the Hittite Empire for control of lands in present-day Syria. The conflict led to bloody skirmishes such as the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC.
However, in the time of Pharaoh Ramses II, the two sides were still inconclusive. With both the Egyptians and the Hittites facing threats from other peoples, in 1259 BC, Ramses II and the Hittite King Hattusili III negotiated a peace treaty.
This agreement ended the conflict and established the stipulation that the two kingdoms would support each other in the event one of them was invaded. The Egypt-Hittite Treaty is now recognized as one of the world’s first peace agreements.
3. Ancient Egyptians loved board games
The ancient Egyptians used to have a habit of relaxing by playing board games after a hard day’s work at the Niles. Some of the games created by them are very popular like “Menhen”, “Dogs and Jackals” (roughly translated as “Dogs and jackals”). However, the most famous and popular game is probably “Senet”.
It is known that Senet is a pastime that appeared in 3500 BC and is usually played on a long board with 30 squares. Each player will have a set of pieces that are moved along the board according to rolls of dice or sticks. To this day, scientists are still very headache and constantly argue about the rules of the game Senet.
There are still paintings depicting Queen Nefertari playing Senet, and Pharaohs like Tutankhamun even buried Senet game boards in their tombs.
4. Egyptian women have power and freedom
Unlike women in most countries, women in Egypt enjoy many legal and financial privileges in society. Here, they can buy and sell their property, have the power to make wills and even enter into different types of contracts. Egyptian women usually don’t go out to work, but if they do, they will be paid the same as men.
Unlike ancient Greek women, who lived under the control of their husbands, Egyptian women had the right to divorce and remarry. Couples in Egypt even had prenuptial agreements like today. In it, these contracts list all the assets and possessions of the woman in the marriage and guarantee that she will be compensated in the event of a divorce.
5. Egyptian workers often organize strikes
Although the Egyptians consider Pharaoh as a living god, the workers here are not afraid to protest for a better working environment. In the 12th century BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses III, workers involved in the construction of the royal necropolis at Deir el-Medina organized a strike because they did not receive their usual wages. rate. This is recorded as the first strike in history.
To protest, the workers gathered at a temple near the workplace and refused to leave until their request was approved. As a result, these workers received their wages.
6. The Pharaohs are often… obese
In works of art, the kings of Egypt are often represented as sculpturally beautiful, but this is hardly true. In fact, the Egyptian diet of beer, wine, bread and honey is high in sugar.
Besides, studies of mummies also show that many Pharaohs show signs of overweight, even diabetes. A notable example is the legendary Queen Hatshepsut, who lived in the 15th century BC.
7. King Tut was killed by a hippo?
Very little is known about the life of King Tutankhamun, but some historians have a common opinion about the death of this famous king. Scans of the young king’s body show that his mummy has no heart or chest wall. This is a huge difference from the traditional burial customs of the ancient Egyptians. This also means that this Pharaoh must have suffered an extremely painful injury before dying.
According to some Egyptologists, most likely, King Tut died from being bitten by a hippo. Evidence indicates that the ancient Egyptians hunted wild animals for recreation, and statues found in King Tut’s tombs even depict him throwing a javelin. If this pharaoh really loved adventurous hunting then his death was very likely due to a mistake of a hunt!
8. Both men and women wear makeup
Vanity is an ancient civilization, the ancient Egyptians were no exception. Both men and women in ancient Egypt had the habit of wearing bright makeup. They believed that this would bring protection from the god Horus and the god Ra, two sacred gods in Egyptian culture.
Usually, the cosmetic powders they use are made by grinding ores like malachite and galena into a substance known as “Kohl”.
The ancient Egyptians applied these substances around the eye area with utensils made of wood, bone, and ivory. Meanwhile, ancient Egyptian women would both apply red paint to their cheeks and use henna ink to color their fingers and hands.
Both men and women use perfumes made from oils, cinnamon and myrrh, which are found in pharmaceuticals today. The Egyptians believed that such makeup gave them miraculous healing powers. This is not a rumor at all when scientific studies show that lead cosmetics are actually used to prevent the possibility of eye infections.
9. Egyptians love to keep animals
The Egyptians considered animals to be the embodiment of the gods and were one of the first civilizations to keep pets in the house. The Egyptians especially loved cats, which are related to the goddess Bastet, but they also revered other animals such as hawks, dogs, lions and baboons.
These animals all held an important place in the house of the Egyptians. After they die, they are usually mummified and buried with their owners. Other creatures are specially trained to do special jobs in support of humans. For example, security guards of this period frequently used dogs and even trained monkeys to assist them in patrolling.
10. The Pyramids were not built by slaves
The construction of the Pyramids is often misunderstood by many people as building on the strength of slaves, but that is not the case. Building a giant Pyramid, capable of lasting thousands of years is not an easy thing. Based on scientific research, the workers who built the Pyramids were mostly skilled artisans and people who were hired to do the work.
In the past, it was said that slaves suffered many beatings during the construction of the Egyptian Pyramids, but most modern historians reject this claim. In fact, the ancient Egyptians had no aversion to slaves, they mostly used slaves as servants and domestic helpers.
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