Modern Egypt.

Egypt is not only one of the most favorite places for Russians to relax, but also the cradle of world civilization.

Did you know that this country is the ancestor of most household items: from dishes and tools to personal hygiene items.

1. Cosmetics were first invented in Egypt. But unlike modern woman, which uses it to look more attractive, the Egyptians used cosmetics to protect against active sunlight.

2. The production of faience, glass and even cement is an innovation ancient egypt.

3. The Egyptians were among the first in writing. It was the inhabitants of Egypt who came up with the idea of ​​writing letters using paper and ink.

4. Although France is considered a trendsetter for alcoholic drinks, in particular wine, few people know that the first wine cellar was found in Egypt. In addition, it was there that the first beer on the planet was brewed.

5. Pharaoh Pepi II - is the most "long-reigning" ruler in the world. He ascended the throne at the age of 6, and resigned in connection with his death at the age of 94.

6. It is also interesting that the Egyptians used to sleep on pillows not made of fluff and feathers, as modern people but from stones.

7. Antibiotic treatment is believed to have been discovered in late XIX century, but it is known for certain that the ancient Egyptians treated infected patients with bread mold. Therefore, it can be assumed that Egypt is also the ancestor of antibacterial medicine.

8. Carrier pigeons were first used to send letters in Egypt.

9. One of the famous sights of this country is the figure of the Sphinx. Anyone who has been to Egypt must have seen that the Sphinx has no nose. This sculpture lost it in 1798 when the soldiers of Napoleon's army used it as a target in shooting training.

10. The people of Egypt never celebrate their birthday. The reason for this is still not clear.

11. Even in unbearable heat, men wear white clothes and women black. It is believed that this way a woman will return home faster.

12. Egyptian pyramids are wonders of the world. The Great Pyramid of Cheops was built about 3000 years ago. 2,300,000 huge stone blocks were spent on its construction, the total mass of which is 7,000,000 tons.

13. It turns out that this African country gets a large share income not from tourism, but from duties that are levied on ships passing through the Suez Canal. In second place is oil production, and tourism is given only the third position.

14. Property tax in Egypt is very high. Therefore, in order to avoid it, locals do not build roofs on their houses. So the house is considered unfinished, and therefore, it is not necessary to pay tax.

15. The Suez Canal is the largest in the world. It was built in 1869 and connected the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Shipping stopped here only in the period 1967-1975 during the war with Israel. No less famous, the Panama Canal is exactly two times shorter than the Suez Canal.

16. The Aswan Dam, built to protect the fields from the Nile floods, is the most massive building in the world. In terms of the amount of material spent on construction, it surpassed the Great Pyramid of Cheops by 17 times. After erection aswan dam, there was Lake Nasser - the largest man-made reservoir in the world. And although during the construction of the dam all issues between Egypt and Sudan were agreed upon, it very often causes conflicts between these countries. In some years, when the Nile is very full-flowing, Egypt refuses to artificially lower the water level in Lake Nasser and save Sudan from destruction.

18. Dying, Alexander the Great bequeathed to his commander Ptolemy Lag to bury himself in the Siwa oasis in Egypt. However, his grave has not yet been found. It is assumed that the commander broke the promise of Alexander the Great and buried him near Alexandria, a city built by the Macedonian himself.

19. Almost the entire territory of the country is occupied by desert (95%), so it is not surprising that the entire population of Egypt lives on the remaining five percent of the land.

20. The ancient Egyptians used honey instead of gold to pay taxes.

21. In ancient times, killing a cat was considered a terrible crime.

22. In 1974, Egyptologists discovered that the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II was rapidly deteriorating. It was decided to immediately take her by plane to France for examination, for which the mummies issued a modern Egyptian passport, and in the column "occupation" they wrote "king (deceased)". In Paris, the mummy was received with all the military honors due to kings.

23. wedding rings we also owe it to the Egyptians. It was there that the tradition was born, when getting married, to put a ring on the ring finger of the newlyweds.

24. , one of the resorts in Egypt, is completely covered with water. Externally, El Gouna resembles Venice. As in Venice, in El Gouna you need to travel by boat.

25. Among the rocks is archaeological site history, consisting of two rock temples (Abu Simbel). These temples were completely relocated in 1960 due to the threat of flooding from Lake Nesser. The Temple of Abu Simbel was saved by carefully cutting the entire rock into blocks and moving it 200 m horizontally and 65 m up.

26. The Red Sea got its name from the sand, which, if you look closely, has a reddish tint.

27. Egypt has black and white deserts.

28. The Red Sea is the most favorite place for diving divers all over the world, thanks to the diverse fauna.

When we think of the ancient Egyptians, we usually think of Cleopatra or the charming process of mummification. However, we do not think about the ordinary objects and ideas that we use in everyday life today.

Although most of modern inventions are credited with more late period history, the ancient Egyptians were at the forefront. Like us, they have always been looking for a way to make their lives easier and less stressful. The following is a list of items and ideas that have survived the test of time that most of us don't think about.

10. Government

Although it is often said that the first system of government originated in the Roman Empire, in fact, this is only the first documented system of government in the West. The very first governance structure is associated with the ancient Egyptians.

Even more surprising is that this politic system was not associated with the pharaohs, as many believe. Until about 1570 BC. e. Ancient Egypt was ruled by kings. In the pre-dynastic period, Egypt was under the control of the Scorpio Kings, which sounds suspiciously like the name of a biker gang. We do not know how the government behaved until King Narmer came to power and established the first centralized rule within existing borders.

From that moment on, the economy began to develop thanks to trade that was carried out between classes in individual provinces, individual wealth and taxes. This means that perhaps the ancient Egyptians also tried to evade taxes.

9. Calendar

Until there is no public policy and the current economy, there is no need to keep track of the days. But it's not so much about pesky tax collectors who should have known when to bully people. The Egyptians had an advanced irrigation system and they needed to know when the Nile would flood.

So they created a calendar that had 365 days. At first it had 370 days, until the Egyptians realized that they needed to shorten the year and simply added leap years. So if you were born on a day that is only in leap year, and you are actually only 20 years old, although you already have grandchildren, you can thank the good old Egyptians for this.

8. Wine

New Year's Eve, Christmas, birthdays are all great occasions to party and drink. We can thank the ancient Egyptians for one of our favorite pastimes as they were the first people to invent wine. New calendar probably gave them more more reason drink, as now they could celebrate different dates.

Initially, it was assumed that the vineyards discovered by archaeologists were intended for growing grapes, which were then eaten. Then, at the bottom of several pots, archaeologists found the remains of wine, which proves that the ancient Egyptians liked to relax.

In fact, so many vessels contained this product that it seemed like the ancient Egyptians were obsessed with wine. With so many ancient holidays (including a five-day holiday at the end of the year), it's easy for historians to understand why it was so popular. So, the next time you go to a party, just remember to relax like it's 3000 B.C.

7. Toothpaste

In the 1600s, deaths in London were documented using Mortality Accounts. While this is a rather gloomy document, it lists infected teeth as one of the main causes of death (excluding only severe epidemics such as bubonic plague). This was due to the lack of proper dental care at the time. In fact, people did not even consider that the food they consumed could lead to the development of dental disease.

They also did not know that many centuries ago the ancient Egyptians had already solved this problem. The ancient Egyptians understood the price paid for bad teeth and discovered a simple solution. Yes, the first toothpaste formula was invented by the Egyptians using an almost nauseating list of ingredients like crushed ox hooves, ashes, and burnt eggshells.

Mints appeared along with the toothpaste. They had a less intimidating list of ingredients that included rock salt, dried and dried toffee. In fact, several recipes (along with cooking guides) dating back to ancient Egypt have been discovered. At that time, this simple invention saved the lives of many people.

6. Handles

If you've delved into any conspiracy theories, you've probably come across the belief that aliens were friends with the ancient Egyptians. After discovering some suspicious-looking images and hieroglyphs carved into stone, conspiracy theorists are simply haunted by the idea that ancient aliens and ancient Egyptians coexisted peacefully. However, everyone has overlooked the fact that these images are much rarer than we think.

On early stage The ancient Egyptians realized the inconvenience of such an impractical writing system, which led to the invention of parchment and pens. While most of us assume that progress in the development of writing instruments began with the advent of the goose quill, reed pens were the first to appear.

The ancient Egyptians developed a form of writing that had never existed before. They soaked the ends of long cane stalks in water and then cut the ends to a sharp shape that could distribute the ink properly while writing. This made portable documents possible and improved the overall efficiency of life.

However, they soon found out that such pens dried out quickly, which led to the use of nibs. It was not until the late 1800s that society returned to the original Egyptian idea and developed the modern ballpoint pen, as well as a cap so that it does not dry out so quickly.

5. Clock

Being late for work was a problem even for the ancient Egyptians, as they also had clocks. Obelisk or sundial were the earliest version of the clock, but they showed the time if the sky was clear.

This led to the invention of the water clock. Looking just like the brewing machine you see in your local hipster coffeeshop, this watch was powered by water dripping slowly throughout the day, allowing you to tell the time indoors.

They also invented portable watches, where a shadow was used to determine the time. These devices have had such an impact on everyday life Ancient Egypt that everyone was fascinated by this idea. Thus began the journey to the modern clock.

4. Dentures

Although it seems that prostheses - new concept, in fact they date back to 950 BC. Although those prostheses were not crammed with electronics, like some modern ones, they helped their owners to lead a fulfilling life.

Archaeologists have discovered an artificial thumb leg, which is the world's earliest prosthesis. Many similar body parts were often found in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians, but as it turned out, they served only to make the body whole for afterlife. Everything changed when a three-piece big toe made of wood and leather was found on the mummified body.

To prove that this finger was made to help a person walk, several analogues were created and tested scientific methods. A group of people who were missing their thumb walked with and without a prosthesis to see if it helped. The results showed that the finger had a beneficial effect on the process of walking, which made it possible to identify the found object as an early prosthesis.

3. Scissors

A common misconception is that scissors were invented by Leonardo da Vinci. In fact, the original design was created as early as 1500 BC. Although the Romans designed the cross-bladed design that we have today, the ancient Egyptians had a simpler yet effective version. It was a single piece of metal formed into two blades that were adjusted with a metal strip between them.

With the invention of scissors, the ancient Egyptians were able to create a variety of haircuts. Even the most skilled stylist could not replicate them without a good pair of scissors.

2. Plow

Photo: Joevilliers

Agriculture is the basis for countless civilizations. But the ancient Egyptians were the first to create the technology needed for efficient farming.

Before the invention of the plow, people had to walk around with "digging sticks" that they stuck into the ground to make holes into which they dropped seeds. Without these sticks, the job may take weeks or even months. The Egyptians were tired of these "digging sticks" and long hours spent with them in the field. So they designed the first known plow - ard.

The ard was a common "digging stick" with an arch-shaped handle and a stone or metal point attached at the bottom. With this invention, the ancient Egyptians could simply walk across the field and create a deep ditch where many seeds were placed at once. Although this invention is not comparable to the plows we have today, this small innovation changed the lives of farmers in those days.

1. Hair dye

If you have ever seen images of the ancient Egyptians, then do not be surprised that they looked special. Not only did they create makeup, wigs and hair extensions, but they also developed the first hair coloring technique. Hair not only affected appearance, but also reflected social status. The better your hair looked, the richer you were.

The ancient Egyptians wanted to always look young, and gray hair did not fit this ideal. Therefore, the Egyptians began to use dried henna leaves to produce reddish-brown hair dye. Henna was also used to color nails and lips. achieve desired color it was possible by adding more or less henna leaves to the mixture.

First analysis of a complete genome extracted from Egyptian mummies, showed that the ancient Egyptians were more closely related to other ancient peoples from the Levant region, while modern Egyptians genetically closer to sub-Saharan Africans.

Study

The results, recently published in the journal Nature Communications, could pave the way for similar genetic studies of mummies in the near future.

Egypt and other nations

Located at the junction of two continents and flourishing for many thousands of years, Egypt is a kind of "melting pot" for many neighboring cultures, ideas, languages ​​and nationalities.

Egypt retained its cultural, scientific, and historical significance as neighboring Arab, European, and African empires changed, collapsed, and rebuilt.

The scientists wanted to test whether the Roman conquest, the conquest of Alexander the Great, or other foreign powers left a genetic imprint on the indigenous population of ancient Egypt.

Questions

To find answers to the questions posed, scientists extracted the mitochondrial genome from 90 mummies, and, for the first time in history, genetic research managed to extract the complete genome from three different mummies.

Having collected enough genetic material for the study, the scientists compared the genomes of the ancient Egyptians with the genomes of other peoples neighboring Egypt in ancient times, as well as with the genome of modern Egyptians, to check how different descendants are from their ancestors.

Answers

The results were very interesting. The researchers found that over 1300 years - a period that covered the genetic material of mummies, no significant changes the genetic lineage of the ancient Egyptians has not undergone.

It turns out that despite successive invasions and migrations to Egypt a large number people from all over Europe, the Middle East and Africa, genetic characteristics the local population remained surprisingly stable.

Perhaps the genomes of mummies - the highest "caste" of Egypt, are not able to reflect the genetic changes of the entire Egyptian population. However, the results obtained do not lose their significance for science.

Comparison with modern Egyptians

When scientists compared genetic changes from antiquity to today, they found significant differences.

It turns out that modern Egyptians share a genetic ancestry with sub-Saharan Africans, while their distant ancestors show a closer genetic resemblance to the ancient people of the Middle East and the Levant.

These results suggest that during the past 1500 years, Egypt has experienced an influx of people from the southern regions of Africa. The reasons for this influx could be migration along the Nile or an intensive slave trade that began about 1300 years ago.

Significance of the study

One of the most significant findings of the study is the simple fact that geneticists have finally been able to extract the complete genome of an ancient Egyptian.

Factors such as the hot Egyptian climate, high level The humidity in many graves and the chemicals used in mummification actively promote DNA degradation and make long-term survival in mummies nearly impossible.

Still, the researchers were able to extract enough material to conduct a complete genetic analysis, and this may open the door to new interesting discoveries.

When the last pharaoh of Egypt fell and the country began to be torn apart by continuous attacks from aggressive neighboring countries, where did the local population disappear? Perhaps, in the period of time from the Roman conquests to the annexation of Egypt to the Muslim empires, it completely disappeared?

Copts are indigenous people Egypt and direct descendants of the Egyptians. They are one of the first Christians in the world and representatives of one of the most ancient branches of Christianity. This is precisely the population of Egypt, which for several thousand years created a great civilization.

Now the Copts are an excellent example of how Christianity and Islam can coexist in a close environment. Copts, despite the incessant attempts to assimilate, are still similar to the ancient Egyptians and still Christians. They observe not only faith, but also the purity of blood. A Coptic girl will never marry a non-Coptic. And Coptic boys don't marry Arab girls. And only occasionally do they marry European Christian women.

... SHOWED BY LONG-TERM DNA STUDIES

Calling an Egyptian an Arab is tantamount to a grave insult. "We are the descendants of the pharaohs and have nothing to do with the Arabs," the inhabitants of the Land of the Pyramids retort. However, they turned out to be almost right, and this was confirmed by many years of scientific research, the Egyptian Independent writes, citing data from a published study by the National Geographic Genographic Project.

For more than 10 years, National Geographic scientists have been working to determine the genetic profile of every country in the world in order to determine the racial and ethnic background humanity. An analysis of the DNA of hundreds of indigenous Egyptians revealed that the descendants of the pharaohs correlate with the Arabs by only 17%. 68% of Egyptians are native Africans, more precisely, North Africans, whose blood was diluted over time by Jews (4%), East Africans (3%), Asians (3%) and Southern Europeans (3%).

According to experts, " ancient population migrated from Africa, and their path ran through northeast Africa and then further to southwest Asia. "Northeastern and Arab components in Egypt appeared as a result of those migration flows, scientists are sure, as well as later migrants returned back to Africa with the spread of agriculture 10 thousand years ago, and already in the 7th century, with the spread of Islam, the Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula also came here.

The East African components in Egyptian genetics became a reflection of the internal flows of movement towards the fertile Nile, and the appearance of South European and Asian elements is due to the role that Egypt played in its time in the economic and cultural development Mediterranean region.

According to the results of the study, Kuwaitis are the most Arabs: their DNA is 84% ​​Arab, 7% Asian, 4% North African and 3% East African. "Middle Eastern blood", experts note, was also formed as a result of the migration of the population from Africa to Asia, when some people decided to stay and, thereby, laid the foundation for the genetic fund of the Arabs. Meanwhile, a small part of African blood, experts believe, could be the result of the slave trade in the VIII-XIX centuries.

As for the Lebanese, only half of them (44%) can be considered Arabs, 14% of them have Jewish blood, 11% of North African blood, and another 10% were added by Asian ancestors along with Europeans (5%) and immigrants from Eastern Europe. Africa (2%). To the least extent - only 4% - Tunisians can be called Arabs, in whose veins 88% of North African blood flows. It was diluted by 5% by people from Western Europe and 2% in West and Central Africa.

A bit of history

It can be considered a mistake that the acquaintance of the Egyptians with the Arabs occurred during the Arab conquest of Egypt in the seventh century. Cultural influence Egypt on the culture of Arabia is beyond doubt. In turn, from a very early time, the appearance in the Egyptian language of words borrowed from the inhabitants of the eastern deserts. The main route that linked Egypt with Arabia went through the Wadi al-Hammamat river, which began near Thebes and went to the Red Sea at al-Quseira. The Egyptians established contacts with the Bedouin tribes in the Sinai Peninsula in pre-dynastic times, when they purchased copper and turquoise from them. The pharaohs of the first dynasty already exploited the mines in Sinai themselves, subjugated the Bedouins living there, or simply negotiated with them.

The Arabian Peninsula was surrounded by steppes and deserts, turning it into a natural fortress, inaccessible to conquerors. No wonder the Arabs call it the Arabian Island. Limited living resources forced the population to migrate to neighboring countries. About once a millennium, the migration of Bedouin tribes took on a mass character. Settlers were sent either east to Mesopotamia, or to the regions of Syria and the Sinai Peninsula, beyond which lay the richest valley of the Nile.

In 24 BC, on the orders of the Roman emperor Augustus, the prefect of Egypt, Elius Gallus, equipped a military expedition to conquer Arabia. It included 10 thousand soldiers of Egypt, both the Egyptians themselves and the Romans and Greeks living in the country. The expedition also included allies: 10 thousand Nabataeans and 500 Jews. This was the first and last attempt by a European state to seize Inner Arabia. The exhausting campaign did not bring any results, and after a few months ended with a return to Egypt.

In 269-270, the victorious troops of Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, captured Egypt. According to historians, in order to win the sympathy of the Egyptians, Queen Zenobia spread rumors about her Egyptian origin. In any case, all historians agree that she was fluent in the Egyptian language.

Another brief episode from the history of the relationship between Arabs and Egyptians:

Already after the troops of Emperor Aurelian managed to defeat the Palmyrenes, anti-Roman uprisings took place almost simultaneously in Palmyra and Alexandria. This speaks of common interests Egyptians and Arabs in the fight against foreign invaders.

It was not uncommon for Arabs to live among Egyptians and vice versa. Arab historians report that the Egyptian Bakum, even before the advent of Islam, restored the Kaaba temple in Mecca, destroyed by a strong mudflow, and Jabr bin Abdallah al Qibty (i.e. Coptic), one of the closest associates of the Prophet Muhammad, was an Egyptian. The relationship between the Arabs and the Egyptians was influenced by the Prophet Muhammad himself. According to legend, he wished well to the Copts when his wife Maria gave birth to a son, who was named Ibrahim.

The leader of the Arab army, Amr ibn al-As, who conquered Egypt, was previously a merchant and repeatedly came to this country with his goods. He said: The population of Egypt is the noblest of all non-Arabs, the most generous and closest to kinship with the Arabs.

From all this it follows that the entry into Egypt under the banner of Islam of the Arab army in 640 was not an invasion of a hostile people. Since ancient times, the Arabs knew the Egyptians, and the Egyptians the Arabs. There were armed clashes between them, and long periods of peaceful trade, cultural and religious ties.

The conquest itself was peaceful. The head of the Coptic Church, which was subjected to severe persecution by the Byzantines, called on all Egyptians not to resist the new conquerors, whose number did not exceed 12 thousand (in a few decades there were already more than 80 thousand Arab soldiers in Egypt). Each governor appointed by the caliph to Egypt brought with him an army of several thousand people. Many warriors married Coptic women and remained forever in the Nile Valley. The Arabs were especially willing to settle in Upper Egypt, where they were attracted by the hot, dry climate and, of course, the fertility of the land.

Having conquered Egypt, the Arabs did not settle in pre-existing cities. Life in them was unusual for them. They pitched their military camp al-Fustat, near the fortress of Babylon. Gradually the camp turned into a capital. The camp remained the capital until 969. After the Fatimids they founded Cairo.

The first step in the Egyptianization of the Arabs and the Arabization of the Egyptians is the annual spring dispatch of Arab military detachments to various parts of the country to herd horses. A certain detachment was sent to a certain area, and this led to the establishment of strong ties with the local population. Warriors took root in these areas and gradually mixed with the local population. An interesting fact: an Arab sometimes married an Egyptian, but the opposite did not happen.

The mixing of Arabs and Coptic Egyptians was also facilitated by the fact that Egyptians were in most government positions (except for the highest, occupied by Arabs). Arab tribes, having settled in Egypt, moved to settled way life, and adopted from the indigenous people their life experience, customs and habits.

A few centuries later, most of the Egyptians converted to Islam, forgot their ancient language and adopted Arabic. At present, in the Coptic language (already incomprehensible to the Copts for a long time), only a part of the services in the church are performed, but Arabic prevails here too. Copts, who make up a population of several million, are not a national minority in the country, which is sometimes said about them. IN ethnicity they belong to the Egyptian people, differing from the rest of the Egyptians only in religion.

The Copts belong to the Monophysites, that is, they believe that Christ had a single, divine essence, denying the fullness human nature Savior. The Coptic Church belongs to the eastern, Orthodox branch of Christianity, and in this sense, the Copts are very close to traditional Orthodoxy. But there are many differences between Orthodoxy and Egyptian Christianity, both in theology and in traditions.