podcast egypt

Two experts discuss Egyptian civilization, its rise and fall, geography, and social classes. They also talk about the role of women and the impact of ancient Egypt on personal hygiene and construction. Egypt is remembered for its pyramids and irrigation system. The ancient Egyptians were polytheistic and worshipped gods and animals. The social pyramid had seven classes, with slaves and farmers at the bottom. Women had limited freedom, except for rulers like Cleopatra and Nefertiti. Ancient Egypt's influence can still be seen today. you you you you oh yeah we're trying to do one right so just make that I'll start I'll talk right when the first word show up and then you talk it after hey guys today we will be interviewing two experts on everything there is to know about Asian cultures. Thank you for having us. Thank you for having us. Oh so Dr. Aya and Dr. Pacheco tell us how you made it here. So thank you so much for having us my name is Dr. Aya of DNS Lexie. So I grew up in Antarctica and immigrated to the U.S. at age 18 to attend McLean Community College. I quickly gained interest in Egyptian studies and that's where I met Dr. Pacheco for BBC. All right I was born in Bowie, Maryland but I grew up in Kazakhstan. At 18 I moved to the U.S. to attend Harvard University where after I graduated I went to Egypt to work on a BBC sponsored project. All right so I want to know how Egypt's rise and fall first occurred. Well the Egyptian civilization started in 3100 BC and ended in 30 BC. Civilization mostly grew around the Nile River and prospered because of their ability to divide and organize labor. It fell because they were open to invasion after Cushbrook went to sell. They also sustained a 100 year drought which greatly weakened their power. Finally Rome took control after they beat Cleopatra. Cool, so can you tell me about what the geography of the region is like? So the Egyptian civilization relied heavily on agriculture from the flood plains around the Nile River. The farther you get from the river the less fertile the land is. After you leave the flood plains it becomes like a large desert. How are the ancient Egyptians remembered today? One of the most obvious monuments to the ancient Egyptians is the pyramids of Giza which are situated right outside Cairo. They made pottery which conveyed their ideas of art and beauty as well as inventing paper made out of papyrus. They used paper to document things that could be useful in the future in a space affected manner. Oh and they also created a whole irrigation system for their crops. This was helpful because it helped control the flood water which they greatly relied on. They also made hygiene innovations such as toothbrushes and early forms of skin care. What was their religion like? Well ancient Egyptians were polytheistic which means that they believed in many gods and goddesses. The most important god in their society was Ra, the sun god and the father of all creation. Animals were also seen as gods so people worshipped them as well. Okay so I know that ancient Egyptian was broken into different social classes. Can you talk about that a little bit? Yeah so think of the ancient Egyptians social classes in a pyramid shape. The social pyramid was divided into seven different classes. These included pharaohs, government officials, soldiers, scribes, merchants, craftsmen and at the bottom farmers and slaves. Oh that makes a lot of sense. So why were the slaves and the farmers at the bottom? Well a slave's job was to work on the fields of farms or to attend to the wealthy. Just scroll up, just scroll up a little bit. Okay. Well a slave's job was to work on the fields of farms or to attend to the wealthy in their houses. A slave in ancient Egypt would be a prisoner of war who was constantly working against their will. They did also have some rights and a very slim chance of being freed. Okay. Now I know about the social classes of ancient Egypt. What was it like for women at this time? Great question. In ancient Egypt women did not much have freedom unless they were rulers. Some very significant female rulers were Cleopatra and Nefertiti. Wait can we redo that? Yeah. Great question. In ancient Egypt women did not have too much freedom unless they were rulers. Some very significant female rulers were Cleopatra and Nefertiti. A woman's role was working in agriculture, making clothing and performing dances and acts. Today we can see the effects of ancient Egypt on personal hygiene products. Another obvious example of ancient Egypt's impact is that they have impacted construction and engineering where their models can be proved. Heavy ploughs have weared the way for... There's a way. Sorry. Oh my god I didn't know I had that part. Another obvious example of ancient Egypt... I'm not, I'm stupid. Nefertiti. Today we can see many effects of ancient Egypt in our modern world such as personal hygiene products. Another obvious example of ancient Egypt's impact is that they have impacted construction and engineering where their models can be proved. Heavy ploughs have led the way for agriculture to develop and sustain society today. So in the end Egypt has played an instrumental role in developing society and creating monuments so they are remembered for a long time to come. Thanks for listening guys. I hope you learned something new about ancient Egypt. Stay tuned for the next episode of Unraveling Civilizations. Bye! Peace out.