World Civ

Name

Professor

Subject

Date

World Civilization : Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt is one of the cradles of world civilization . In the study of ancient civilization , one cannot ignore the many factors that led to the formation of culture , economy , way of life , language , writing economy , among other things which , if taken together , could shed light on the gradual development of a particular civilization . In for a territory composed of inhabitants to be considered civilized , it must be able to possess the different criteria which will be discussed in this

essay . What are the factors that made Egypt the most powerful civilization in the ancient world , and what are the reasons for its downfall

Like any other ancient civilizations , Egypt became a fledgling dynasty with the fusion of the Lower and Upper Egypt in roughly 3200BC . The first colonial empire of Egypt was concentrated on the city of Nubia from about 3200 to 1200 BC (Adams 36 . Early Egyptians started to occupy the Nile valley in about 7000 BC . Their source of living was farming domesticating animals , and fishing . In 3200BC , there were about 20 ,000 settlers in the city of Abydos , and population grew in the next century as Memphis was also inhabited by about 20 ,000 people (Chandler . During 1200BC , the city of Pi-Ramses became the most populous of all Egypt with about 160 ,000 settlers , while the city of Memphis had 50 ,000 people

In terms of occupational groups , there was concentration of population on a very few cities which served as the seat of the dynastic government . In 2250BC , it was estimated that Memphis only had 30 ,000 inhabitants , but several centuries later in 1991BC , inhabitants in the city grew up to 100 ,000 (Chandler . The city of Thebes also had 65 ,000 settlers in 1800BC , while in 1200 Memphis had 50 ,000

In terms of social class , ancient Egypt had a social hierarchy that differentiates the ruling elite over the common subjects . On top of the hierarchy were the pharaohs and his royal family . The pharaoh was the law himself , as he had the absolute power to decide on all local affairs , including the fate of his subjects and the slaves . The priests were given high regard in the social hierarchy . It was the concept of godly kingship that bound the Egyptian society for thousands of years In terms of economy and tribute , the early Egyptians relied on farming and barter of goods , wherein the Nile River played a great part in Egypt 's agricultural economy . However , serious economic crisis occurred during the rule of Rameses III around 1200BC . Ancient Egypt 's economy was sustained through force labor and conquest of neighboring states (Torok 101

The greatest monumental public buildings of Egypt are the Egyptian pyramids , particularly the biggest one - the pyramid of Giza , which thought to have been built around 2560 (Oakes Gahlin . Among the great public buildings are the Small Temple of Ramesses at Karnak , the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III , the Temple of...