A. Everything starts with the pharaoh in a two-class society (the pharaoh and everybody else). Egypt first displayed an abstract sense of rule, the separation of ruler and office and the complete removal of the ruler from the ordinary realm of humans.
B. Religion grew more complicated over time.
1. The peace and prosperity of the Old Kingdom led to a happy, optimistic outlook.
2. The concept of the afterlife was a continuation of this life, not something better! It was reserved mainly to the pharaoh, his family, and perhaps a few key advisers, until the end of the Old Kingdom.
3. The Middle Kingdom saw a profusion of temples and new cults. Herodotus called the Egyptian the “most religious of all people.” This might have been a reemergence of predynastic religion or a response to unsettled conditions. At this time, the afterlife seems to have been considered available to all.
4. The concept of Ma’at became crucial, that is, the idea of truth, justice, balance, and order.
5. The New Kingdom saw the remarkable religious experiment of Akhenaton. He abandoned traditional worship to promote the cult of Aton (henotheism or monolatry), but this died with him.
C. Scientific and artisanal advances were striking.
1. The use of papyrus (from which we derive our word "paper") facilitated writing and record-keeping.
2. Hieroglyphic (= pictographic) writing gave way gradually to demotic, which was more efficient than cuneiform.
3. The desire to preserve bodies intact (mummification) for the afterlife led to advances in medical science, including surgery and knowledge of anatomy.
No comments:
Post a Comment