Spanning some 3,000 years, from around 3100 BC to 30 BC, Egypt was a vast and powerful kingdom in the ancient world. Today, people continue to be encapsulated by its history, with millions of tourists visiting Egypt every year to marvel at its magnificent collection of pyramids, tombs, and temples.
With that said, from the mysterious death of Tutankhamun to the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World, here are nine facts about Ancient Egypt.
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1. Ancient Egypt was one of the first civilizations to have a written language
Along with the pyramids, mummies, and the Sphinx, one of the most fascinating discoveries from Ancient Egypt is Hieroglyphic writing.
Originating from the Greek word hieroglyphics, meaning ‘sacred carving’, this ancient writing style appears like pictures of people, animals, and objects. While hieroglyphs look like drawings, many were used to signify sounds in the ancient Egyptian language (just as characters in the Roman alphabet do). Other hieroglyphs represented concepts but didn’t have any sound attached.
This ancient writing style was expensive and, as a result, is usually found in royal tombs. Though non-royals sometimes used hieroglyphics in their private tombs if they were wealthy enough to employ a stone carver. While hieroglyphic writing eventually went on to have other uses, it never lost its connection to elite contexts.
However, because this script was so complicated, the ancient Egyptians developed other methods of writing. This included demotic writing, which was used for everyday documents in 800 BC. Hieroglyphics gradually began to die out after the Ptolemies began to rule Egypt in the 300s BC and Greek replaced Egyptian as the official court language.
2. Cleopatra wasn’t Egyptian
Cleopatra was Egypt’s last pharaoh and remains one of history’s best-known figures. She ruled for 22 years, from 51 to 30 BC, and is particularly famous for her love affairs with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
Contrary to popular belief, Cleopatra wasn’t actually Egyptian. She was born in Egypt, but her family originated from Greek Macedonian. Cleopatra descended from Ptolemy I Soter – who was one of Alexander the Great’s generals. Ptolemy ruled Egypt after Alexander’s death in 323 BC and began a dynasty of Greek-speaking rulers that lasted almost three centuries.
However, despite not being ethically Egyptian, Cleopatra embraced many of the country’s ancient customs and was the first member of the Ptolemaic line who learnt to speak Egyptian.
3. The Egyptians created one of the world’s earliest peace treaties
For more than two centuries, the Egyptians were at war with the Hittite Empire – centred in modern day Turkey and spanning parts of Syria and Iraq – for control over the land in modern-day Syria. The conflict resulted in various battles, including the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC.
However, by the time that pharaoh Ramses II came to power, there was still no clear victor. So, Ramses II and the Hittite King Hattusili III negotiated a peace treaty.
The Egyptian-Hittite treaty ended the conflict and both sides agreed to support each other if one was invaded. Today, it’s recognised as one of the earliest surviving peace treaties and a copy can be seen above the entrance to the United Nations Security Council Chamber in New York.
4. Egyptian women enjoyed significant rights and freedoms
While they may have been viewed as socially inferior to men, Egyptian women enjoyed legal and financial freedoms that you might not expect of the ancient world. They could buy and sell property, represent themselves in court, own businesses, make wills, and had the right to divorce their husbands and remarry.
Egyptian couples were even known to create prenuptial agreements. These listed all of the wealth that a woman brought into a marriage and guaranteed she’d be compensated in the event of a divorce. This stood in stark contrast to the women of ancient Greece, who were effectively the property of their husbands.
Queens (the Pharaoh’s wife) also played a key role in implementing and protecting royal power. If a Pharaoh came to power when he was very young, his mother or another female royal relative could rule as regent until he was old enough. This meant that during some periods (such as the early New Kingdom), Egyptian queens were highly influential.
Some women even became Pharaohs themselves – most famously, the ‘female king’ Hatshepsut, who ruled during the 15th century BC. Hatshepsut led at least one military expedition and built some of Egypt’s most impressive monuments, including a magnificent temple at Deir al-Bahari.
5. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World
The Ancient Egyptian pyramids are some of the most famous and impressive man-made structures ever built.
Pyramids were built throughout the Egyptian period as monuments to house the tombs of pharaohs, but construction peaked between the late third dynasty until around the sixth dynasty (2325 BC). Today, over 4,000 years later, many have retained much of their original glory.
No pyramids are more famous than the Great Pyramids of Giza, located on the outskirts of modern-day Cairo. The oldest and largest of the three pyramids found here today, known as the Great Pyramid, is the only surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The Great Pyramid was built for Pharaoh Khufu (2589-2566 BC). Construction began in around 2550 BC; it originally towered some 147 metres and an estimated 2.3 million stone blocks (each weighing between 2.5 and 15 tonnes!) were used to build it.
6. The pyramids weren’t built by slaves
Contrary to popular belief, the Pyramids of Giza weren’t built by slaves. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a purpose-built village, which was home to the thousands of workers who built the famous pyramids around 4,500 years ago.
They found evidence of purpose-built dormitories; animal bones (which showed workers were getting the best cuts of meat); and official records of food and housing for workers. Slaves would never have been treated this well. Instead, experts believe that labourers may have been recruited from farms in regions near the Nile, such as Luxor.
Building the pyramids would’ve been tough work, and the remains of some of the workmen have revealed the significant strain their bodies would’ve been under. Nevertheless, the graffiti left near pharaoh Khufu’s burial chamber in the Great Pyramid of Giza – which reads ‘The Friends of Khufu Gang’ – suggests that the workers didn’t hate their jobs too much!
7. King Tutankhamun’s death remains a mystery
King Tutankhamun came to the throne at just nine years old and died only 10 years later, aged 19. For an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, who was likely to have been well fed and protected, this was young.
Experts have speculated the potential causes of Tutankhamun’s death ever since his tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. The evidence suggests that the young king suffered injuries from some kind of major trauma; and a CT scan performed in 2006 confirmed a fracture to his thigh bone.
Theories around his death include malaria, murder, a chariot crash, a kick from a horse, and a hippopotamus attack. However, according to scientists, the most likely explanation is that Tutankhamun died from an infection or disease caused by his fractured thigh bone. With no antibiotics to treat him, the king would’ve been unable to fight the infection and recover.
Tutankhamun’s death was a turning point because it marked the beginning of the end of ancient Egypt’s 18th dynasty.
8. Both male and female Egyptians wore makeup
Both men and women were known to wear large amounts of makeup in Ancient Egypt.
Egyptian makeup was made by grinding ores like galena and malachite into a substance called kohl. This was then applied in generous amounts to the eye area with utensils made from wood, bone, and ivory. It was also common for women to wear red paint on their cheeks and use henna to colour their hands and fingernails. Both sexes wore perfumes, too, made from oil, myrrh, and cinnamon.
However, cosmetics weren’t only about looking good – they had ritual and spiritual significance. The Ancient Egyptians believed that makeup had magical healing powers and offered protection from evil forces and the gods Ra and Horus. Interestingly, research suggests that their lead-based cosmetics acted as a toxin, killing bacteria before they spread, and helping to prevent eye infections!
9. Many animals were viewed as sacred in Ancient Egypt
The Egyptians admired many of the qualities associated with animals – including strength, courage, protection, and the ability to ward off predators – and many played an important role in everyday life.
The most well-known and popular of Ancient Egyptian animals was the cat. Cats were kept as beloved pets and can be seen in tomb scenes as early as the Old Kingdom (over 4,600 years ago). Mummified cats have also been found buried with their owners. Other animals that were kept as pets by the Egyptians included domesticated dogs, cats, baboons, fish, birds, lions, and mongoose.
Many animals were considered sacred too. Bastet, for example, the most well-known feline deity, was associated with female fertility and the protection of pregnant women and children.
However, though considered sacred, according to Egyptologist Julia Troche, the Egyptians didn’t worship animals themselves. Instead, they saw them as representations of divine aspects of their gods.
Final thoughts…
The Ancient Egyptians are one of history’s most famous and intriguing civilizations. And, spanning a period of some 3,000 years, there’s always something new to uncover.
For further reading, head over to the history section of our website. Here, you’ll find everything from UK and American history to the best historic sites to visit. Or, for more history-related content, why not browse our range of upcoming history talks over on Rest Less Events?
Which periods of history interest you the most? Do you have any other facts about Ancient Egypt that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.