Egypt: Short History and Cultural Vocabulary

If Egypt is on your list of places to visit, it is likely you are going to add sight seeing to your activities; seeing all the structures and ancient Egyptian pyramids to be specific. Enhance your experience by learning about the cultural history behind these landmarks before you travel.

Here are some characteristics of ancient Egyptian culture to review before your trip and some other interesting facts about Egypt’s past:

Cultural Vocabulary:

• Pharaoh- The term used to represent the rulers of ancient Egypt.
  
  
• Egyptian pyramids- The Egyptian pyramids are the most famous pyramids in the world. They are constructed of brick and stone and were entirely made by hand. The largest pyramid is the Great Pyramid of Giza. As of 2008, 138 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt. The pyramids is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Currently, Egypt has the most pyramids in the world.
  
  
• Mummies- The ancient Egyptians believed that when a Pharaoh died, his spirit remained in his body and if his corpse was not properly taken care of after death, he could not fulfill his duties as king of the afterlife. To avoid this, the Egyptians mummified and preserved the body.
  
  
• Tombs- To protect the Pharaohs’ body and soul , the Egyptians would build massive tombs, some in the shape of pyramids.
  
  
  
• Hieroglyphs- Hieroglyphs was a formal writing and numbering system of the ancient Egyptians. They consist of logographic and alphabetic elements.
  
  
• Sphinx- A mythological statue that has the body of a lion and the head of a human. The Sphinx of Giza is the most famous and is located near the pyramids in Egypt.

Some other interesting and historical information about Egypt includes how ancient Egypt consisted of approximately thirty one Dynasties. The conclusion of the thirty first dynasty led to the Ptolemaic Dynasty which hosted some of the famous characters of ancient Egypt including Alexander the Great and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt.

Ancient Egypt was mostly ruled by Egyptian Pharaohs, however, around the twenty seventh dynasty the Persians overtook Egypt soon to be followed by a long 2,400 years of foreign rule. Some other foreign rulers that ruled Egypt in the past were the Romans, the Byzantines, the Ottomans, the French and the British to name a few.

Below is a great site that offers historical, private tour packages by knowledgeable guides and packages can be customized according to tourist!

http://www.kensingtontours.com/destinations.cfm?tripRef=597&destPage=1&regionid=3