Ancient Egyptian civilization is the mother of history. Learn about the most wonderful news and customs of the ancient Egyptians.
The amazing Egyptian history
Daily life of ancient Egyptians, The strange and wonderful customs of the ancient Egyptians ancient egypt, facts about ancient egypt,ancient egyptians ,ancient egypt facts, facts about egypt,ancient history,ancient,facts about egyptian pyramids,facts about ancient egyptian,ancient egypt history,ancient egyptian civilization,interesting facts about ancient egypt,egyptians,egyptian history ,egyptian,ancient egyptian culture, ancient egypt for kids, egyptian pyramids, interesting facts about the egyptian pyramids, facts ,fascinating factsAncient Egypt's history has always fascinated many of us, from the mystery of the Sphinx to the art of mummification. Here are ten interesting and surprising facts about one of the world's greatest civilizations:
The amazing Egyptian history
Daily life of ancient Egyptians, The strange and wonderful customs of the ancient Egyptians ancient egypt, facts about ancient egypt,ancient egyptians ,ancient egypt facts, facts about egypt,ancient history,ancient,facts about egyptian pyramids,facts about ancient egyptian,ancient egypt history,ancient egyptian civilization,interesting facts about ancient egypt,egyptians,egyptian history ,egyptian,ancient egyptian culture, ancient egypt for kids, egyptian pyramids, interesting facts about the egyptian pyramids, facts ,fascinating factsAncient Egypt's history has always fascinated many of us, from the mystery of the Sphinx to the art of mummification. Here are ten interesting and surprising facts about one of the world's greatest civilizations:
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00From the earliest recorded peace treaty to ancient board games, discover 11 surprising
00:06facts about the gift of the Nile.
00:09Cleopatra was not Egyptian.
00:11Along with King Tut, perhaps no figure is more famously associated with ancient Egypt
00:16than Cleopatra VII.
00:18But while she was born in Alexandria, Cleopatra was actually part of a long line of Greek
00:23Macedonians originally descended from Ptolemy I, one of Alexander the Great's most trusted
00:29lieutenants.
00:31The Ptolemaic dynasty ruled Egypt from 323 to 30 BC, and most of its leaders remained
00:37largely Greek in their culture and sensibilities.
00:41In fact, Cleopatra was famous for being one of the first members of the Ptolemaic dynasty
00:46to actually speak the Egyptian language.
00:49The ancient Egyptians forged one of the earliest peace treaties on record.
00:54For over two centuries, the Egyptians fought against the Hittite Empire for control of
00:58lands in modern-day Syria.
01:01The conflict gave rise to bloody engagements like 1274 BC's Battle of Kadesh, but by the
01:07time of the pharaoh Ramses II, neither side had emerged as a clear victor.
01:13With both the Egyptians and Hittites facing threats from other peoples, in 1259 BC Ramses
01:19II and the Hittite king Hadassili III negotiated a famous peace treaty.
01:25This agreement ended the conflict and decreed that the two kingdoms would aid each other
01:29in the event of an invasion by a third party.
01:32The Egyptian-Hittite treaty is now recognized as one of the earliest surviving peace accords,
01:39and a copy can even be seen above the entrance to the United Nations Security Council Chamber
01:43in New York.
01:45Ancient Egyptians loved board games.
01:48After a long day's work along the Nile River, Egyptians often relaxed by playing board games.
01:54Several different games were played, including mehen and dogs and jackals, but perhaps the
02:00most popular was a game of chance known as Senet.
02:04This pastime dates back as far as 3500 BC and was played on a long board painted with
02:09thirty squares.
02:11Each player had a set of pieces that were moved along the board according to rolls of
02:15dice or the throwing sticks.
02:17Historians still debate Senet's exact rules, but there is little doubt of the game's popularity.
02:24Games depict Queen Nefertari playing Senet, and pharaohs like Tutankhamen even had game
02:29boards buried with them in their tombs.
02:33Egyptian women had a wide range of rights and freedoms.
02:36While they may have been publicly and socially viewed as inferior to men, Egyptian women
02:41enjoyed a great deal of legal and financial independence.
02:46They could buy and sell property, serve on juries, make wills, and even enter into legal
02:51contracts.
02:53Egyptian women did not typically work outside the home, but those who did usually received
02:57equal pay for doing the same jobs as men.
03:00Unlike the women of ancient Greece, who were effectively owned by their husbands, Egyptian
03:06women also had the right to divorce and remarry.