Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt is a fascinating subject to unpack. Studying our past is the cornerstone of understanding what we were, what we are, and what we can become. Ancient civilizations have so much to teach us about the world, and of equal importance, about ourselves. When most people think about ancient civilizations, Egypt is more often than not the first thing that comes to mind. The big reason civilizations always thrived in the region was the Nile river. The Egyptians made the most of the fertile land they had settled and used it as the foundation upon which to build one of the most iconic civilizations in human history. What do I think of when I think of Egypt? Well, first of all there are the obvious things; pharaohs, pyramids, the sphynx, and the pantheon of gods and goddesses that they worshiped. Then I think of all of the innovations that came about because of the Egyptians; the utilization of papyrus, the preservation of bodies via mummification, as well as the earliest known example of a peace treaty and the development and use of hieroglyphics. So much art, music and literature came from the ancient Egyptians, all of it unique and of instantly recognizable origins. Amazing as the various dynasties of the Egyptian kingdoms were, there is of course the obvious drawbacks, namely the oppressive disposition that they all too often exhibited. It should be noted that is by far not unique to Egypt, tons of empires throughout history were famous for subjecting those that they conquered and deemed lesser. It still doesn't make it right, but it is an explanation. Ancient Egypt is such an expansive topic that there is an entire study devoted to it, the study known as Egyptology that erupted in popularity, particularly among the European nations upon their introduction to the region. I'll admit that I'm far from an expert on the subject of ancient Egypt, but there are universal traits of the civilization that everyone knows of, and I think that's what makes the subject worth talking about. Egypt was one of the most significant and prominent of the many civilizations that thrived throughout the ancient world. Many would argue that they only thrived because of the fortuitous nature of the region they inhabited, and that any civilization that had the resources they had would have flourished, but to me, that doesn't make the ancient Egyptians any less significant. It's somewhat sad to know that so much of what we know of the Egyptian civilization comes from the excavation and plunder of the many sites of the former empire. Europeans took countless artifacts as status symbols and the sheer amount of history they stole or displaced frustrates me because in the process there was most definitely much of the history either lost or destroyed. I'm not a fan of destroying or exploiting any historical artifacts, but the information lost of the Egyptian civilization is particularly upsetting because of the massive cultural influence they had that will never be known.