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The ancient Egyptians of the past are very often
misrepresented, and misunderstood. This website hopes to correct some falsities
and enlighten those who are unfamiliar with their amazing and vast culture. To
start, it helps to see how an ancient Egyptian exists, and how they would have
completed the most simple of tasks, such as counting.
Egyptians counted much as they spoke; with symbols
and pictographs representing objects from their everyday lives. Their yearly
calendar is an excellent example of this, showing how they represented a single
day, month, or even year.
| Calendar |
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 |
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| Day |
Month |
Year
|
 |
 |
 |
| Akhet
(Inundation) |
Peret
(Winter) |
Shemu
(Summer)
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Numeric
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Numbers
were written as many times as was necessary to make up the full
number. Emphasis was always on laying them out as neatly as
possible.
The Egyptians only used addition and subtraction and didn't use
abstract theorems to calculate their numbers, instead they used
tangible everyday objects - such as the number of bricks that will
be needed, how much will be needed to fill a jar, etc. These
objects were standardize at a very early date so would supply
accurate results for the Egyptians.
They had no concept of zero but did use fractions (written by
using an 'R' with a number under it i.e. 1/... )
Other aspects of Egyptian life that should be analyzed
before going to far are their religious beliefs and how they
recorded them. I am speaking of the Book of the Dead, the logged
writings taken down by ancient Egyptians, recording everything
from burial rites to the proper paths a departed soul should take
to reach the underworld.
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The Egyptian Book of
the Dead
. . . .What
we call the Egyptian Book of the Dead
was known to the Egyptians as Reu nu
pert em hru translated that means The
Chapters of coming forth by day. It
is a collection of chapters made up of magic spells and
formulas. It was illustrated and written on papyrus. These
papyri were commissioned by the deceased before their death.
Like most products these text came in different qualities. You
could comission the finest quality papyrus money could buy or
you could purchase one "off the rack" and have a
scribe fill in the blanks with your name.
. . . . This
collection of funerary chapters began to appear in Egyptian
tombs around 1600 BC. It can be thought of as the deceased's
guidebook to a happy afterlife. The text was intended to be read
by the deceased during their journey into the Underworld. It
enabled the deceased to overcome obstacles and not lose their
way. It did this by teaching passwords, giving clues, and
revealing routes that would allow the deceased to answer
questions and navigate around hazards. It would grant the help
and protection of the gods while proclaiming the deceased's
identity with the gods. The Papyrus of Ani is one of the finest
and most complete examples of this type of Egyptian funerary
text to survive. The Papyrus of Ani now resides in The British
Museum, London.
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