Important Update

Hi everyone, I hope all of you enjoyed learning

about the ancient Egyptians! Unfortunately, I will 

be unable to post content for the remainder of this 

week. Therefore, there will be no posts until 

sometime next week. Until then enjoy the present 

(even though there are no fashionable pharoahs).   

An Egyptian's Prayer To The Nile River: By Snapshot Historian

   Oh great river, provider of the waters that nourish our crops,
  
   arise and release your substance, I have laid my seeds and 

   plowed the earth, my fruits will not breathe life without your    

   blessing,

   Your rule over the land possesses a celebrated magnitude, it 

   exceeds that of Greece's Drino and Sumer's Tigris, though those

   rivers are deep they are shallow for they are devoid of your  

  blessing,

   
  Come now and enter my land, swiss your wonder upon my 

  ground, splash your greatness all around, and when your 

  handiwork is done, withdraw and leave me with a bountiful 

 harvest, 

 I await your presence on my farmland   

    

Back To Farming: The Egyptian Way

                                 Source:“egyptfarming.jpg (600×410),” 4 Mar. 2016.

       The New Kingdom of ancient Egypt is known for its 

contributions to agriculture. Most countries during this period used

heavy ploughs to turn over their soil to ensure their crops received 

enough nutrients. However, the Egyptians were able to use lighter 

ploughs because of the Nile River. The Nile River would 

occasionally flood, and by doing so it deposited the nutrients on top

of the soil. Because of this natural phenomenon, ancient Egyptians 

used ploughs for a different purpose; that purpose was to break up

the topsoil prior to planting seeds and covering them. 

     
      In the painting, both of the Egyptians are holding an object. 

The female Egyptian looks like she is holding a pile of wheat. And

The male Egyptian seems to be holding something that looks 

almost like a mirror. It is possible that the pile of wheat and the 

mirror-shaped object is symbolic of a prayer for a good harvest. 

The fruit on the bottom of the painting also might allude to a prayer

for a good harvest because the bottom has grape trees and what 

look like fig trees, which are crops the ancient Egyptians grew. 

When both halves of the painting are put together, they both 

represent a different stage of the planting cycle. The top half 

represents the beginning stage (ploughing), and the bottom half 

represents the ending stage (harvesting). This can also prove the 

painting is a prayer because the top can be what the farmer did that 

was in his control, and the bottom can be the thing the farmer 

wanted to happen that was beyond his control.

King Tutankhamun: A Painting To Brag About

                     Source:“king-tut-with-gods.jpg (2691×2118),” 2 Mar. 2016. 

     The New Kingdom of ancient Egypt is known for being the 

zenith of ancient Egypt's achievements in agriculture, art, and 

military expansion. The pharaohs during this time boasted their 

strength through paintings. In this painting, king Tutankhamun is 

standing with the two Egyptian gods Anubis (god of the afterlife) 

and Nephthys (protective goddess of the dead).

      
     The fact King Tutankhamun is depicted with two Egyptian gods

implies the Pharaohs view themselves as godly entities. But the 

thing that is fascinating about this specific painting is that both of 

the gods are pampering King Tutankhamun. This very likely shows

King Tutankhamun was so egotistical about his and the Egyptians'

achievements during the age of the New Kingdom that he viewed

himself as a greater man than omnipotent beings. Who can blame 

him for he rekindled the extinguished flame of traditional Egyptian

 religion and kept it burning throughout his entire reign.

  

New Time Period

Hi Everyone, I hope all of you enjoyed learning 

about 20th century America. But that's old news, 

and speaking of old, this week we will be  

traveling to the time of the New Kingdom of 

ancient Egypt. Home of the pharaohs that took 

 excessive pride in presenting their dominance  

towards the ancient Egyptians, and the Nile River 

that helped nurture the crops of the Egyptians. So 

bring a lot of water and an appetite for figs and 

dates because we are going to ancient Egypt!