Explore some of the exciting pieces of information about the beautiful gifts from ancient Egypt, varying from the earliest known peace deal to antique types of games.
Cleopatra was not of Egyptian descent.
With King Tut, Cleopatra VII is probably the most influential character related to ancient Egypt. Cleopatra was derived from Ptolemy I, one of Alexander the Great's greatest loyal commanders. She was born in Alexandria, where she was part of an extended family of Greek Macedonians. The Ptolemaic Empire stretched Egypt from 323 to 30 B.C., yet most emperors maintained a primarily Civilization and mentality. Cleopatra was well-known among the earliest associates of the Ptolemaic period for communicating with Egyptians.
Among the first recorded peace agreements were those signed by the ancient Egyptians.
Egypt battled the Hittite Empire to sovereignty regions in modern-day Syria for more than 200 years. The war resulted in costly battles such as the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 B.C., but neither party had claimed victory by the era of Pharaoh Ramses II. In 1259 B.C., the two great kings of their times forged a renowned friendship pact while the Egyptians and the Hittites faced attacks from other citizens. This deal stopped the war and stated that the two empires would assist one another throughout the case of a third-party attack.
Board games were popular among ancient Egyptians.
Egyptians would often unwind after a long shift anywhere along the Nile River by participating in activities. Various matches were held, such as "Mehen" and "Dogs and Jackals," but "Senet," a probability game, was arguably the much more famous. This ancient game took place on a longboard with 30 squares and dates back to 3500 B.C. Each participant had their collection of components transferred around the board based on rolling dice or throwing sticks. Researchers are still debating Senet's exact rules, but the quality of the game is undeniable.
Egypt's women experienced a wide variety of privileges and liberties.
Despite being officially and culturally perceived as intellectually superior, ladies had significant legal and economic freedom. They might transact properties, participate as judges, write wills, and even sign legal documents. Egyptian ladies rarely worked for a living, and those who did were often paid equally to males for performing the same tasks. Despite ancient Greek females, who were practically slaves to their spouses, Ladies seemed to have the right to make that decision and remarried.
Egyptian laborers have a reputation for organizing labor strikes.
Egyptian laborers weren't scared to demonstrate flexible working conditions, even though they revered the pharaoh as a living deity. The most prominent example occurred during the New Empire pharaoh Ramses III in the 12th century B.C. When laborers working on the imperial necropolis at Deir el-Medina did not obtain their regular compensation of wheat, they staged one of several worlds' earliest documented protests. The employees staged a sit-in strike, entering local funeral chapels and refusing to move until their concerns were addressed.