Why I Love Egypt

I've written about Egypt enough on this blog for you all to know how much I love Egypt. Ancient Egypt, more specifically.

I distinctly remember my first experience with Egypt. I was 10. My family was living at the Language Institute in Camdenton, Missouri. I got a book from the public library from the Young Adult section, about ancient Egypt. The cover was grey and yellow. I don't remember why I picked it out; it was one among dozens we brought home every week. But I do remember sitting on our orange and brown couch and falling in love with that book. I was instantly fascinated. I loved all the sculptures and the paintings and the stories.

I have never lost that love for Egypt. As an adult, I have devoured many books about Egypt. My favorites are historical novels, but I've read numerous reference books as well. Fortunately, my family know what I like and has showered me with books on Egypt. Momma Sandy even found me an Egyptian grammar book written in German. I love looking through all my books, reading the stories about the Pharoahs and marveling at the artwork.

I like Egypt because it was unique among ancient cultures. The were civilized in many ways that other cultures did not achieve for millenia. Their culture is so old that to the conquering Romans, the pyramids and tombs were tourist attractions equivilant in age to how we view Stonehenge. Women were given status in Egypt that they achieved no where else in the ancient world. They could own property, divorce their husbands, and marry for love. It was a crime punishable by death to beat a woman or a child. The Egyptians loved their children and delighted in spending time with them. They were the only ancient culture that did not sacrifice humans or desert infants to the elements in order to appease the gods. There was the occasional sacrifice of a bull, but the vast amount of offerings they brought to their gods consisted of flowers and food, not burnt animals.

There were no slaves in ancient Egypt. Although we call them by that name, they were really servants. Service was an occupation handed down from father to son and mother to daughter, and servants were able to quit their jobs, own property, and marry whom they pleased. A common misconception is that the pyramids were built by slave labor. This is not true. For three months out of the year, the Nile River flooded the fields of Egypt, and the farmers and peasants were not able to work the land. During those months, the Pharoahs hired them to build his monuments. This system benefited the common people greatly: for the three months out of the year when they couldn't work their own land, the state paid them wages and thus gave them steady employment.

Another common perception is that the Egyptians were obsessed with death, but this is not accurate. They appear that way to us simply because the only records we have of them consists of their tombs. Their homes and palaces were built of mud brick, so none of them remain. Only tombs and the inscriptions on their walls were built to last, so this is what we have of their culture available for study. They Egyptians counted themselves lucky to live where they did, in the most civilized nation on earth. There were almost no expatriates from Egypt, as they could not imagine wanting to live anywhere but on the Nile River.

The Egyptians loved life. They loved to throw parties and write love poetry and watch the sunset and keep pets and play board games and eat dessert. They were for the most part a lively, happy, loving people. They were not that different than we are... perhaps that's why I am so intrigued by them.