Egyptian Science: Medicine, Writing, Religion, and Inventions

Egyptian Science:Medicine, Writing, Religion, and Inventions Lucky Chanthavone Jennifer Saeteurn Rhionell Melonson Cassie Fontenot

Medicine Imhotep- Founder of Egyptian medicine and developed surgery. -Lived around 2600 BC - “The one who comes in peace” -World’s first doctor Egyptian Doctors -Had their own hierarchy -Very advanced in knowledge -Learned professions at schools called the house of life

Medicine Prescriptions -Throat irritations: honey and milk -Herbal Remedies -Head injuries: opening area of skull -Leg ulcers and swelling: yeast -Conception: dung of crocodile -Ashoma(eye disease): animal liver Magic -Possessing the person and then attack, drive it out or destroying it -Rituals, spells, incantations, talismans, and amulets used

Medicine Surgery Embalming Practices -Removing most of the internal organs including the brain, lungs, pancreas, liver, spleen, heart, and intestine. Medical Kit -Knives, drill, saw, forceps, censor, hooks, bags ties with string, beaked vessel, vase with burning incense, scales, pot with flowers.

History • 3000 B.C. • There were six primary periods during which this ancient language was used in Egypt. • Decline form of the language is still spoken today; only in the Coptic Church. • Last known use was 500 A.D. • Extremely difficult to learn • At least 700 or so symbols used and each symbol often use more than once. • One symbol alone could have up to three meanings and could be either phonetic or simply a representative of the picture it depicted.

Rosetta Stone • Napoleon’s army invaded Egypt in 1798 • Discovered the Rosetta stone a year later • Monumental in the history of hieroglyphics • Determined that the same inscription was written in two forms of ancient Egyptian symbols; ancient hieroglyphics and demotic hieroglyphics.

Hieroglyphics • Egyptians called hieroglyphics, “the word of God” • They are written in rows and columns and can be read left to right or from right to left. • The reason why you can read the text from any direction because the human and animal symbols face towards the beginning of the line. • The upper symbols are read before the lower symbols.

Hieroglyphics are separated into four categories • Alphabetic signs represent single sound. They used the common vowels like ‘e’ or ‘v’. • 2. Syllabic signs are represented in a combination of two or three consonants. • 3. Word-signs are pictures of objects used as words for those objects. They are always followed by a upright stroke, to show that the word is complete in one sign. • 4. A determinative is a picture of an object that helps the reader.

Egyptian Religion Egyptian Gods • Ancient Egyptian beliefs were centered on multiple Gods and Goddesses who controlled various forces of nature. • These divine beings were worshipped with offerings and prayers in households, shrines and formal temples managed by priests. • Different Gods were prominent throughout different times in of Egyptian history. • Particular deities were associated with a specific area or city in Egypt. To the people in that area they were often seen as chief among the gods. • Myths about the Gods changed overtime so Egypt never had a hierarchy of the Gods.

Egyptian Religion • There was no one chief deity over the entire history of ancient Egypt. • Although there were many gods and goddesses the most notable were. Atum, god of creation. Ra, god of the sun. Heru (later hellenised as "Horus"). Falcon, symbol of resurrection / rising sun. Het Heru / HT HR (later hellenised as “Hathor"), goddess of the sun. Asar (later hellenised as "Osiris"), the ruler of the underworld, and husband and brother of Ast/Isis. Ast/Aset, (later hellenised as “Isis").the mother goddess, and wife and sister of Asar. Anpu, (later hellenised as "Anubis"), god of the embalming of the dead. Tehuti, (later hellenised as "Thoth"), god of the moon, writing and knowledge. Set, god of chaos.

Egyptian Religion Pharaohs • The term pharaoh comes from the Greek language and its use in the Old Testament. The word used in Egypt was Per-aa which means “Great House” , a designation of the palace, which started to be used as a label for the king around 1450 BC. Before this the ruler of ancient Egypt was called nesu. -Pharaohs were viewed as both human and divine - They acted as intermediaries between Egypt’s people and the Gods. - They were responsible for upholding Maat (justice, order, morality) in society - A deceased Pharaoh was viewed as fully divine. - Not all of the pharaohs were male like in modern monarchies times Ancient Egypt had many noteworthy female rulers.

Egyptian Inventions Used Today • The shadoof - operated by hand and used to lift water from the river onto land in buckets. • Paper - made out of papyrus, a common plant that grew in the Nile area. • Locks - used to prevent the endless robberies. They made a wooden crossbar that was almost closed except for the space for the key and pins. They dropped the pins into cavities that locked the door. To unlock it they slid the key into the opening, which pushed the pins out the way, making the door open. • First ox-drawn plow - made farming much easier. • Clock (sun clocks and water clocks) – sun clock worked like a sundial, by watching the moving shadows throughout the day. the water clocks were like pots made of stones with long slanting slides that allowed water to drip at a constant rate through a small hole in the bottom. • Eye Make-up – Basically mandatory, even poor people wore it. They believe an eye without make-up was vulnerable to the “Evil Eye.” Also a protectant from the sun because of the chemicals in the galena(the rock they made the make-up out of). • Black Ink • Hieroglyphics • First triangular shaped pyramids

Mummification • Natural mummification by being frozen, or hot and dry in the sands of the desert was in 3300 BC. But the official mummification with bandages, and burying valuables with the deceased was invented by Egyptians. • Painted faces to be recognizable, and for important people even painted the fingernails gold. • Organs removed using special instruments and put in jars except the heart and kidneys. Body cavity stuffed and washed in the Nile, then dehydrated using natron- a special salt. • Procedure took 70 days sometimes for important people.

Work Cited Cassie’s Work Cited • Name Unknown, 2007, Mummification Preservation to an Extreme. Associated Content, INC, http://www.associatedcontent.com • Morales-Correa, Ben, 2006, Ancient Egypt- Egyptomology. All-About-Egypt, www.all-about-egypt.com Rhionell’s Work Cited • 2009, Ancient Egyptian Religion. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_religion. 2009 • 1999, Egyptian Kings (Pharaohs), Governors and other Rulers. InnerCity Oz, Inc., http://www.touregypt.net/kings.htm. 2009. • Doherty, K, 2007, The Female Who Ruled As A Man. Google. www.associatedcontent.com.2009 • Edkins, J, 2009, Egyptian Gods. http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/egypt/teachers.htm. 1999. Jennifer’s Work Cited: • 2008, Ancient Egypt Online. Attic Designs, http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/. March 5, 2009. • Millmore, Mark/ 1997-2009, Discovering Ancient Egypt. Eyelid Productions, http://www.eyelid.co.uk/index.htm. March 5, 2009 Lucky’s Work Cited: • 2000-2008 Ancient Egyptian Medicine, http://www.historyLearningsite.uk/ancient_egyptian_medicine.htm. March 9, 2009 • Brier, Bob/ 1981, Medicine, http://www.mnsu.edu/emeseum/prehistory/egypt/dailylife/medicine.html. March 9, 2009 • Dullinger, Andre/ 2000 August, Ancient Egyptian Medicine, http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/timelines/topics/medicine.htm. March 9, 2009

Egyptian Science: Medicine, Writing, Religion, and Inventions