Great ancient Egyptian inventions. The Achievements of Ancient Egypt That Changed the World The Inventions of the Egyptians We Use
When we hear about Ancient Egypt, the images of the pharaohs, the outlines of millennial pyramids and the mysterious Sphinx pop up in our minds. But this advanced civilization has created not only breathtaking architectural monuments that still attract millions of tourists. The ancient Egyptians invented dozens of things, without which it is impossible to imagine our everyday life. They are common today, but several millennia ago they seemed like amazing innovations.
Ancient Egyptians invented toothpaste
Difficult living conditions badly affected the teeth of the descendants of modern Egyptians. But people took care of oral hygiene and used all sorts of tricks to keep their teeth clean. It is no secret that the Egyptians, during the funeral rite, supplied the dead with money, clothing and other useful things that could be useful to them in the kingdom of the dead. So: toothpicks were found in the oldest graves! And a little later, the Egyptians invented an effective toothpaste to keep teeth whiter.
The first man-made dentifrices were a powder made from myrrh, eggshells, pumice stone, and crushed ox hooves.
And on a sheet of parchment found in the basements of a Vienna museum, the first known formula of toothpaste was written. This document dates back to the fourth century AD. The Egyptians, who lived in about 300 BC, ground and mixed kitchen salt with mint, dried iris flowers and pepper. The resulting paste was quite different from the usual ones in consistency, color and smell, but it coped with its task perfectly.
Interesting: The decision to add iris flowers to the toothpaste was perfectly correct. Only in the 20th century did dentists find out that this plant is effective in the fight against periodontitis (inflammation of the gums and purulent discharge from them).
The first calendars were designed to predict Nile floods.
The life of a modern person is planned for days, and sometimes months in advance. But what would we do if there were no calendars to help us organize our lives? Few people know that it was in Ancient Egypt that the first 365-day calendar in the history of human civilization was created.
Agriculture occupied an important place in the life of the Egyptians, because just one major flood meant total devastation and hunger. To predict when the best and worst days would come, people kept a record of the Nile floods year after year. Based on this data, they created a calendar that helped to track the time of the most severe floods and predict them. The Egyptians found out that the star Sirius appears in the firmament when the Nile overflows its banks.
This is interesting: the Egyptian calendar was divided not into the 4 seasons we are used to, but into 3 seasons associated with the stages of agriculture - flooding, growth and harvesting. The season was divided into 4 months, each of which consisted of 30 days. The 5 missing days were added between the end of the harvest season and the start of the flood season for religious celebrations and recreation.
The ancient Egyptians used different means to enhance the contour of the eyes.
Today girls begin to draw the contour of the eyes in elementary school. This cosmetic action is common and common. But did you know that it was the Egyptians who first began to frame their eyes?
There were several types of ancient paint for the eyes. The most beautiful eye color was then considered green, but it was rare. To deceive nature, the girls circled their eyes with green paint made of copper carbonate. And to complement the image, the nails on the hands and feet were painted green (completely!).
Burnt almonds were also used to outline the contours of the eyelids. This cosmetic product was sold and stored in small granite pots.
Some historians believe that the Egyptians eyed in order to imitate the sun god - Ra. But the paint for the eyes served not only as a tribute to fashion. The ancient eyeliner was also used to kill bacteria and fight off nasty infections. He also helped protect the organ of vision from bright sunlight.
This is interesting: a slender and graceful woman with large almond-shaped eyes and full lips was considered the ideal of beauty in Ancient Egypt. In order to dilate their pupils and make their eyes shine, Egyptians regularly dripped the juice of a plant called "sleepy stupor" into them. What for? It's that simple! A person with dilated pupils looks more attractive and sexy, and this fact has been proven by modern psychologists. True, the juice of this plant was poisonous and could eventually lead to blindness. But even this did not stop Egyptian girls in pursuit of beauty and attractiveness for men. Eh, women ...
Egyptian hieroglyphs could mean a single sound or word
We have not read hieroglyphs inscribed on papyrus for a long time. But it is useful to know that the roots of modern writing go back to ancient Egypt. Of course, the drawings were used to perpetuate stories at an earlier time, it is enough to recall the samples of rock art from the Paleolithic era. But they were not written language. Only the ancient Egyptians thought of using pictograms to record whole words or phrases. This led to the development of the language of hieroglyphs. They were applied to the walls of temples, sculptures and graves. The priests recorded valuable information for transmission to subsequent generations, and the rulers concluded an armistice by signing a special document. It is interesting that a specific hieroglyph could mean both a separate object (ideogram) and sound (phonogram).
With the help of hieroglyphs, the history of politics and culture was told. This helped modern scientists to obtain a lot of information about the life of the ancient Egyptians. Deciphering the hieroglyphs began after the discovery of the so-called Rosetta Stone in 1799. But the meaning of many records still remains shrouded in mystery.
The prototype of modern mint dragees was used in ancient Egypt.
Mint dragees like Tic Tac or Mentos help us quickly eliminate bad breath after consuming certain strong-flavored foods. But it is not modern corporations that need to be thanked for this invention, but the ancient Egyptians. Dental problems were familiar to them. The food of the Egyptians could hardly be called high-quality, healthy and balanced. Therefore, the lack of proper care (such as the use of the aforementioned toothpaste) often led to unpleasant problems. I had to try by all means to get rid of stale breath.
This is interesting: An unpleasant odor emanating from the mouth was considered in ancient Egypt as a symbol of a person's low income.
The first fresh breath pills in history looked like incense chewing balls. They included myrrh, cinnamon and honey. These pills were effective in removing bad odors from the mouth, which probably saved a lot of dating in Ancient Egypt.
The history of door locks goes back 4 millennia
And we can also thank the Egyptians for the fact that strangers cannot enter your apartment right now to steal your toothpaste and eyeliner! :) The oldest door lock found by specialists is more than 4 thousand years old. Archaeologists discovered it during excavations of an ancient Egyptian palace.
Initially, the locks were wooden bolts with several holes for pegs. The door keys had a specific set of pegs. When the key was inserted into the desired hole, its recesses lifted the pegs of the lock. Later, the Romans took the experience of the Egyptians into service and created the first metal locks, based on the original designs of the first wooden models. By the way, the system of binding unique "pegs" to a specific key, invented 4 millennia ago, is still used today.
The ancient Egyptians made a great contribution to the development of mathematics
If your school performance was not very high, you can not thank the Egyptians for making a significant contribution to the formation of modern mathematics as a science. But no matter how much we love math, we use it every day. For example, to check if we were given the correct change in the store or to count the number of sweets in the package. The ancient Egyptians needed knowledge in the field of mathematics for the construction of buildings and monuments (which were destined to stand for millennia) or in order to properly distribute food supplies among the population.
They also invented concepts like division and multiplication. 150 years ago, Egyptologist Henry Ring discovered a manual dating back to 1650 BC. It was later named the Rhind Papyrus. This manual contained 84 applied math problems (with solutions), one of which was the distribution of bread among working people.
Ancient Egyptians used sharpened stone to shave
Several millennia ago, such devices as modern electric razors or three-blade machines could not be seen by people even in fantastic dreams. However, it was the ancient Egyptians who became the first people to start shaving. At that time, all women and men looked after the appearance and hygiene, so getting rid of unwanted hairs on the body was a stern necessity. The Egyptians shaved off most of their body hair, including even their eyebrows. They often replaced the hair on the head with wigs. The presence of stubble on the face was then considered a sign of disregard for oneself and society, therefore it was condemned in every possible way.
Interestingly, the Egyptians didn’t just shave to stay beautiful. In addition, the absence of a beard helped them stop the spread of lice throughout the body and protect themselves from dermatological diseases.
Interesting: Various fast-hardening creams have been used to remove hair using the depilation method. In other cases, they were erased with a sharply sharpened stone. So the next time you go to the bathroom to shave, thank fate that you can use a razor, not a stone.
Egyptians were the first to divide the day into segments - hours
Unlike our generation, the ancient Egyptians did not have mobile phones or wristwatches with which they could check the time every minute. But they did their part to ensure that we have such a luxury. The Egyptians were among the first people to formally divide the day into time intervals - hours. To do this, they used a sundial created from a monument - an obelisk. It cast a shadow, the measurement of the length of which allowed our distant descendants to divide the day into time before and after noon. Also, the sundial helped to determine the longest or, conversely, the shortest day of the year.
There was also a water clock near the obelisk. History has preserved the name of their creator, his name was Amenemhet. The principle of operation of the device, created by the court official, was very simple. The water clock consisted of a small container of water that slowly evaporated under the influence of hot sunlight. Marks on the walls of this tank showed how many hours had passed since the device was installed in the sun.
Condoms were used 3.5 thousand years ago
If you think that condoms were invented to protect against AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy relatively recently, you are deeply mistaken. Even the ancient Egyptians had safe sex. The drawings, dating from around 1350 BC, depict men wearing condoms similar to modern designs. True, then they were used exclusively for hygienic purposes. The unknown material protected the genitals of sexual partners from infectious diseases, and also prevented insects from entering unwanted areas.
This is interesting: Interestingly, some historians reject this hypothesis and suggest that the ancient Egyptians only wore condoms as a decoration in some rituals. Other scientists claim that they were a symbol of a person's high position in society.
Unfortunately, no information has survived that can confirm or deny any version. In any case, we have to admit that condoms are a much older invention than it might seem. Their history goes back at least 3.5 millennia.
As you can see, the civilization that flourished several thousand years ago has left its mark not only in historical reference books. Dozens of inventions of the ancient Egyptians have come a long way of evolution and are used in an improved form today. We can only pay tribute to the great minds who have made such a significant contribution to the development of mankind.
Perhaps in terms of its significance for mankind, this invention cannot be compared with the wheel and the method of producing fire, but in terms of the time during which the technology remains unchanged, this achievement of mankind, perhaps, should be attributed to the most relevant discoveries of ancient times. Invented about 6 millennia ago, eye makeup has never gone out of fashion since then.
The most amazing thing is that even today, the same makeup technique is used, which was developed by the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians used galena (lead glitter) to make black eyeliner paint. Green eyeshadow paint was made from malachite with the addition of the same lead gloss that gave the color saturation.
Makeup was intended not only for Egyptian ladies, but also for gentlemen. Status and attractiveness in ancient Egypt went hand in hand, and it was believed among the upper class of this country that the more makeup, the better. The use of makeup by the Egyptians was explained not only by the desire to look attractive. It was believed that the paint applied was a cure for various eye diseases. Despite such a widespread opinion in antiquity, today it is known that lead is very harmful to humans.
2. Writing
The reader may get the impression that the ancient Egyptians did nothing but create beauty. But this is not at all the case. It was in Ancient Egypt that writing was created. From now on, your thoughts could be written down and saved for posterity.
Even in those distant times, the use of images to convey information was nothing new. Found in France and Spain, drawings of ancient people were created 30 millennia before the birth of Christ. But the masterful ability to convey real events with drawings did not yet mean the appearance of writing.
The first graphic systems for languages appeared in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The first Egyptian pictogram system appeared 6 millennia BC. Each of these pictograms corresponded to a specific word. This writing system had a lot of limitations.
Over time, the Egyptians improved their writing, enriching it with alphabetic characters corresponding to certain sounds (something similar to modern letters). This gave them the opportunity to write down names and abstract ideas.
The Egyptians created a system of hieroglyphs, consisting of alphabetic and syllable symbols, as well as ideograms, signs that reflect the whole word in writing. Writing has allowed civilization to leave traces for historians. Sometimes not entirely clear traces.
Modern writing, of course, differs from the ancient Egyptian. But the idea remained the same and to this day serves humanity. It is even difficult to imagine our world without writing, which remains the most important component of human culture. Since then, new technologies have emerged that allow recording human speech and even video recording. But the role of writing is still huge.
3. Sheet of papyrus
Carving inscriptions on the stone is long and inconvenient. The new dynamic writing required new material. Having created writing, the ancient Egyptians found and what to write on.
Papyrus was the ancient precursor to paper, which was invented in China some 140 years before Christ. Papyrus is a plant from the sedge family that grows in the marshy area off the banks of the Nile. The tough, fibrous hull of this plant is ideal for creating material to write on.
Ancient Egyptian books were not bound, but rolled into a scroll - one long sheet of papyrus. This wonderful material was used to record religious texts, literature and even musical works.
The ancient Egyptians kept the technology for the production of writing papyrus in strict secrecy, which allowed them to export this material to other countries in the region. The most interesting thing is that the process of creating the first material for writing in history was not recorded anywhere and for this reason was lost. But in 1965, Dr. Hassan Ragab finally managed to delight the scientific world with the creation of a sheet of papyrus.
Papyrus was used to make not only the most ancient "paper substitute", but also sails, sandal straps and many other little things of ancient Egyptian life.
4. Calendar
A modern person in the absence of a calendar can miss an important meeting or come to work on a weekend. It's a shame, but the ancient Egyptians lived in very harsh conditions. For them, the calendar meant prosperity, and without it, real hunger threatened. They could not miss the flood of the Nile (an event that happened annually). In these conditions, the entire agricultural system of the country was at enormous risk. The ancient Egyptians simply had no choice, they could not trust chance. Therefore, several millennia BC, they began to use the calendar.
This calendar was entirely devoted to the needs of agriculture, without which, as you know, there is no food. The year was divided into three main seasons (or seasons): flood, growth, and harvest. Each season consisted of four months, each containing 30 days. Isn't there a lot of familiarity in this ancient calendar?
But, if you add up all the months of the Egyptian year, you get only 360 days, which is less than the real cycle of our planet's revolution around the Sun. To reduce this difference, the Egyptians added five extra days between the harvest and flood seasons. These five off-season days were religious holidays in honor of the children of the gods.
It should be noted that both the Julian calendar (old style) and the modern Gregorian calendar are essentially modifications of the ancient Egyptian calendar. Thus, the ancient Egyptians became the creators of the measure by which humanity marks its milestones and creates plans.
5. Plow
A person can do without a newfangled gadget. But not without food. In ancient times, this simple truth was understandable to everyone, since almost all people were employed in agriculture. Plowing the land is not an easy task for primitive tools. And humanity has created a plow.
Among historians, there is still debate about which civilization was the first to create this irreplaceable agricultural tool. Egyptian or Sumerian? The plow is a very general concept and leaves a lot of room for modification.
Most likely, the first plow was created on the basis of a corresponding hand tool. But its effectiveness was questionable. Too light, he only scraped the ground and could not plow it deep. Now this dead-end tool of labor is called the "scraping plow". Under the scorching rays of the Egyptian sun, working with a hand plow was inconvenient.
But the situation changed dramatically two millennia before the birth of Christ. The Egyptians realized that a plow can pull cattle behind it and do it much more efficiently than a man who is inferior in strength to a bull. At first, the plow was attached to the horns of the animal, but this design made it difficult for him to breathe. Then a system of belts was thought out, making the fastening more efficient.
The invention of the plow took Egyptian agriculture to an unprecedented level. Combined with the predictable flood cycle of the Nile, the plow allowed Egypt to simplify land cultivation to a degree never before achieved by any civilization in the world.
6. Oral cavity freshener
Modern man still uses this invention of the ancient Egyptians. Numerous air fresheners, aromatic chewing gum and mint candies make the breath of an inhabitant of the modern world fresh. The ancient Egyptians also cared not only about the useful, but also about the beautiful.
Once you have nourished yourself, it's time to start thinking about bad breath. Already in those days, this smell was perceived as evidence of unhealthy teeth. The ancient Egyptians did not drink liters of sweet soda, but the millstones with which they ground grain into flour, generously “enriched” the diet with sand, which scratched the tooth enamel and made the teeth of the great civilization vulnerable to infection.
The Egyptians had doctors, but this ancient country did not yet have dentists. Therefore, there was no one to treat teeth and gums. And the Egyptians could only endure the pain and eliminate the unpleasant odor with the help of the first-ever similarity of "chewing gum" made from incense, myrrh and cinnamon, boiled in honey. This composition was shaped into balls.
7. Bowling
The inhabitants of Ancient Egypt were able not only to work, decorate and give freshness to their breath. Active recreation was already in vogue then.
The settlement of Narmoutheos was located 90 kilometers south of Cairo in the second or third centuries AD, during the years of Roman rule over Egypt. It was there that archaeologists found a room in which they found tracks and a set of balls of various sizes.
The track was 3.9 meters long, 20 centimeters wide and 9.6 centimeters deep. In the center of each track was a square depression with a side of a square measuring 11.9 centimeters.
If in modern bowling one is supposed to knock down the pins at the end of the lane, then in ancient Egyptian one should have hit the hole in the middle of the lane. The players stood at different ends of the track and tried not only to drive balls of different sizes into the hole, but also to knock the opponent's ball off course.
8. Shaving and cutting hair
Although historians are not completely sure of this, it is quite possible that it was the Egyptians who were the first to learn how to do hairstyles. There could have been a completely rational reason for this. In the hot Egyptian climate, long hair and beards made people uncomfortable.
Therefore, they cut their hair short and shaved regularly. The priests completely shaved their hair all over their bodies every three days. Throughout most of Egyptian history, being clean-shaven was considered fashionable, and hair growth was indicative of low social status.
It is possible that it was Egyptian sharp stones with wooden handles that were the first razors on Earth. Over time, razors began to be made of copper. It was among the Egyptians that the profession of a hairdresser appeared for the first time in the history of our world. Only rich ancient Egyptian aristocrats could afford to invite a hairdresser to their home. But even simpler people could use the services of barbers, who equipped their first hairdressing salons on Earth under shady plane trees.
Oddly enough, the Egyptians considered the beard attractive. Provided that it is a false beard, which was made from a bun of hair. Even more interesting, a false beard was worn not only by the Egyptian pharaohs, but also by the queens.
By the shape of the false beard, it was possible to determine the social status of its owner. Ordinary citizens wore small, about 5 cm, beards. Pharaohs, on the other hand, were characterized by a beard of great length, the end of which was given a square shape by hairdressers. The Egyptians depicted their gods as owners of even more luxurious and long beards.
9. Door lock
For this invention, one should also be grateful to the Egyptian civilization. The oldest door lock appeared about 6 thousand years ago. With its help, the doors were blocked with wooden pins. The oldest lock could be opened and closed with a key. This design has not lost its relevance to this day.
In one of the descriptions of Egyptian door locks, their sizes are indicated. The largest was 60 centimeters long. Egyptian castles provided more security than the technology that was later invented by the Romans. Roman castles were of a simpler design. But it was the Romans who were the first to use springs.
Toothpaste
Sick teeth caused the ancient Egyptians a lot of worries, since the bread contained stone chips from the millstones. I had to think about keeping my teeth clean. Archaeologists have discovered toothpicks that were used to remove bits of food stuck between the teeth. It is believed that the Egyptians, along with the Babylonians, enriched human civilization with a toothbrush. The Egyptian toothbrush was a twig of a tree specially frayed at the end.
But this does not exhaust the innovations made by the Egyptians in the field of oral hygiene. They created toothpaste. It consisted of powdered bovine leg, ash, burnt eggshells and pumice.
Recently, archaeologists have discovered a recipe for a more hygienic ancient Egyptian toothpaste and papyrus with instructions for brushing your teeth. But these valuable finds date back to the fourth century AD, that is, the period after Roman rule. The unknown author of this papyrus tells the reader how to mix in certain proportions rock salt, mint, dried iris flowers and pepper, and as a result get "a powder that will make the teeth white and perfect."
Based on materials from science.howstuffworks.com
When we talk about Ancient Egypt, we imagine the stately pyramids, mummies. But what can the treasures of the ancient tombs of the pharaohs and their companions tell us?
About a lot that the Egyptians had to experience in everyday life during the time of Tutankhamun or Ramses. Historian Frank Ruly of the Zurich Institute spent many years researching Egyptian mummies. Frank Rouley learned that the ancient inhabitants of Egypt suffered from pain in their teeth. The reason was simple: the inhabitants of the deserts got fine sand into their mouths with food. This is how they lived.
Tomb mummies testified that the first dental fillings were used extensively by ancient Egyptian dentists. They were made from resin mixed with malachite powder.
Doctors in Egypt were the first in the world to develop toothpaste. About 5,000 years ago, a paste was made from a mass that included pumice, ash, and vinegar. The mixture was applied twice a day to the finger, but it broke the tooth enamel. The Egyptians also invented a toothbrush, the end of its stick was sharp and was used like a toothpick. After 2000 years, the composition of the paste has changed, it has become safer for the enamel. Egyptologist Hermann Harrauer discovered that the new toothpaste included mint, salt, pepper and dried iris flowers.
Interestingly, today's doctors have recently become convinced of the healing properties of iris, which perfectly protects the gums. Scientist Harrower asked to make a paste from the proposed ingredients and tested it with volunteers. The paste turned out to be pleasant to the taste, cleaned the teeth well, giving fresh breath. By the way, the Egyptians believed: if a person has a bad breath, then he is terribly poor. The rich used fragrant pills or lozenges to freshen the breath.
Dentures of Ancient Egypt
The Egyptians were generally very concerned about hygiene. It was, like much in Egypt of the era of the pharaohs, associated with the idea of the world of the departed.
It was believed that for the judgment of the gods, a person should have been clean-shaven and deprived of hair. So in earthly life, the Egyptian aristocrats and ordinary farmers tried to shave the whole body. This helped to get rid of lice and skin diseases.
Pharaoh's hairdresser at work
The beard in Egypt remained the privilege of the pharaoh. If the beard did not grow, then a false beard was made of wool. So did the female pharaoh Hatshepsut of the 18th dynasty, who ruled the country on the Nile in the 25th century BC.
First, the hair was cut with hard stone scrapers. Later, the Egyptians developed razors made of copper or bronze in the shape of a sickle. Also, the Egyptians came up with methods of depilation. For this, a substance made from honey, wax and plant sap was used. The mass applied to the legs or arms solidified, it was torn off with hair. Almost like now.
Egyptians respected hairdressers very much. To protect themselves from sunstroke, the hairdressers of the pharaohs came up with wigs that not only adorned the head, but also demonstrated the social status of the owner.
The work of the Egyptian barber
At first, it was fashionable in Egypt to wear dark wigs. Later, fashionistas began to prefer light ones. The Egyptians protected themselves from the sun with two layers of a wig, putting one on top of the other. The hair on the wig was done by slave barbers. Each hairstyle had its own barber slave, so they styled their hair for a very long time.
In the era of the New Kingdom, artificial hair was moistened with fragrant oil. Incense was available only to the rich.
Make-up accessories were first invented in Egypt. It was necessary to decorate the mummies so that the gods would not get angry. There is evidence that the very idea of decorating the face appeared 4500 years ago, but only after another 1000 years, cosmetics for make-up became generally available.
Egyptian cosmetology
Especially a lot of attention was paid to eye makeup. The Egyptians were convinced that if you paint your eyelids, then this action will save you from demons. They tinted their eyes with a green powder of malachite dust. Dry sticks were made from this dust, which were used like pencils.
Then a special mascara was invented, brushes for applying it. The whiteness of the face was emphasized with a powder made from a mixture of flour and plaster. There was also rice powder, but only aristocrats could use it. The skin of the face was cleaned with a pumice stone and fine sand. White skin was considered an indicator of beauty and high social status. Bleaching was carried out with a special ointment made from crocodile droppings and white.
Face masks made from wheat dough with donkey milk or from crushed snails with a decoction of beans were also popular. The Egyptians kept all the recipes secret and believed that decorating the body prolongs youth and makes themselves more beautiful.
Hairstyles of ancient egypt
And finally, a very useful invention of the Egyptians - sunglasses for sun protection. The poor wore papyrus visors, and the rich population covered their eyes with discs of colorless stone, such glasses were fastened with a metal bridge and looked like pince-nez. Archaeologists found such glasses in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. But glasses were made for the king from cut emeralds, set in bronze.
Egypt has a glorious past. At one time, the Egyptian civilization was the most highly intellectually and technically advanced. And there is hardly anyone who will undertake to challenge her achievements. It's just that a few of the most popular inventions made by the Egyptians, in any dispute, will act as a weighty argument "against" any doubts.
1. Eye makeup, 4000 BC NS.
The Egyptians began to actively use eye cosmetics for a long time. The first so-called eyeshadow palettes appeared as early as 5000 BC. NS. The most popular colors then were green - it was obtained from malachite (copper digodroxocarbonate) - and black, extracted from galena (lead ore).
2. Writing system (pictograms), 3200 BC. NS.
It consisted of approximately 500 Egyptian hieroglyphs and is considered the first writing system based on graphic illustrations of words and sounds.
3. Papyrus paper, 3000 BC. NS.
They began to make it from the papyrus plant growing on the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians were the first to write on the resulting tablets. By 1000 BC NS. papyrus paper began to be exported to Western Asia because it proved to be much more convenient to use than clay tablets.
4. 365-day calendar, 4000 BC NS.
The ancient Egyptians originally used a 360-day calendar, which had 12 months of 30 days each. Only in 4000 BC it was decided to add another 5 days. Thanks to this, the lag behind the solar calendar was eliminated. In 238 BC, the Egyptians introduced the concept of a "leap year".
5. Plow, 2500 BC NS.
On the banks of the Nile, there were numerous agricultural lands. The ancient Egyptians grew wheat and various vegetables. To alleviate their lot, the farmers came up with a plow. At first, however, the device was moved by a person. But then the Egyptians invented a design that would allow cattle to pull plows.
6. Breath freshener
Many Egyptians had severe dental problems. This was due to the impressive amount of sand and pathogens on the stones, which crushed bread and flour. That is why most mummies have traces of large-scale abscesses and empty spaces in the jaws. The ancient people could not cure the problems, but they came up with a way to get rid of bad breath. For this purpose, they used special plates made of cinnamon, myrrh, incense and honey.
7. Shave and haircuts
In ancient Egypt, everyone cut their hair and shaved - both men and women. Excessive vegetation on the body was simply considered bad manners. Hairy people were associated with barbarians, while smooth skin indicated a noble, intelligent lineage.
8. Door lock, 4000 BC NS.
The design consisted of a bolt and several pins. A lock was opened - the size of which, by the way, reached half a meter - with a key. Remarkably, the Egyptian invention was much more reliable than the Roman one.
9. Toothbrushes and toothpaste, 5000 BC NS.
Although unsuccessful, the Egyptians still tried to solve their dental problems. To do this, they invented toothbrushes and toothpaste. The latter was prepared from burnt eggshells, bovine hoof powder, ash, and pumice. Instead of brushes, wood twigs disheveled at the ends were used.
10. Pens and ink
The Egyptians invented not only papyrus paper, but also ink pens (which is absolutely logical - otherwise why paper?). The latter were made from soot, beeswax and plant resin.
In ancient Egypt, both men and women wore them. The fair sex used them as a fashion accessory, and the strong one - in order to cover the bald head. Made wigs from human hair and date palm fibers.
12. Heels, 3500 BC NS.
It was in 3500 BC that the first images of shoes with heels appeared. This was worn by representatives of the nobility - and of all genders. Commoners usually walked barefoot. The only exception were butchers - they had to wear high heels so as not to get their feet dirty in pools of blood.
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It seems that ancient people must necessarily be different from us. Strange customs, unknown language, etc. But no, as archeology shows, we are not as different as we think.
site collected interesting discoveries about the life of the ancient Egyptians, who will convince of this.
1. Extracted iron from meteorites
Archaeologists have found metal beads in an ancient Egyptian tomb. Their uniqueness is that iron in Egypt began to be smelted only after 2,000 years. Where did these beads come from then? The answer is given by the hieroglyph, which was used to designate iron - it translates as "metal from the sky." Most likely, the beads were made from a meteorite.
2. Invented toothpaste
There is evidence that the ancient Egyptians as early as 5000 BC. NS. made toothpaste - a powder made up of various ingredients available at the time (including burnt egg shells and pumice). However, until our time, information has not reached how exactly they used this paste. One can only guess here.
3. Were treated with antibiotics
Despite the fact that antibiotics were officially invented in the 20th century, ancient Egyptian doctors used moldy bread cakes as a cure for festering wounds, and such lotions worked very effectively.
5. Established the world's first police force
The world's first police force appeared during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2050-1800 BC). It was formed from the most devoted warriors and foreign mercenaries. The ancient policemen were accompanied by dogs and monkeys. Warriors defended temples and squares, nobles and caravans from criminals - just like modern policemen, but without monkeys.
6. One of the first people to make beer
It is a well-known fact that the builders of the great pyramids were given 4–5 liters of beer. This suggests that their brewing was very developed. Egypt was one of the first to make this foamy drink.
7. Surgeons performed very complex operations
The ancient Egyptians possessed unique medical knowledge comparable to modern medicine. Modern scientists, studying mummies, have found traces of operations such as heart bypass surgery, organ transplants, and even plastic surgery. It is a pity that their knowledge was lost, it is not known what heights the ancient doctors would have reached now.
8. Used a door lock
Door locks were invented in Egypt, China and Mesopotamia. Probably due to the fact that there was a need for them. The more people live side by side, the more reasons there are to lock the door. They were made of wood and were the simplest locking mechanism.