Unveiling Ancient Egypt's Secrets

Ancient Egypt, known for its pharaohs and pyramids, holds many surprising truths. Contrary to popular belief, the pyramids were built by paid workers, not slaves. Egyptians revered animals, especially cats, and used makeup for protection. Women enjoyed equal rights, including property ownership and legal contracts. They also pioneered early medical specialization and invented the pregnancy test. This rich civilization continues to reveal fascinating insights into its past. One of the most powerful and influential civilizations, Ancient Egypt was the land of the Pharaohs. With their magnificent pyramids, beautiful art, and incredible inventions, Ancient Egypt was responsible for some of history’s greatest creations.
Archeologists have long been entranced with the history of Ancient Egypt that a whole new field of study was developed: Egyptology.
So much so was the attraction towards this field, that excavations and research led to the making of movies and a series of documentaries to capture the essence of this magical civilization.
But the question is: How much do we really know about Ancient Egypt? So before you make that 10 day Egypt itinerary, here are some surprising, and interesting facts that you may not know about this majestic civilization.
Egyptian Pyramids Were Not Built By Slaves. Many modern film producers believed the classical historian Herodotus, according to him about 100,000 slaves, including men, women, and children built the Great pyramids.
He produced an image that these slaves worked hard in the worst conditions and were often abused and tortured if they didn’t work fast enough. This, however, the theory was proven wrong according to archeological evidence found.
Approximately 5,000 workers were permanent and, paid whereas 20,000 worked as temporary workers who were free men chosen under the corvée system of national service. They worked in three or four months shifts and were given food, shelter and medical supplies as a form of payment.
Animals Were Seen As Incarnations of the Gods. Ancient Egyptians were very fond of cats and loved having them as pets. They worshiped cats and had statues and paintings created to signify their devotion.
They are the first civilization to have domesticated cats and would often preserve and mummify them to be buried with their owners. Such was their love for cats that killing any one of them was punishable by death.
Other animals that ancient Egyptians had a reverence for were hawks, dogs, ibises, lions and baboons. Egyptians Wore Makeup. In ancient times, both men and women used makeup in large quantities believing it gave them protection.
Kohl was the main substance used which was made from grinding ores such as malachite and galena mixed with soot and oil. They used them liberally around their eyes which can be seen depicted in their art.
They also used red paint and henna to color their lips, hands and fingernails.