DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32079#0017
HE PHYSICAL AND PO-
LITICAL CONDITIONS
OF ANCIENT EGYPT.
Ancient Egypt has been one of
the great enigmas of the world.
Wherever men have been so
far freed from the needs of their
time as to interest themselves
in the problems of another race, this strange country
has stirred their curiosity. It was the seat of the
oldest and most stable civilization, yet its annals
were unknown save by vague traditions. It was
the home of a great religion, but the nature of its
faith was hidden with a secrecy which defied intel-
ligence. It produced a great art of which no one
could tell the meaning save in some fragmentary
and uncertain ways. The riddle has now been
solved. Many questions are still unanswered, but
the essential elements of Egyptian life and thought
have been laid open. We now know what were
the great epochs in the history of this land. We
know what were the teachings, what the ritual, what
the fundamental ideas of the religion of Egypt. We
know the story of its monumental art, and the three
purposes to which that art was limited, to adorn
the worship of the gods, to glorify the king, to ex-
press reverence for the dead.
We can form no clear idea of the history, the
religion, or the art of Egypt without considering the
conformation, climate, and resources of the country
and the racial origin of its inhabitants. This is true
of any nation, but is more obviously true of Egypt
from its unique position and the singular uniformity
and simplicity of its conditions. The monotonous
level of its habitable area seems to stamp upon the
nation an impression which it keeps in every vicis-
i
LITICAL CONDITIONS
OF ANCIENT EGYPT.
Ancient Egypt has been one of
the great enigmas of the world.
Wherever men have been so
far freed from the needs of their
time as to interest themselves
in the problems of another race, this strange country
has stirred their curiosity. It was the seat of the
oldest and most stable civilization, yet its annals
were unknown save by vague traditions. It was
the home of a great religion, but the nature of its
faith was hidden with a secrecy which defied intel-
ligence. It produced a great art of which no one
could tell the meaning save in some fragmentary
and uncertain ways. The riddle has now been
solved. Many questions are still unanswered, but
the essential elements of Egyptian life and thought
have been laid open. We now know what were
the great epochs in the history of this land. We
know what were the teachings, what the ritual, what
the fundamental ideas of the religion of Egypt. We
know the story of its monumental art, and the three
purposes to which that art was limited, to adorn
the worship of the gods, to glorify the king, to ex-
press reverence for the dead.
We can form no clear idea of the history, the
religion, or the art of Egypt without considering the
conformation, climate, and resources of the country
and the racial origin of its inhabitants. This is true
of any nation, but is more obviously true of Egypt
from its unique position and the singular uniformity
and simplicity of its conditions. The monotonous
level of its habitable area seems to stamp upon the
nation an impression which it keeps in every vicis-
i