3 Videos and Notes

Pyramid Quest

• Great pyramid of Kinapse,( the pinnacle of which touched the sky) described in his time
• Harun al-Rashid's youngest son Al-Ma'mun set up camp looking for the Pharaohs treasure and to find the secret of the weapon that does not rust and bends but does not break (1802 AD)
• Al-Ma'mun came with hundreds of stone mason engineers and architects, not an army of soldiers
• Scribes said that everything he was looking for was behind the stone plates of the great pyramid (guarded by the sphinx)
• Pyramid looked much then than it does today (its sides were covered in shining plates)
• The pyramid could only be entered by a stone lifted on the side, this was very hard because all the stones looked alike
• When they finally got in (by hiring someone to break in), they found no treasures
• Even the pharaohs sarcophagus was empty
• The pyramid is still being studied today
• One question: Why were there so many rooms if the pyramid was built just to be a tomb?
• The main entrance to the pyramid remains sealed to this day
• Underground corridors that lead to different rooms
• A narrow tunnel connects the Grotto to the Subterranean Chamber
• Mysterious shafts in the King's and Queen's chambers (20 cm each in diameter)

I liked this video because I found all the information about the Pyramids to be very interesting. I specifically enjoyed the parts when they talked about the different rooms in the pyramids. I learned a lot about the different rooms of the pyramid. This video was definitely worth my time.

Mummification

• Mummy of a young man named Herakleides
• died in Egypt in the 1st century A.D. at about 20 years old
• Mummification was developed by the Ancient Egyptians to preserve the body for the afterlife
• Typically all internal organs removed before mummification, except the heart
• In Herakleides case, the heart was removed but his lungs were not
• Next, the body was left for about 40 days covered in salt until all moisture was removed
• Perfume and resin were poured on the body
• Resin acted as a glue for the linen
• Then placed on a wooden board and more linen was wrapped to bind them together
• A mysterious pouch (possibly for religious reasons) was placed on the mummy's chest
• A mummified ibis was placed on the abdomen as a sacrifice
• In this unusual case, the bird was buried and wrapped with the mummy
• More linen strips secured the wrappings
• A portrait of the mummy was placed over the face
• Large linnen cloth was wrapped around the mummy
• The mummy was then painted on with symbols of rebirth with pigments and gold
• Lastly, the mummy's name was written at the feet
• Herakleides body is still with us

I also enjoyed with video because I haven't really been taught in this much depth what goes on in the mummification process. It was very interesting and also worth my time.

John Green's Crash Course

• Ancient Egypt is the most influential river valley civilizations
• Ancient Egyptian Civilization lasted from 3000 B.C.E. to 332 B.C.E
• Resource distribution and geography
• The Nile River was one of the safest and richest agricultural areas in the world
• Planting was very easy for the Egyptians
• Egyptian communities existed only along the Nile
• Timber and gold - the divine medal
• The Nile is easily tamed
• Basin Irrigation - Farmers used flood waters to fill earth basins and canals for irrigation
• Big food surpluses with relatively little work
• After life was seen as a continuation of this life
• Old Kingdom lasted from 2649 B.C.E. to 2952 B.C.E.
• Middle Kingdom lasted 2040 B.C.E. to 1640 B.C.E.
• New Kingdom lasted from 1550 B.C.E. to 1070 B.C.E.
• Pyramids were build by peasants who were required to work for the government a certain amount of months per year
• Ra - a god central to the entire pantheon of gods in Ancient Egypt
• God of the sun and the God of creation
• In the Egyptian way of thinking, if the humans did their job, the pantheon of gods would maintain cosmic order
• Belief that animals had divine power, especially cats
• Two types of writing - Hieroglyphics for sacred writing and Demonic Script for contracts and agreements
• Middle Kingdom had some distinct changes from the Old Kingdom
• The rulers were outsiders
• New pantheon of Gods - star of which was Amon (Hidden gods did well because they were omni present)
• Amon-Ra - The mix of Amon and Ra
• Superior military technology like bronze weapons
• New Kingdom continued the military expansion but looked more like an empire
• Hatshepsut - a woman pharaoh who ruled for 22 years and expanded Egypt through trade
• King Tut did not do much besides reject his fathers god and change his name

I also enjoyed this video. I have watched some of John Greens youtube videos before and I find them very interesting including this one. I learned mostly about the different Egyptian gods so this video was also worth my time.