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Importance of the nile river to early civilizations
Importance of the nile river to early civilizations
Importance of the nile river to early civilizations
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The Kingdom of Kush is one of the earliest civilizations to develop in the Nile River Valley; it was located in the Northern African region of Nubia, which is today’s Sudan (Kaufmann). The Kingdom of Kush contributed to the civilization and culture of Egypt. One thing that did not carry over into the Egyptian lifestyle was the importance of woman. In Egypt, women were placed in more traditional, homebody roles (Kushite Politics). In Ancient Kush, women were more active than men (Kushite Politics). Women worked on farms, in the labor force and they were even royalty (Kaufmann). Kushite women played a large part within the governance of the kingdom, which is considered unique for the ancient civilizations of that time. Besides doing
more work than men, Queens were also more respected in ancient Kush. This was because of Shanakhdaketo’s rule. She did not rule as a queen, but as a completely independent party with her husband as her consort (Wikipedia Contributors). She is normally depicted with wearing armor and wielding a spear; she is also shown with an insignia of rank on her forehead as well as a crown with a sun-disk and feathers (Wikipedia Contributors). Not much is known of her, but, due to how she is shown in art, it is clear that Shanakhdaketo was an image of power. It is safe to assume that Shanakhdaketo was a strong ruler, but beyond that she was a supporter of women’s rights. She convinced the Kush empire, with her successful rule, that women could also rule a country (Wikipedia Contributors). Another famous Kushite Queen was Queen Amanirenas, who came to power when King Teriteqas extended some of his power to her (Wikipedia Contributors). Reigning from 40 BCE to 10 BCE, Queen Amanirenas is well known for leading the Kushite armies against the Romans in a way that lasted about five years (Wikipedia Contributors). She first attacked the city of Syene, which was territory of the Roman Empire (Wikipedia Contributors). After Syene they advanced to Philae and even drove out the Jewish people from Elephantine Island (Wikipedia Contributors). After these advances they returned to Kush with statues of Emperor Augustus, loot and even prisoners (Wikipedia Contributors). Queen Amanirenas went on these excursions with her troops, resulting in her losing sight in one eye; she became known as the One-Eyed Queen (Kushite Politics). Emperor Augustus destroyed the city of Napata in response to Queen Amanirenas’ attacks (Wikipedia Contributors). Due to the common belief that all women were born from the goddess Isis, the goddess of youth and magic, all women were thought to have her power within them (Kushite Politics). That belief combined with the success of the Kushite Queens, other women were allowed to apply for government positions such as district and royal governors (Kushite Politics). The ancient civilization of Kush demonstrates advancement in gender roles not seen in other ancient civilizations.
She utilizes the messenger Keliya in the restoration of ties within countries of egypt. shortly after discussing this Podany excellently discusses the shift from Pharaohs and Kings to large amounts of power given to women. These “queens” or women of power were the first of their kind and were able to establish a lasting impression upon the egyptian people even without being in sight most times or the moments when they would arrive at their destination. Using this to describe the Armana period was especially significant because it introduces somewhat of a mail system that was not recently created until this period. Also Podany’s usage of the women in power helps readers understand how complex their society soon became in the Armana period. Showing that women do not have to be stuck with a lowly position in society, this realization came about once again during the women’s rights
Women were very important to the development of the Republic in the United States. Although their influences were indirect they had a big impact. Women were not allowed to participate in elections or hold office; however they were wives of politicians and “mothers of republic”. Despite being legally ineligible for the above roles they were granted the right to education and a small amount of freedom, which in turn enabled them to become more intellectually acceptable on the topics of government.
In ancient Greek society women lived hard lives on account of men's patriarch built communities. Women were treated as property. Until about a girl’s teens she was "owned" by her father or lived with her family. Once the girl got married she was possessed by her husband along with all her belongings. An ancient Greece teenage girl would marry about a 30-year-old man that she probably never met before. Many men perceived women as being not being human but creatures that were created to produce children, please men, and to fulfill their household duties. A bride would not even be considered a member of the family until she produced her first child. In addition to having a child, which is a hard and painful task for a teenage girl in ancient civilization to do, the husband gets to decide if he wants the baby. A baby would be left outside to die if the husband was not satisfied with it; usually this would happen because the child was unhealthy, different looking, or a girl.
The role of women in the Early Republic is a topic mostly overlooked by historians when dealing with this era of American history. The triumphs of the Revolution and the early events of the new nation were done solely by men. However, women had their own political societies and even participated in the Revolution. Women's roles began to take a major turn after the war with Great Britain. This was due in part to their involvement in the war and female patriotism. Others believed it was due to the easier access to formal education for young women. Whatever the reason, it inspired women to challenge the social structure of the Early Republic. The roles of women were changing in the Early Republic. However, progress was slow and little change followed after the Revolution. This change in social structure elicited two questions. What caused this social change and what was the major setback for the progression of women's rights? These were the questions Linda Kreber's Women In The Republic: Intellect And Ideology In Revolutionary America, Caroline Robbins' review of Mary Norton's Liberty's Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, and Sheila Skemp's review of Lucia McMahon's Mere Equals: The Paradox of Educated Women in the Early American Republic attempted to answer. Each of the pieces of literature agreed that the social equality of women was changing, but each offer a unique aspect of what changed it, and what slowed progression of equality.
Both civilizations relied heavily on farmers being the life of the civilization and providers of food and other useful materials. Though farmers were essential for each of the civilizations, in both, they were at the bottom of the social ladder. However, in Egyptian society farmers can have their children learn a different skill, such as to become merchants and craftsman, and eventually, with a slight slim chance, get into the ruling class. This was not the case in the Aryan civilization as each person was born into a caste and could not move up or change their level in the caste system – the order being Brahmins (the priests and king), Kshatriyas (the warriors and aristocrats, the ruling class), Vaishyas (the cultivators, artisans, and merchants, and the Shudras (the peasants and surfs). Another major differentiation is that women did not have many rights in the Indian civilization, only men could own land and receive an education. Women were solely responsible for bearing children and maintaining the household. On the other hand, Egyptian women enjoyed a much higher status and greater independence then women elsewhere in the ancient world. As Ramses II declared “The foot of an Egyptian woman may walk where it pleases her and no one may deny her.” In comparison to the women of the Indus River Valley, Egyptian women lived the high life, as Egyptian law allowed for women to inherit property, enter
It was a difficult life for women in the 14th century. The women were not valued as much as men. They did not receive much respect and did not have many rights. They were treated like objects by men. Women were not educated as they weren’t allowed to go to school. Three of the main things women in the 14th century did not have were the right to own property, the right to take part in a job, and respect.
Things have changed a lot for Turkish women in the 20th century. After the reforms of
Henrik Ibsen once said, “A woman cannot be herself in the society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view.”(Notable Quotes) Ibsen’s statement exemplifies what life was like for women during ancient times. In many of the organized ancient civilizations, it was very common to find a primarily patriarchal civilization in government as well as in society. The causing factors can be attributed to different reasons, the main being the Neolithic Revolution and the new found dependence on manpower it caused. As a result of this, a woman found herself to be placed into an entirely different view in the eye of society. In comparison to the early Paleolithic matriarchal societies, the kinds of changes that came about for women due to the introduction of agriculture are shocking. Since the beginnings of the Neolithic era, the role and rights of women in many ancient civilizations began to become limited and discriminatory as a result of their gender.
For the most part, women in today's society hold a position equal to that of a man;
In the Greek society women were treated very differently than they are today. Women in ancient Greece were not allowed to own property, participate in politics, and they were under control of the man in their lives. The goddess Aphrodite did not adhere to these social norms and thus the reason the earthly women must comply with the societal structure that was set before them. Aphrodite did not have a father figure according to Hesiod, and therefore did not have a man in her life to tell her what to do. She was a serial adulteress and has many children with many men other than her husband. She was not the only goddess from the ancient Greek myths to cause doubt in the minds of men. Gaia and the Titan Rhea rise up against their husbands in order to protect their children. Pandora, another woman in the Greek myths, shows that all evil comes from woman. Aphrodite, Gaia, Rhea, and Pandora cause the ancient Greek men to be suspicious of women because of her mischievous and wild behavior.
... Egyptian women were looked at differently than men; their role was that of the nurturer and the caregiver, the bearer of a family’s future. They were just as important to the society as the men. Ancient Egypt was a very complex world, and just as complex was the role that women played in its society. They were not free, but they also were not enslaved. They were vital, but only in terms of their husbands and their children. Egypt offered women a far more free life than the rest of the ancient world. In the end, women played a secondary role to men putting their desires for achievement aside so their husband could be king.
Women were often subjects of intense focus in ancient literary works. In Sarah Pomeroy’s introduction of her text Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, she writes, “Women pervade nearly every genre of classical literature, yet often the bias of the author distorts the information” (x). It is evident in literature that the social roles of women were more restricted than the roles of men. And since the majority of early literature was written by men, misogyny tends to taint much of it. The female characters are usually given negative traits of deception, temptation, selfishness, and seduction. Women were controlled, contained, and exploited. In early literature, women are seen as objects of possession, forces deadly to men, cunning, passive, shameful, and often less honorable than men. Literature reflects the societal beliefs and attitudes of an era and the consistency of these beliefs and attitudes toward women and the roles women play has endured through the centuries in literature. Women begin at a disadvantage according to these societal definitions. In a world run by competing men, women were viewed as property—prizes of contests, booty of battle and the more power men had over these possessions the more prestigious the man. When reading ancient literature one finds that women are often not only prizes, but they were responsible for luring or seducing men into damnation by using their feminine traits.
Though not much is known about pre-historic man or woman, I have to guess that the struggle to stay alive alone must have taken all of early man’s time both day and night. Based on this thought, it is hard for me to imagine how roles outside the main task of staying alive would have been divided by gender. Women and men both probably foraged for edible foods and probably hunted together in pairs I would guess. Since groups were small I imagine roles were shared equally. As the groups became larger, more organized and more advanced in agriculture, gender roles probably became more prominent. In early times, a woman’s primary role became childbearing and keeping the home environment, whether it be in a cave, mud hut or other structure.
Going back a few thousand years in history, the exotic and flourishing empire of the New Kingdom in Ancient Egypt existed. Ancient Egypt, one of the world’s oldest and technologically advanced empires dominated Northern Africa. The New Kingdom, which was from 1550-1069 B.C, “was an explosion of creativity, wealth and power in Egypt that would make it the envy of the world” (PBS). During this time period, Ancient Egypt exhibited a golden age, where Egypt experienced political stability, expansion of territory and the promotion of Egyptian culture. Leading up the New Kingdom, Ancient Egypt experienced the cultures and practices of other races, such as the different ethnic groups during the transition of the Archaic period to the Old Kingdom in terms of different factions of ethnicity between Upper and Lower Egypt. In addition, the Hyksos, who were of Asian descent, during the Second Intermediate period took over parts of Egypt and brought an Asian flare to the Egyptian Culture. The concept of race, however, during
Dependent on agriculture, this state, called Egypt, relied on the flooding of the Nile for irrigation and new soils. It dominated vast areas of northeastern Africa for millennia. Ruled by Egypt for about 1800 years, the Kush region of northern Sudan subjugated Egypt in the 8th century BC. Pyramids, temples, and other monuments of these civilizations blanket the river valley in Egypt and northern Sudan.To Egypt, the Nile is seen as the fountain of life. Every year, between the months of June and October, the great rivers of the Nile rush north, and flood the highlands of Etiopia.