Ancient Egypt FAQ

Also, it's a work in progress because I have a lot of archived mail to sift through – so it's still not complete. But here's what I have for you so far :)

Frequently Asked Questions & My Answers

While there were some Egyptians that lived on till their 90's, like King Ramesses II, the average life expectancy was mid-30's (33 years being the estimated average).

2.How many wives was a Pharaoh allowed to have?

A pharaoh could have as many wives or consorts as he wanted. Some pharaohs had harems full of women, and some pharaohs had more than one harem. But there was a hierarchal system and a pharaoh usually had only one "Great Royal Wife" whom was to bear him his heirs and serve with him in the Royal Functions, so to speak. For more information on ancient Egyptian queens and royal women in general, check this page out.

3.Is the ancient Egyptian language still in use?

While the ancient Egyptian language is a dead language, there are remnants of it still in use today in Egypt - mostly by priests of the Coptic Church. There are, however, many words that were interwoven with the Arabic language that we use in Egypt today. Egyptian Arabic is quite different from the Classical Arabic as well as the Arabic used in the rest of the Middle East and North Africa, and that largely due to the fact that our ancient language seeped into it.

As for the writing, many archaeologists/Egyptologists learn hieroglyphics in order to enhance their study and knowledge of ancient Egyptian history and culture.

4.Is the ancient Egyptian religion still in use today?

Although most of the ancient Egyptian religion, rituals and worship is obsolete, there are still some spiritual systems today that use ancient Egyptian deities and rituals mixed in with their own. For example, there are occult traditions that are largely based on ancient Egyptian deities – like Thelema. Some Neopagan ideologies also borrow from the ancient Egyptian religion, like the system called "Kemetic Wicca" or "Kemetism".

5.What is the study of ancient Egyptian history, and can I do it as a profession?

Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, culture, language, writing, religion, etc... It is now offered as a degree in many universities, and some archeologists focus on excavations and digs in Egypt until now. Although archaeologists and Egyptologists that end up working in the field are quite rare (as well as quite academically advanced, earning PhD's and years of experience first), there are other professions that are related, include teaching, curating, research and writing.

6.How old is the ancient Egyptian Civilization?

Although there were settled tribes long before, we consider the ancient Egyptian civilization to have begun around 3100 BC when King Narmer unified the land and became pharaoh. This heralded the dynastic period of our history. To learn more, take a look here.

7.Was Cleopatra Egyptian? Is her story real or just a legend?

There were many Cleopatras during the Ptolemaic period in ancient Egyptian history, but the most famous is Cleopatra VII. Much of the legends and stories written about her life are accurate enough, she was a very intelligent and seductive woman who had love affairs with Caesar and Mark Antony. She was not exceptionally beautiful, but she had a beautiful voice, was very charming and very persuasive. Her suicide marked the end of ancient Egypt and the beginning of the Roman Period. Read more about her here.

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