Ancient Egyptian Culture and Its Influence on Poetry Essay

Cultured and socially structured, Ancient Egypt was a civilization highly advanced for its time. The Nile River provided the gift of fresh water allowing the surrounding land to be settled. Its yearly predictable flooding created fertile soil for farming. This was the perfect environment in which Egyptian society would prosper. Egypt was equipped with all the amenities of a modern society including people who married, had children, practiced religion, and even had festivals with food, beer, music and dancing. All that is known about ancient Egypt is a result of the hieroglyphic carvings of the Great Pyramid walls and on tombs of dead. Originally from the Book of The Dead, â€Å"The Chapter Of Changing Into Ptah† was and remains a significant†¦show more content†¦The first stanza contains a total of nineteen lines and is composed of three common literary themes, change, culture and religion. The chapter is about the speaker changing into Ptah who is the â€Å"lord of life, he conceived the elements of the universe with his heart and brought them into being with his tongue†(Rothenberg 524). Activities such as dancing, music and various religious festivals or gatherings were common sources of entertainment. Especially crucial to the culture and society of ancient Egypt was beer, also known as the drink of Egypt. All social classes were allowed to consume beer, man or woman. Bread was also of cultural importance because it was one of the main components of the ancient diet and often was presented in the hieroglyphics next to beer. In lines one and two â€Å"I eat bread / I drink ale.(1-2)†, the reader becomes aware of the significance of beer and bread within this culture. At the end of the first stanza the reader knows that a man is speaking of his attendance at the festival of a Great God. The theme of power begins to prevail; â€Å"All that is abominable, all that is abominable I will not eat. / Shit is abominable, I will not eat it. / All that is abominable to my Ka (double personality) will not enter my body.(7-9)† extreme emphasis on the fact that nothing inferior will be consumed by him is presented trough anaphora. The combination of refusing to eat anything abominable and the statements, â€Å"I will live on what the GodsShow MoreRelatedAncient Egypt And Ancient Egyptian Culture2322 Words   |  10 Pages The Egyptian culture has long been considered quite optimistic. It should be argued that of all ancient civilisations and cultures, the ancient Egyptian culture, is by far the most optimistic; in terms of everyday outlook on life, religion and death. The ancient Egyptian culture when compared to its nearby neighbours in the Levant and Mesopotamia is indeed optimistic. 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