11 most surprising facts about ancient Egypt

1. Pharaoh Pepi II smeared slaves with honey to lure flies

Pharaoh Pepi II 1. P. A. Clayton. Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The Reign-by-reign Record of the Rulers and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt
2. Pharoah Pepi II - Flies and Honey / Creating History from the VI dynasty lived approximately in 2300-2206. BC NS. His official name was Neferkara Piopi II, "Beautiful is the spirit of the sun god," if you're wondering.

He ruled for about 64 years, during which time he established trade with the Nubians and married at least five times. He was distinguished by a slovenly attitude to papers and indifference to domestic politics, which caused quarrels and bickering between the noble nomarchs and the subsequent crisis of the Old Kingdom. But most of all, Pepi became famous... for his dislike of flies.

It is perfectly understandable. Unpleasant insects.

And Pepi devised his own way of dealing with them. Traditional fans are, of course, not bad, but his version was more radical. Pharaoh surrounded himself with naked slaves smeared with honey. The flies landed on them, stuck, and they were killed. These are living insect traps.

The comfort of the slaves, of course, did not bother Pepi. Suffer, not sugar.

2. Ancient Egyptian fly swatters were made from the tails of giraffes

By the way, if you feel sorry for honey, here is another way to get rid of flies, which the Egyptians came up with. Take the tail 1. R. A. Lobban Jr. Historical Dictionary of Ancient Nubia
2. Handle Depicting a Lion Subduing a Nubian / The Metropolitan Museum of Art giraffe, attach a stylish handle to it - for example, as in the picture above. And that's it, the fashionable fan from the tail is ready. You can safely swat the fly - the main thing is that at this moment it is not sitting on the pharaoh's forehead.

By the way, giraffes are hunted to this day.Giraffes Are Being Killed for Their Tails / National Geographic South Sudanese for meat. And the tail whisk servesmarriage ransom, which is traditionally presented to the father of the bride.

3. Egyptians used baboons to hunt troublemakers

When we think of police animals, the first thing we think of is dogs. But the Egyptians rarely resorted to such banal solutions. Therefore, as guard and guard animals, they used... baboons 1. Did You Know That Baboons Were Trained in Ancient Egypt to Catch Criminals? / Ancient Origins
2. N. J. Dominy. Mummified baboons reveal the far reach of early Egyptian mariners / eLife
3. B. L. Deputte, J. R. Anderson. Baboon palm nut harvesters in ancient Egypt: new (ancient) evidence, new questions.

If you do not believe that they were good helpers for the Egyptian city guards, take a lookwhat teeth these monkeys have. In addition, these animals move pretty quickly and parkour no worse than Altair from Assasin's Creed. The guards set flocks of trained baboons against the thieves, and they chased and grabbed them. This fact is recorded in many Egyptian frescoes.

Particularly distinguished baboons could, as a token of gratitude, be mummified after their death, so that they would end up in the afterlife.

No, the Egyptians also had dogs. But the baboon is better. Better than a dog.

In addition to serving in the name of law and order, baboons were usedAncient Egyptian's Baboon Obsession Laid Hidden Within Luxor Tomb / Seeker and for other purposes. They were among the most beloved pets of the Egyptians. For example, they were trained to collect figs from the trees and bring it to the owner. And thanks to the baboon's habit of yelling in the morning, the Egyptians could use them as living alarm clocks.

There is a version that the word "baboon" itself has ancient roots and is associated with the name of the Egyptian god Babi (or Baba), the patron saint of monkeys and scribes. Don't ask why monkeys and calligraphy are related, just take it for granted.

4. Pharaoh's court doctors had strange titles

The Egyptians had a rather peculiar, but at the same time developed medicine 1. The Herbal Lore of Wise Women and Wortcunners: The Healing Power of Medicinal Plants
2. Shepherd of the Royal Anus / Weird Universe. And especially tough doctors could count on high positions at court.

Since the pharaoh was considered a god, the court doctors were also partly priests. Each of them was responsible for the treatment of only one disease or for the prevention of an individual organ. Doctors wore titles such as the Royal Guardian of the Pharaoh's left eye and the Royal Guardian of the Pharaoh's right eye.

But especially lucky was the proctologist and the nutritionist in one person, who was called nehru are going, or the Shepherd of the royal anus.

One of the most famousAncient Egyptian Medicine: Study & Practice / World History Encyclopedia Ir-en-akhti, who lived in the First Transitional Period of Ancient Egypt (somewhere between 2181–2040), was such Shepherds. He succeeded in this honorary post his predecessor, the Shepherd Khui.

Nehru pehut had the authority to administer medicines to the king rectally, to cleanse his body with emetics and enemas, compose the daily diet of the monarch and appoint a hunger strike. Enemas were especially popular in Egypt, and the pharaoh, as well as his courtiers, made them preventively several times a month.

Naturally, this was accompanied by the recitation of prayers and incantations, which were supposed to maintain the health of His Pharaoh Majesty.

5. The medicine of the Egyptians was generally at its best

Access to first-class medicine 1. J. F. Nunn. Ancient Egyptian Medicine
2. Ancient Egypt's fantastic and weird history / The Telegraph
3. 10 Amazing Ancient Egyptian Inventions / HowStuffWorks had not only the king and his entourage, but also ordinary residents. For example, there is evidence that peasants in Ancient Egypt wore bags with mouse bones around their necks. It worked great for bedwetting. In theory.

Rubbing your head with a mixture of mountain goat, cat, hippopotamus and crocodile fat will help with hair loss. Just be careful with the guards when you explain where you got the fat of sacred animals.

The ancient Egyptians also invented their own toothpaste. Here's the recipe: bovine hoof powder, ash, burnt eggshells, and pumice.

The feces of dogs, donkeys and gazelles were also healing - they were used by the priests of Khepri, the scarab god. After all, if scarabs are born from dung balls, then dung is a source of vitality. Is it logical? It is logical.

Kahuna's medical papyrus tellsKahun Medical Papyrus / Digital Egypt for Universitiesthat honey and crocodile manure are excellent means of preventing unwanted pregnancy. And in general it is useful for women's health. Apply externally.

Finally, the Egyptians had diseases like schistosomiasis, due to which men urinated with blood. But this was not something bad - it was believed that they just had menstruation, like women. Such men, the Egyptians believed, could even become pregnant.

6. Ramses the Great had over 170 children

Perhaps, having learned all these curious details about Egyptian medicine, you might think that the poor pharaohs with through labor they lived up to 30 years old and died in terrible agony - more from such "treatment" than from real dangers.

But this was not necessarily the case, some pharaohs felt quite good 1. Ramses II / Britannica
2. M. M. Fisher. The Sons of Ramesses II. For example, Ramses the Great was over 90 years old at the time of his death.

The king lived on a grand scale. He had eight official wives, nearly 100 concubines, 111 sons and 67 daughters. And there is also reason to believe that he was left-handed and red-haired.

7. Both men and women used cosmetics

Egyptians, regardless of gender, eyed them, painted lips and blushed cheeks, and rubbed themselves with aromatic oils. All this not only made them very beautiful, but also protected the skin from the scorching sun.

The weather was good, you know.

But in general, the usefulness of Egyptian fundsW. H. Peck. The Material World of Ancient Egypt skin care products are highly questionable because they contained lead.

8. Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning for cats

Cats in Ancient Egypt were loved, even very much. It was believed that they were patronized by the goddess Bast. Cats benefited by killing rodents and snakes. A whole cult formed around them.

There is informationHerodotus. Historythat when a cat died, its owners shaved off their eyebrows (among the Egyptians, this was a sign of mourning). The untimely deceased pet was mourned for no less than 70 days.

And cats were mummified, like people, and buried with honors.

For the premeditated killing of an animal, the death penalty was imposed, for the unintentional - a large fine in favor of the priests of the nearby Bastet temple and public repentance (if lucky). Preserved evidenceDiodorus. Historical library historian Diodorus Siculus, that one Roman in 60 BC. NS. The Egyptians were lynched for running over a cat with a cart.

9. The pharaohs had stylish shoes. And socks

On the soles of Tutankhamun's sandals they appliedMu-chou Poo. Enemies of Civilization: Attitudes toward Foreigners in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China portraits of representatives of barbarian peoples. So wherever he went - everywhere he trampled on his enemies. In addition, opponents of the kingdom were also depicted on the pharaonic thrones to make it clear to those around them that the king of Egypt tramples them on his throne.

And by the way, Tutankhamun wore socks with sandals. If you want to say something about this, remember that the royal crocodiles were not specially fed for two days.

The first socks were invented by the Egyptians 1. 1,700-Year-Old Sock Spins Yarn About Ancient Egyptian Fashion / Smithsonian Magazine
2. Taking a Closer Look at an Odd Pair of Very, Very Old Socks / Smithsonian Magazine around 5000 BC BC NS.

The oldest surviving socks, however, is only 1,700 years old. But these were made by the Egyptians between 250 and 420 AD. Ideal for wearing with open-toed shoes.

10. The pyramids were built not by slaves, but by hired workers

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus believed that the Great Pyramid was built by 100 thousand slaves. The image of the unfortunate slaves, dragging huge stones under the scorching sun and being whipped by the overseers, is frightening. But in reality there was nothing like that.

Archaeological evidence shows 1. J. Tyldesley. The Private Lives of the Pyramid-builders
2. Great Pyramid tombs unearth 'proof' workers were not slaves / The Guardianthat the pyramid at Giza was built by 5,000 permanent workers, who were assisted at various stages of construction by up to 20,000 seasonal workers. These were free people who worked for pay.

They worked on a watch basis: a peasant or artisan left home for 3-4 months to earn extra money at a construction site, and then returned to his usual life.

They received food, drink and medical care and were housed in a camp near the construction site. Those who died during the construction were buried near the pyramid - an honor that slaves would not have received. In addition, hired workers were supplied in large quantities with meat - the slaves did not dare to dream of this.

Although the work of the builders was not easy, they were sure that in this way they demonstrate their loyalty to the Pharaoh and other gods. Plus karma in the afterlife.

11. Some ancient Egyptian tombs had toilets

The Egyptians believed unconditionally that the afterlife was real. So much so that they put 1. The History of Plumbing - Egypt / P&M
2. Reconstruction of the ancient Egyptian toilet upper part / Egyptian Museum in Turin in the tombs are bathrooms and even toilets. For example, something like this was found in the tomb of the Egyptian architect Kha, it dates back to the 2nd millennium BC.

Even the dead, the Egyptians believed, sometimes needed to be relieved.