As one of the four ancient civilizations in the world, Egypt has a history that can be traced back to more than 6,000 years ago. On both sides of the Nile, people lived along the river, enjoying the rich products provided by nature, and human civilization was born.
From 3200 BC to 30 BC, ancient Egypt went through thirty-two dynasties, from unification to division, reunification and division again, from the prosperity of the Alexander Kingdom to the demise of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, and finally merged into the territory of Rome. .
However, the architectural wonders, mysterious spells and unsolved mysteries handed down from this ancient country have attracted countless people.
Those traces of human civilization may be annihilated in the yellow sand, but the stories of those Pharaohs have been recorded in writing from generation to generation.
Cleopatra VII, as the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt, her legendary and tumultuous life is still talked about even after more than two thousand years.
Whether she is a seductress who seduces people with her beauty, or a hero who sacrifices herself and delays the demise of ancient Egypt, different people have different interpretations.
But there is no doubt that the tragedy of Cleopatra VII was doomed on the day when the rulers of ancient Egypt instituted a policy of incest in order to maintain the so-called purity of their bloodline.
The Nile River is the mother river of Egypt. It irrigates the place it flows from south to north, and the soil after the flood fertilizes the land. Due to its unique geographical location and rich products, Egypt has become the envy of everyone, and it has also become a hot cake that surrounding ethnic groups or countries want to take a bite of.
As the birthplace of world civilization, the ancient Egyptians had a glorious past. They were proficient in astronomy, mathematics, physics, anatomy, medicine, theology, philosophy, etc. They created the earliest solar calendar in human history and calculated that a year has 365 and 1/4 days.
Pyramids, temples, sphinxes, and mummies represent the cultural essence of ancient Egypt. While people were amazed at this great miracle, they had to admire the wisdom of the ancient Egyptians.
Since the arable land on both sides of the Nile was limited and most of it was desert unsuitable for survival, the ancient Egyptians had to embark on the road of expansion. In order to better control their people, kings closely combined divine power and royal power.
For the sake of pure blood, royal family members internalize and marry close relatives, which completely lacks the ethical views of modern people. At that time, marriage between brother and sister, marriage between sister and brother, and marriage between uncle and nephew were so confusing. Perhaps this reason also destined the gradual demise of ancient Egypt.
The three thousand years of ancient Egypt were ill-fated. It went through wars and vicissitudes of life. It was not until 332 BC that King Alexander of Macedonia conquered Egypt and established the Alexander Empire spanning Asia, Europe and Africa.
Western Greek culture was also brought into Egypt and miraculously merged with Egypt's Eastern culture.
King Alexander is therefore known as the greatest monarch in Egyptian history and is deeply loved by Egyptians. People affectionately called him Alexander the Great. In fact, during this period, Egypt's national power reached an unprecedented level. Egyptians also feel good about themselves and think they are at the center of the world.
General Ptolemy and King Alexander were both disciples of Aristotle. He was the person Alexander the Great trusted most, so much so that he trusted a country in his hands. From then on, Egypt entered the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which was the last heyday of ancient Egypt.
Ptolemy continued the Greek culture of the Alexander period, and Greek became the official language. However, he rebuilt and repaired the temple, restored the status of the pharaoh, and ancient Egyptian culture also developed well. What a confusing operation.
The Ptolemaic Dynasty built the Lighthouse of Alexandria, known as one of the Eight Wonders of the World, which could guide ships 50 kilometers away. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in an earthquake.
They encouraged trade, rebuilt the canal from the Nile to the Red Sea, and built the port of Alexandria. Egyptian merchants spread their footprints all over the northern coast of Africa, the Aegean Islands and the coast of Asia Minor. Cereals, papyrus, linen, and glass products were the main export goods of the Ptolemaic Dynasty.
At the same time, items from all over the world continued to flow into Egypt, such as spices and jewelry from Arabia, gold and medicinal materials from India, silver from Iberia, silk from China, etc. Alexandria soon became known as Egypt's trade and export center. "Mediterranean Bride".
The Ptolemaic family also organized and built the Library of Alexandria, which was the largest library in early human history. It can be called a world-class collection of four libraries, with a maximum collection of 500,000 volumes.
The greatest works in human history at that time can be found here. For example, the works of the philosopher Aristotle, the manuscripts of the Old Testament, the first revised version of Homer, etc.
The collection of books in the Library of Alexandria is all-encompassing and covers knowledge in various disciplines, thus attracting famous scholars such as Archimedes, Euclid, and Eratosthenes to study and study.
It is said that in order to realize the dream of "the world's knowledge hub", the Pharaohs of the Ptolemaic Dynasty risked their country's face for books. The pharaohs ignored international conventions and openly ordered every ship entering Alexandria to be searched. Any books found, regardless of nationality, were immediately placed in the Library of Alexandria.
The existence of the Library of Alexandria promoted great progress in ancient Western literature, physics, neuromedicine, mathematics, geography, astronomy, religion and other disciplines.
But the pharaohs never expected that such a great library would be accidentally burned down by a fire by the famous Caesar in Roman history. It’s really sad, there are so many treasures of ancient books.
Thanks to the Pharaoh's emphasis on culture and economy, the economy, science and technology of the Ptolemaic period developed rapidly, and its religion was also organically combined with Greek mythology. People of all nationalities interacted in this country in a strange way. Living together in peace.
Greeks obeyed Greek laws and were judged by Greek courts; Egyptians obeyed Egyptian laws and were judged by Egyptian courts;
If there was a dispute between the Greeks and the Egyptians, it was settled by special courts.
On the excavated Rosetta Stone, it was recorded in Greek, Egyptian and hieroglyphics at the same time.
However, due to the Nile River flooding every year, and other places being barren and barren deserts, coupled with the civil war to compete for the throne, the gold resources are almost exhausted, the Ptolemaic dynasty is actually riddled with holes, and Egypt is in danger.
Its biggest rival is Rome at its peak.
As mentioned earlier, in order to maintain the purity of the royal bloodline, the Ptolemaic Dynasty always married its close relatives, and family members were also inextricably linked. In other words, anyone actually has the opportunity to become a pharaoh, so these royal members provoked civil strife among themselves for this supreme right, regardless of the feelings of parents and siblings.
In order to secure their thrones, the pharaohs not only firmly held economic and military power in their own hands, but also sought support from external allies.
From this time on, Rome became the big brother of ancient Egypt. Thanks to the support of Caesar and Pompey, Ptolemy XII successfully handed over the throne to his daughter Cleopatra VII and son before his death. On the hands of Ptolemy XIII.
In 51 BC, the 18-year-old Cleopatra VII married her eldest brother Ptolemy XIII, and the two ruled the government together.
Cleopatra VII is the most famous woman in Egypt. Later generations prefer to call her Cleopatra than her first name.
Cleopatra was a Macedonian and her biological mother was unknown, but this did not affect her stunning appearance at all. She has been extremely smart since she was a child, can speak 8 languages, and is involved in literature, medicine, and chemistry. If she were not a princess, she would have achieved a lot in her life.
Unfortunately, as the eldest daughter, Cleopatra had to shoulder the responsibility of a country. She worked conscientiously to manage the Ptolemaic dynasty.
And her husband and brother is a soft-hearted person with little ability of his own. Such a fool was actually instigated by his subordinates. He became jealous of his wife's influence and was full of suspicion of his sister. In the end, he launched a coup to oust Cleopatra from the throne and expel Cleopatra from Egypt.
Ptolemy XIII was too young. He did not try to figure out Caesar's thoughts. Instead, he thought he had killed Pompey, who had fled to Egypt, as a token of surrender to Caesar.
Instead of winning Caesar's favor, this move earned Caesar his dislike of him. After all, Pompey was Caesar's son-in-law. Even if he wanted to fall, it was Caesar's responsibility to carry out the execution. Besides, Caesar just wanted to take Pompey back to Rome as a trophy and never wanted to kill him.
That night, Cleopatra wrapped herself in a carpet and was brought to Caesar by her confidants. Caesar was astonished when he saw the beauty suddenly appearing in front of him.
Cleopatra knew that beauty alone was not enough to conquer a hero like Julius Caesar.
Cleopatra came to the march map that Caesar was looking at, expressed her opinion, and then proposed cooperation. The eloquent and charming beauty made Caesar, a romantic man with countless women, fall in love.
What happened next was a matter of course. Emperor Caesar became Cleopatra's most powerful backing. She used her intelligence to win a chance to return to the center of power.
That idiot Ptolemy XIII actually wanted to besiege Caesar, but was unexpectedly killed.
With the intervention of Julius Caesar, the 11-year-old Ptolemy XIV ascended the throne, and Cleopatra married her youngest brother. An article in the New York Times commented: "Egypt in Cleopatra's time was a modern country in the ancient world."
Cleopatra was a person with both talent and appearance, and a special ability to enjoy herself. How could Caesar, who was constantly fighting in the field, endure this? This invincible Roman consul actually stayed in Egypt forever. He was immersed in Cleopatra's gentle country and couldn't extricate himself.
Cleopatra gave birth to a son for Caesar, named Little Caesar. Before that, Caesar had no children, so he considered the birth of Little Caesar a gift from the gods.
The Roman Senate was very dissatisfied with Caesar's stay in Egypt. As an executive of Rome, it was not okay to stay in Egypt. Moreover, he was deceived by Cleopatra's beauty and wealth. It was really an embarrassment to Rome.
Soon, a rebellion broke out in Asia Minor, and Caesar, as commander, had to lead the expedition himself. When the victorious Emperor Caesar returned to Rome at the Arc de Triomphe, he was welcomed with the highest ceremony by the Roman people. The Roman Senate also awarded Caesar the title of lifelong consul.
However, at this time, Caesar had grown to the extreme. He no longer wanted to be an executive, but wanted to become king on his own.
Cleopatra didn't know whether she sincerely wanted to congratulate Caesar on his triumph, or she wanted to show her face in front of the Romans, declare her and Little Caesar's sovereignty, and show off the wealth of the Egyptians.
So, she sat on a carriage made of gold and a sphinx, and appeared in the city of Rome with gleaming gold. Many years later, all Romans who were lucky enough to see this scene would still remember the scene that day.
The Roman Senate was worried that the Roman Empire would fall into the hands of an illegitimate son like Little Caesar, which they would never allow, not to mention the existence of Cleopatra, a witch who was a disaster for the country.
In 44 BC, on the day Caesar attended a voting meeting of the Roman Senate, Caesar's opponents planned an assassination. They surrounded Caesar, and one person stabbed him. No one knew which knife was fatal. In short, everyone present Everyone has a share.
The overlord of the generation, Julius Caesar, fell. Cleopatra learned of the news of Caesar's death. She knew that her biggest supporter was gone, so she fled back to Egypt overnight with little Caesar.
Cleopatra knew clearly that without Caesar's support, Egypt would become meat on the chopping board. This ambitious woman refused to give in or accept her fate. She believed that little Caesar, who had inherited her intelligence and Caesar's bravery, was capable of inheriting all this, and what she could do for her son was to protect this country.
She once again set her sights on Rome's top brass.
After Caesar was assassinated, his subordinate Antony, his adopted son Octavian, and general Marcus divided Caesar's power and formed the Three Giants of Rome.
Like Caesar, Antony's personal life was also very colorful. When Cleopatra came to Rome to pay her respects, he found that this beautiful woman was different from other Roman women. She was bolder and exuded personality in every move she made. charm. There was no doubt that there were ripples in his heart.
At present, the eastern part of Rome near Egypt is under Antony's jurisdiction, which provides favorable conditions for him to meet Cleopatra again.
As one of the three most powerful men of his day, Antony asked Cleopatra to come and see him.
Cleopatra, who was unconventional, built a luxury cruise ship specially for this meeting, and appeared in front of Anthony like a goddess surrounded by a group of boys and girls. Cleopatra invited Antony and his men to come on board the ship and enjoy this wonderful life.
The 28-year-old Cleopatra was even more beautiful and charming than when she was worshiping, not to mention that she was carefully dressed for Anthony. The warlike Antony soon fell to his knees under Cleopatra's pomegranate skirt. The two of them fell in love with each other and were so happy.
Antony forgot his wife Fulvia in Rome and forgot to return to Rome to handle his official duties. Seeing that Antony was going to become the second Caesar, Fulvia was extremely anxious. At this time, the eastern part of Rome was in chaos due to Antony's inaction, and Fulvia had to personally go into battle to quell the rebellion on his behalf.
When Antony learned that the war was caused by Fulvia to force him to return from Egypt, he became angry and gave Fulvia a letter of divorce. Soon, in order to ease the relationship with Octavian, Antony married Octavian's sister and stayed in Rome with peace of mind.
News of Antony's second marriage reached Egypt, and Cleopatra immediately cut off the supply of silver and supplies to Antony's army. Only then did Antony realize the importance of Cleopatra and the Egypt behind her to him.
He left his newlywed wife behind and returned to Cleopatra, telling himself that each of them got what he wanted.
However, they have lived together for a long time, handled government affairs together, and gave birth to three children. No one would believe that there is no thrilling love between them.
Antony, one of the Roman executive officers, enfeoffed most of the Roman cities under his jurisdiction to his and Cleopatra's three children, and even declared Little Caesar to be the only legal heir to Caesar the Great.
He sent a letter of divorce to Octavian's sister. Antony, the free Roman consul, married himself to Egypt with a generous bride price and became Egypt's son-in-law.
Antony's move made Octavian at odds with him, made the Roman people strongly dissatisfied with him, and made the Senate furious, declaring him a sinner of Rome and depriving him of his rights.
In 31 BC, Octavian led his navy to attack Antony.
Antony is good at land warfare, but he is conceited and thinks that Octavian is a young boy who can defeat him in a minute.
However, when Antony enthusiastically rushed to the Roman command ship, thinking that he could capture Octavian alive, he discovered that he had been deceived, and the person commanding the ship was a double. The Roman navy appeared out of nowhere and surrounded Antony's ship.
After the fierce fighting, some ships collided and caught fire. Cleopatra, who was watching from a distance, thought that Antony was buried in the sea of fire, and ordered the Egyptian ship to turn around and return home quickly.
When Anthony saw his wife's ship abandoning him and running away, without even thinking about it, he abandoned the soldiers who were fighting for him, jumped into the sea, untied the boat at the stern, and went to chase his wife.
Antony and Cleopatra's 200,000 legions were defeated, and he betrayed his country and his own soldiers, making him increasingly despised by people.
In 30 BC, Octavian led his army to surround the Egyptian capital. Antony committed suicide and died in the arms of the woman he loved most. Cleopatra was captured alive by Octavian in her tomb, using Little Caesar as a threat, and became his prisoner of war.
The moment Octavian imprisoned her, Cleopatra knew that everything was over for her, her lover, her children, her country.
She also knew that Octavian would take her back to Rome to show off to the world as a trophy. As a pharaoh, she also had her own dignity. Cleopatra did not want to be humiliated. She put on the golden war robe and ordered her confidants to hide the cobra in a fig basket and send it to the tomb.
The last pharaoh in the history of ancient Egypt died. She looked peaceful, as if she was asleep. She also wore a golden crown on her head that symbolized the power of the pharaoh.
The Ptolemaic dynasty also gradually died out with the death of Cleopatra. Ancient Egypt has since been incorporated into Roman territory. Although it became a province of Rome, it still did not escape the fate of being invaded by foreign countries.
In the 7th century AD, the Arabs in the desert defeated the Roman garrison, Egypt entered the Muslim era, Arabic became the official language of Egypt, and Islam became the state religion of Egypt.
The ancient Egyptian civilization that stretched for thousands of miles, except for a few pyramids, temples and statues, was annihilated under the yellow sand.
In 1798, in order to stand side by side with his idols Caesar and Alexander the Great, Napoleon personally led the Mediterranean fleet to occupy Cairo. He brought France's advanced management system and taxation system to Egypt, and established hospitals. From then on, Egypt's history entered the modern period.
Napoleon opened the door to Egypt's seclusion, and other Western countries followed suit. Egypt became a place of competition for the West and was involved in the complex international political whirlpool.
After the French army left, the British came, and even Turkey wanted a share of the pie. In 1882, Egypt was completely reduced to a British "protectorate."
No one wants to be constantly interfered in the internal affairs of other countries, and no country wants to become a colony of other countries. Where there is oppression, there will be resistance.
In 1952, the Egyptians overthrew the pro-British government and established a republic in which the Egyptians themselves were the masters of the country in 1953. A new Egypt was rising.
However, the new Egypt in modern society is no longer the largest country in Africa. The land that once covered 3.5 million square kilometers has been divided into three parts, 97% of which is barren desert. It has an effective land of about 400,000 square kilometers and is home to 100 million people.
In December 2021, the Egyptian government gradually moved to a modern new capital 45 kilometers away from Cairo. We are proud that the construction of Egypt's new capital was undertaken by our country.
Because Egypt is located at the junction of Asia, Africa and Europe, this unique geographical location has also made it a transit point for world trade. Coupled with Egypt's tourism industry, Egypt's GDP is still relatively high among African countries, but young Egypt is still A poor and backward developing country,
Some people say that Egypt "woke up early and arrived late." The Egyptian empire, which was so developed thousands of years ago, failed to keep up with the changes in the world and was eventually swallowed up by surrounding countries.
Only the standing pyramids and the Sphinx tell people about its past.
The Pyramid of Khufu is 480 feet tall and weighs as much as 17 Empire State Buildings.
The mysterious Sphinx, built along the river valley, is 240 feet long and 65 feet high. It is said that its nose was blown off by Napoleon with a cannonball, just because Napoleon felt that this majestic and majestic statue was a tribute to himself. Demonstrations can be regarded as incomplete beauty.
There is also the discovery of the solar boat under the yellow sand. Although it has gone through 4,500 years, it still feels the same as when it was first built.
In recent years, more and more underground palaces in ancient Egypt have been excavated, and more mysteries of ancient Egypt have been solved. However, these cannot explain the vicissitudes of Egypt, an ancient civilization, for thousands of years.
Yellow sand can obliterate traces, but it cannot cover up history, the greatness of this country, nor the mystery of this ancient country.
Just like Cleopatra VII, although she was described by the Romans as a "slut and temptress" because she made two Roman executives fascinated by her; although she was commented by Bernard Shaw as "a willful woman" "an indifferent woman"; although Shakespeare called her "the most voluptuous temptress in the world".
However, in the eyes of the Egyptians, she used herself as a bargaining chip to exchange for the stability of the people and won 22 years of peace for Egypt. She was the greatest pharaoh in ancient Egypt.
Recently, Cleopatra has been pushed to the forefront again because she became a black woman in the documentary "Cleopatra, Queen" to be released in May. Starring Adele even said that you don't have to watch it if you don't like it. This aroused strong dissatisfaction among Egyptian historians, and many Egyptians signed a petition to protest.
The story of Cleopatra continues to be told. Although art can be processed and characters can be created, history cannot be changed. After all, the image of Cleopatra played by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 version has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
write at the end
When we think of Egypt, we think of pharaohs, pyramids, the Sphinx, mummies, Cleopatra, Tutankhamun's tomb, obelisks, etc. These elements have been throughout Egypt's thousands of years of history. Pharaonic culture, Christian culture, and Islamic culture all took root, sprouted, and blossomed in this land.
The ancient Egyptians have always admired the afterlife and the sun god, so they built pyramids and invented mummies. In their view, death is not the end of life, but only the interruption of life. Life in the underground world is beautiful and eternal.
French female writer Juliette Adam once said: "The land of Egypt contains all the civilizations in the world. No country in history has achieved such brilliant achievements as Egypt. It retains its own inherent color while dyeing Other elements have been added, but it still retains its own characteristics from beginning to end.”
Yes, Egypt will always be Egypt! Ancient Egyptian culture is also part of the world cultural heritage. History can prove that as long as it exists, it is eternal!
References:
Documentary "National Geographic's Lost Treasures of Egypt"
Documentary "Cleopatra" 1963
Documentary "National Geographic's Bird's Eye View of Egypt"
Documentary "The Rise and Fall of Egyptian Dynasties"
"Egypt Four Thousand Years" Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House
"General History of Egypt" Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press
"Cleopatra: The Roman Civil War and the Demise of the Ptolemaic Dynasty" Chinese Publishing House
【Author】: Yuan'er
