Saturday, July 6, 2013

from Eye of the Pharaoh -- on Ethnicity in Ancient Egypt



                Humans from surrounding tribes curiously ventured towards the delta.  Carrying their belongings, they investigated the new land.  Some established temporary homes on the delta islands.  They noticed the Nile extending backward, in a southern direction.  A faction of the nomadic tribes made rafts by fastening together strands of papyrus reeds.  They fashioned poles by trimming the reeds, and used them for movement on the raft.  Soon they gathered their rafts and floated upstream. 
                Another nomadic tribe entered, except they entered from the west.  They too were curious about this new land, and explored the delta.  These nomadic humans decided to stay for some time within the delta region.  They captured the temporary huts left by the others. 
                Limestone boulders sheltered those nomadic tribes that headed southward.  I examined their form of technology.  The usage of bronze weaponry along with pottery, simple jewelry and basket making were common throughout the surrounding regions of the planet. 
                A third party now entered the scene.  Groups of warriors entered from the south on rafts made of wood grown in Nubia.  They displayed limited technological advances.  They possessed large animal-skinned shields and large spears tipped with poison.



                Within time, all of the groups met.  They argued over what territory they chose to cultivate.  The first group established mud brick houses along their section of the Nile.  The Nubians decided to build their realms in the southern area close to modern Aswan.  The other group decided to remain in the delta, where more resources were located.
                A few years after, the group in the central zone built many cities.  The humans in the northern delta region also built cities, but they had to temporarily abandon their homes due to the flooding of the river.  The Nubians remained nomadic.  


(from Chapter 3: Kemti, Eye of the Pharaoh (C)1990 MJC).


MC 2013.


 

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