EGYPT'S 11 MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO HUMANITY - HISTORY - 2025

The contributions of Egypt, one of the oldest civilizations of humanity, promoted a quite remarkable change of course in society in many aspects.

Among these contributions we can highlight his contribution in the arts, writing, technological advances, in literature, in architecture, in religion and even in science. In addition to having left its pyramids, temples and other architectural works for posterity.

The most important contributions of the Egyptian civilization

1 - The writing

Rosetta stone exhibited in the British Museum

The Egyptians developed a writing system to express the contents of the mind. At first, the system used was not alphabetic, but used images to express ideas.

Subsequently, around 2000 pictographic signs were used to write, which were reduced to 700 over time.

Finally, they developed the alphabet, which is engraved on the Rosetta stone (preserved in the British Museum).

2- Paper and ink

Smith papyrus

On the banks of the River Nile, a plant called "papyrus" existed in abundance. From this plant, the Egyptians created a kind of paper that received the same name of the plant. The papyri were arranged in large rolls that were between 20 feet and 12 feet long.

They also extracted tinctures from plants, squeezing the leaves and stems of these. These dyes, which were used for writing, constituted an archaic form of ink.

3- Calendar

Egyptian calendar of the temple of Kom Ombo

The ancient Egyptians were exceptional astronomers. They were able to predict lunar and solar eclipses, the floods of the Nile River, the optimal time for planting and harvesting, among others. They were also knowledgeable about the movements of the planets, which allowed them to create the calendar.

The Egyptian calendar divided the year into 360 days and 12 months. Each month consisted of 30 days and each day lasted 24 hours. At the beginning or end of each year, they added five more days, which were allotted for the celebration.

The Egyptian calendar was the basis for the calendar we use today, the Gregorian, which was developed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.

4- Mathematics and geometry

Ahmes Papyrus

The ancient Egyptians were talented in the areas of mathematics and geometry. They had knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They also knew the geometric figures and were able to calculate their area to measure the land.

Both mathematical and geometric knowledge were applied during the construction of the pyramids.

It should be noted that the oldest mathematical treatise belongs to the Egyptian civilization and is the Ahmes Papyrus, also known as the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus.

5- Pyramids and mummification

The ancient Egyptians are renowned for their works of art, especially for their architectural works. The pyramids, the clearest example of the majesty of Egyptian architecture, were the tombs of the pharaohs.

The Egyptians had the belief that the spirit returned to the body after death. This is why the bodies of the most important people (the pharaohs) were preserved thanks to the application of certain chemical substances; This preservation process is currently known as mummification and is also a contribution from the Egyptians.

Later, the mummified body of the pharaoh was placed in a sarcophagus that had holes, to allow the spirit to re-enter the body.

The sarcophagus was kept in a chamber inside the pyramid, the walls of which were decorated with hieroglyphs that told the story of the life of the pharaoh.

Of the Egyptian pyramids, the pyramid built for Pharaoh Djoser at Sakkara is the oldest of all.

On the other hand, the largest and best known of the pyramids is the Pyramid of Giza, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World; This pyramid is about 145 meters high and required the use of 2,300,000 stone blocks for its construction.

6- Analgesics and anesthesia

Papyrus ebers

The Egyptians made great advances in the area of ​​medicine, using plants to alleviate certain ailments.

The Ebers Papyrus, one of the oldest medical treatises, shows that the Egyptians had knowledge about how to take advantage of the narcotics present in certain plants, such as the water lily, the lotus, cannabis and the poppy.

In this sense, these plants were used as analgesics, which constitutes a contribution to medicine.

7- Antibiotics

According to Mark Nelson, editor of Tetracyclines in Biology, Chemestry and Medicine, Alexander Fleming was not the first to discover the use of molds as antibiotics.

According to Nelson, the Egyptians were the first to discover the antibiotic properties of certain molds in bread; so suggest certain medical papyri.

8- Philosophy

The ancient Egyptians also ventured into the field of philosophy. Ptahhotep was one of the most important Egyptian philosophers of the time; this figure was the administrator and vizier of Dyedkara - Isesi and is known to be the creator of the "Maxims of Ptahhotep".

These maxims are instructions in proverbial forms that regulate certain aspects of life. Ptahhotep's treatise is prior to the works of Confucius, Socrates and Buddha, so it represents one of the first documents on the philosophy of life.

9- Literature

The contributions of the ancient Egyptians were immortalized through writing and literature. They developed texts on astrology, metallurgy, and cooking.

Likewise, there are also Egyptian texts on legends of this civilization, interesting experiences, adventure stories, religious and philosophical thoughts, among others.

Among his prose writings, The Story of the Two Brothers (13th century BC) and The Story of Sinuhé stand out. Among the religious treatises, are the texts on the pyramids, on the sarcophagi and the book of the dead. Also, there are historical texts about the various dynasties of Ancient Egypt.

10 - Irrigation

Matson Collection / Public domain

Crop irrigation was one of the great contributions of the Egyptians to agriculture. They were the first to create channels that continuously carried water to the plantations.

11- Surgical instruments

Egyptian medicine was one of the most developed and innovative, as recorded in papyri found by archaeologists. One of his great achievements is the creation of different surgical instruments for the treatment of various conditions (cysts, fractures) and rhinoplasty or prosthesis placement techniques.

References

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