The Egyptian Civilization || Development of Mathematics in Egyptian Civilization

The Egyptian civilization grew along the Nile River in Northeast Africa. Its Ancient civilization is being considered as one of the oldest and longest lasting human civilizations. Records as old as some 10 to 8 millennium  years old  shows that Egypt passed through all stages of development of human civilization.

                                                          Stages of Egyptian civilization                                                           

Period	Dates
Old Kingdom (The pyramid age)	C. 2649 - 2150 B.C.E.
First Intermediate Period	C. 2150 - 2030 B.C.E.
Middle Kingdom	C. 2130 - 1640 B.C.E.
Second Intermediate Period (Northern Delta Region Ruled by Asiatics)	C. 1640 - 1540 B.C.E.
New Kingdom	C. 1550 - 1070 B.C.E.
Third Intermediate Period	C. 1070 - 713 B.C.E.
Late Period (A series from foreign dynasties, including Nubian, Libyan and Persian rulers)	C. 712 - 332 B.C.E.
Ptolemaic Period (ruled by Greco-Romans)	C. 332 - 30 B.C.E.

•      Government: Egypt developed a highly centralized government. It was ruled by a monarch. The pharaoh, or king, was the most powerful person in empire and inherited his title from his father.

•      Economy: Though Egypt’s economy relied on agriculture, there were large numbers of craftsmen and warriors. Trade was prominent throughout the kingdom, and Egyptian merchants traded with other civilizations.

•      Religion: Egyptians were polytheistic and believed in an afterlife. This belief led them to preserve bodies after death in order to participate in this afterlife. Pharaohs were embalmed (mummified) and buried in tombs with valuable possessions, such as gold, jewels, and items it was thought they would need as they returned to the gods.

•      Egyptian History and People: The history of ancient Egypt is generally divided into three main periods. The Old Kingdom, The Middle Kingdom, and The New Kingdom.

•      People: Warriors, Scribes, Merchants& Craftsmen, Pharaoh, Priests & Nobles, Peasants & Slaves

Science and Technology

Surveying : Determining the position of points and the distances between them.

Geometric shapes : The Egyptian pyramids with a polygonal base and a point, called the apex and triangular faces. Cement was first invented by the Egyptians.

Some Selected Milestones in Ancient Egyptian civilization

•      3300 B.C.E. - Bronze artifacts from this period

•      3200 B.C.E. - Egyptian hieroglyphs fully developed during the First Dynasty)

•      3100 B.C.E. - Decimal system, world's earliest (confirmed) use

•      3100 B.C.E. - 3050 B.C.E. - Shipbuilding in Abydos.

•      3000 B.C.E. - Copper plumbing

•      3000 B.C.E. - Egyptian medicine

•      3000 B.C.E. - papyrus, world's earliest known paper

•       2700 B.C.E. - Surgery, world's earliest known

•      2700 B.C.E. - precision Surveying

•      2600 B.C.E. - Great Sphinx of giza, still today the world's largest single-stone statue.

•       2600s-2500 B.C.E. - Shipping expeditions:

•      2600 B.C.E. - Pyramid of Djoser, world's earliest known large-scale stone building

•      B.C.E.- great Pyramid Giza, the World's tallest structure until 1300 C.E.

•      2400 B.C.E. - Egyptian Astronomical Calendar, used even in the Middle ages for its mathematical regularity

•      B.C.E. - Alphabet, world's oldest known

•      1800 B.C.E. - Berlin Mathematical Papyrus,2nd order algebraic equations

•      1800 B.C.E. - Moscow Mathematical Papyrus, generalized formula for volume of frustum

•      1650 B.C.E. - Rhind Mathematical Papyrus: geometry, cotangent analogue, algebraic equations, arithmetic series, geometric series