Egypt is of the countries in Africa and the Middle East. The ancient name for Egypt is Kemet meaning ‘black land’. It had obtained its name owing to the fertile black soil found on the plains of the Nile river which flows through Egypt.

Historical Monuments

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Egypt is also known for its historical monuments like the Giza pyramid complex and even the Egyptian civilization holds a lot of importance.

Egypt is a country which has political and cultural significance for the Middle East. Egypt derived its English name from various sources like the French word Egypte, from Latin Aegyptus and ancient Greek Aigyptos.

The ancient Egyptians were of the belief that it was in statues that the Gods reside. Even the Egyptian Statues of the Pharaohs were looked upon as living Gods. The Egyptians were also of the view that when a statue was in ‘sitting position’ it enables the living soul to stand erect and go out into the day.

Egyptian Statues of Gods

The Egyptian Statues of the Gods and Pharaohs were made from a variety of stones like Granite, Basalt, Alabaster, Limestone, Gneiss, Gypsum, Graywacke and Gesso.

The Egyptians built large statues with a restricted number of tools and equipment. Initially, flint tools were used but they were later on replaced by tools made from copper. After copper, the tools were made from bronze and iron. Statues were also made from a softer variety of stones like limestone or sandstone. These stone were then painted in numerous colors.

A material like plaster was placed on the surface of the statue upon which the designs were made and later on colored. The ancient Egyptians believed that the spirit of deceased lives in the statues.

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However, if there was any Pharaoh who was hated by the people, they might have destroyed the statues like breaking the nose. As per the people, this act would result in the spirit find it difficult to breathe and thus die of lack of breath.

Wood like Acacia and Sycamore was used to make small statues which normally were found in people’s houses. The statue of Bes was specially kept in the houses to ward off the evil. Even gold, ebony and other metals were used to make the statues.

Statues made from precious metals were only found in the houses of the rich. In case of wooden statues also, it was first covered with a plaster-like material then the design would be drawn on it and finally would be colored.