A “Nilometer” was used by the ancient Egyptians to measure changes in the water level of the Nile River. The Egyptians were extremely concerned by the seasonal inundations of the Nile, because their livelihood and survival depended upon favorable conditions. The “Nilometer,” which was a flight of steps constructed on the banks of the Nile, was just one of many devices invented by the ancient Egyptians in their constant attempt to understand and control the essential flooding of the Nile River.

An obelisk is a narrow, pointed monument constructed either to commemorate the actions of a ruler or to honor a specific God. They were constructed occasionally throughout the Old Kingdom and then frequently during the New Kingdom and the remainder of Egyptian history.

The average lifespan of an ancient Egyptian individual was around twenty, although this, of course, varied dramatically at different times in Egyptian history. A large number of people, however, died when they were infants and if a person survived until their fifth birthday, they might more reasonably expect to live to thirty or forty on average. The biggest killer of the ancient Egyptians was famine and disease. Diseases like smallpox and tuberculosis routinely devastated the Egyptian population and could even precipitate famine through depressed manpower.

The Third Intermediate Period begins with the death of Rameses XI. It saw the political and military decline of Egypt as foreigners came to rule the country. It gave way to the Late Period in which Egyptian culture was very prominent even if the country continued to be ruled by foreigners. 

The Shabaka Stone is primarily significant because it reveals the Memphian theory of creation. The Memphian theory of creation is centered around the worship of the God Ptah, whom the theologians of Memphis considered as an intermediary between the divine and the earthly realm. The Memphian theory of creation was probably originally written on papyrus during the Middle or New Kingdom periods and was then copied onto stone during the reign of Shabaka during the Third Intermediate Period.

Modern historians and scientists have been able to date the Rosetta Stone to 196 BCE, in the midst of the Third Intermediate Period. As near as can be figured, the Stone acted as a sort of public information board; in three different scripts (Hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Greek) the Stone informs Egyptian citizens of the ascension of the Pharaoh Ptolemy V. Prior to its discovery in 1799, no living individual was able to read hieroglyphic script, despite numerous decoding attempts over the ages. Because the Stone reproduced essentially the same text three times over, the Frenchman Jean-Francois Champollion was able to use his knowledge of Greek to translate both the Demotic and Hieroglyphics on the artifact. Champollion’s translation opened up an entire world of understanding, as historians and archeologists were able to read hieroglyphic inscriptions on temple walls, monuments, and scrolls for the very first time.

The oldest dress in the world is believed to be 5,000 years old. It dates all the way to the beginning of the Egyptian kingdom. It was found in an Egyptian tomb and is beautifully stitched and pleated.

In ancient Egyptian cosmology and iconography, the scarab was routinely associated with the rising sun. The Egyptians worshipped the Sun in many different forms, and a scarab was used in Egyptian hieroglyphics to refer to the Sun at dawn.

Egypt was once called Kemet (The Black Land). The black referred to the dark, rich soil of the region. It was also called Deshret (Red Land) referring to it's miles of deserts. Finally, the Hwt-ka-Ptah (the House of the Ka of Ptah), Ptah was one of Egypt's first gods.

The Feast of Opet was an annual festival held in Upper Egypt during the New Kingdom period and later. It celebrated the voyage of the God Amun from the temple of Karnak to the temple of Luxor. The celebration was a procession of ceremonial boats that were carried between the two temples. Boats were an important component of Egyptian ceremony and religious worship because the Egyptians believed that the Sun and Moon sailed across the sky in boats.