They also helped create the notion of irrigation and water management, as they built aqueducts and ditches to carry water to farmers far removed from the Nile River. Their technologies helped develop the idea of moving water to where it was needed, something in use today with the massive aqueducts in California that carry water from Northern California and the Colorado River to Southern California's major cities.
The Egyptians were extremely advanced in the field of medicine, as well. Surviving papyri indicate the Egyptians studied and wrote about medicine, dental medicine, and even veterinary medicine and they became quite accomplished at many aspects of these sciences. In fact, Alexandria also housed a medical school, one of the first ever noted in history (Ruiz 190). These early medical findings have helped build a foundation of medical knowledge that continues to grow today, and has helped humankind survive and conquer many diseases that have plagued humans for centuries.
The Egyptians also invented early versions of the calendar and clock, something that we cannot do without in today's modern world. They also have made great contributions in mathematics and the sciences, and their scholars helped develop early forms of geometry and even word puzzles. It is clear the ancient Egyptians were interested in innovation, technology, and
This thirst for knowledge and innovation helped make Egypt one of the most powerful nations on
Earth, at least for a time, and it continues to fuel Western thought and life today.
These physical and abstract accomplishments are historically important for several reasons. Many of the contributions were early masterpieces of thought and
culture that have survived throughout the millennia and still influence society today, which is a major accomplishment in itself. However, many of these accomplishments survive in relatively the same manner as they were initially developed, indicating just how advanced the Egyptians were. The concept of libraries and
learning is one concept that is largely the same, and
architecture is another. Finally, innovations like the calendar, paper, and the clock, are all so ingrained in our modern society that we cannot imagine life without them, and these are all innovations the Egyptians developed centuries ago. Their society was extremely advanced for the age, and many elements of their society have survived and thrived to influence
Western Civilization, which cannot be said for many of the ancient cultures, and that is one reason their accomplishments are so historically important.
References
David, Rosalie. The Experience of Ancient Egypt. London: Routledge, 2000.
My-liwiec, Karol. The Twilight of Ancient Egypt: First Millennium B.C.E. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2000.
Nimis, Stephen. "Egypt in Greco-Roman History and Fiction." Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics (2004): 34+.
Ruiz, Ana. The Spirit of Ancient Egypt. New York: Algora, 2001.
