Which modern peoples are the closest relatives of the ancient Egyptians. What the ancient Egyptians really looked like
When we think of the ancient Egyptians, we usually think of Cleopatra or the fascinating process of mummification. However, we do not think about the ordinary objects and ideas that we use in our daily lives today.
Although most modern inventions are attributed to later periods in history, the ancient Egyptians were at the forefront. Like us, they were always looking for a way to make their lives easier and stress-free. Below is a list of items and ideas that have survived the test of time that most of us don't think about.
10. Government
Although it is often said that the first system of government originated with the Roman Empire, it is in fact only the first documented system of government in the West. The very first governance structure is associated with the ancient Egyptians.
What is even more surprising is that this political system was not associated with the pharaohs, as many believe. Until about 1570 BC. e. Ancient Egypt was ruled by kings. During the pre-dynastic period, Egypt was under the control of the Scorpio Kings, which sounds suspiciously like the name of a biker gang. We do not know how government behaved until King Narmer came to power and established the first centralized government within existing borders.
From this point on, the economy began to develop thanks to trade that took place between classes in individual provinces, individual wealth and taxes. This means that perhaps the ancient Egyptians also tried to evade paying taxes.
9. Calendar
As long as there is no government policy and a functioning economy, there is no need to keep track of days. But it's not so much about pesky tax collectors who should have known when to bully people. The Egyptians had an advanced irrigation system and would have known when the Nile would flood.
So they created a calendar that had 365 days. It originally had 370 days, until the Egyptians realized they needed to shorten the year and simply added leap years. So, if you were born on a day that only exists in a leap year, and you are actually only 20 years old, although you already have grandchildren, you can thank the good old Egyptians for it.
8. Wine
New Year's Eve, Christmas, birthdays are all great reasons to party and drink. We can thank the ancient Egyptians for one of our favorite pastimes, as they were the first people to invent wine. The new calendar probably gave them even more reason to drink, since they could now celebrate different dates.
It was initially assumed that the vineyards discovered by archaeologists were intended for growing grapes, which were then eaten. Then, at the bottom of several pots, archaeologists found the remains of wine, which proves that the ancient Egyptians liked to relax.
In fact, so many vessels contained this product that it seemed as if the ancient Egyptians were obsessed with wine. With so many ancient holidays (including a five-day holiday at the end of the year), it is easy for historians to understand why it was so popular. So, next time you go to a party, just remember to relax like it's 3000 BC.
7. Toothpaste
In the 1600s, deaths in London were documented using Mortality Accounts. While this is a rather grim document, it does list infected teeth as one of the leading causes of death (excluding only severe epidemics such as the bubonic plague). This was due to the lack of proper dental care at the time. In fact, people did not even consider that the food they consumed could lead to the development of dental disease.
They also didn't know that the ancient Egyptians had already solved this problem many centuries ago. The ancient Egyptians realized the price they paid for bad teeth and discovered a simple solution. Yes, the first toothpaste formula was invented by the Egyptians, using an almost nauseating list of ingredients such as ground ox hooves, ashes and burnt eggshells.
Along with toothpaste came mints. They had a less intimidating list of ingredients that included rock salt, dried and dried toffee. In fact, several recipes (along with cooking guides) dating back to Ancient Egypt have been discovered. At that time, this simple invention saved the lives of many people.
6. Handles
If you've delved into any conspiracy theories, you've probably come across the belief that aliens were friends with the ancient Egyptians. After discovering some suspicious-looking images and hieroglyphs carved into stone, conspiracy theorists are haunted by the idea that ancient aliens and ancient Egyptians coexisted peacefully. However, what everyone has lost sight of is the fact that these images are much rarer than we think.
Early on, the ancient Egyptians realized the inconvenience of such an impractical writing system, which led to the invention of parchment and pens. While most of us assume that progress in the development of writing instruments began with the advent of the quill pen, reed pens came first.
The ancient Egyptians developed a form of writing that had never existed before. They soaked the ends of long reed stems in water and then trimmed the ends, giving them a sharp shape that could distribute the ink properly while writing. This made possible the advent of portable documents and improved the overall efficiency of life.
However, they soon discovered that such pens dry out quickly, which led to the use of feathers. It wasn't until the late 1800s that society returned to the original Egyptian idea and developed the modern ballpoint pen, as well as a cap to keep it from drying out so quickly.
5. Clock
Being late for work was a problem even for the ancient Egyptians, since they also had clocks. The obelisk or sundial was the earliest version of the clock, but it only told the time if the sky was clear.
This led to the invention of the water clock. Looking just like the brewing machine you'd see at your local hipster coffee shop, this clock operated by slowly dripping water throughout the day to tell the time indoors.
They also came up with portable watches that used shadows to tell time. These devices had such an impact on the daily life of Ancient Egypt that everyone was fascinated by the idea. Thus began the journey to modern watches.
4. Dentures
Although it seems like dentures are a new concept, they actually date back to 950 BC. Although those prostheses were not stuffed with electronics, like some modern ones, they helped their owners lead a full life.
Archaeologists have discovered an artificial big toe, which is the earliest prosthetic in the world. Many similar body parts were often found in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians, but as it turned out, they only served to make the body whole for the afterlife. Everything changed when a big toe made of wood and leather, consisting of three parts, was found on the mummified body.
To prove that this finger was made to help humans walk, several analogues were created and tested scientifically. A group of people who were missing their thumb walked with and without a prosthetic to see if it helped. The results showed that the finger had a beneficial effect on the process of walking, which made it possible to identify the found object as an early prosthesis.
3. Scissors
A common misconception is that scissors were invented by Leonardo da Vinci. In fact, the original design dates back to 1500 BC. Although the Romans designed the cross-blade design we have today, the ancient Egyptians had a simpler but effective version. It was a single piece of metal formed into two blades that were adjusted by a metal strip between them.
With the invention of scissors, the ancient Egyptians were able to create a variety of haircuts. Even the most skilled stylist couldn't replicate them without a good pair of scissors.
2. Plow
Photo: Joevilliers
Agriculture is the basis for countless civilizations. But the ancient Egyptians were the first to create the technology needed for efficient farming.
Before the invention of the plow, people had to walk around with “digging sticks” that they stuck into the ground to make holes into which they dropped seeds. Without these sticks, the work may take several weeks or even months. The Egyptians were tired of these “digging sticks” and the long hours spent with them in the field. So they designed the first known plow - the ard.
The ard was a regular “digging stick” with an arched handle and a stone or metal point attached to the bottom. With this invention, the ancient Egyptians could simply walk across a field and create a deep ditch into which many seeds were placed at once. Although this invention is not comparable to the plows we have today, this small innovation changed the lives of farmers back then.
1. Hair dye
If you have ever seen images of ancient Egyptians, you will not be surprised that they looked special. They not only created makeup, wigs and hair extensions, but also developed the first hair coloring technique. Hair not only influenced appearance, but also reflected social status. The better your hair looked, the richer you were.
The ancient Egyptians strived to always look young, and gray hair did not fit this ideal. Therefore, the Egyptians began using dried henna leaves to produce a reddish-brown hair dye. Henna was also used to color nails and lips. The desired color could be achieved by adding more or less henna leaves to the mixture.
Egypt's population is more than 77 million people, and this country has no demographic problems: the birth rate exceeds the death rate by almost five times. True, this is not the merit of a perfect healthcare system (it is formally free, but it is better to be treated in commercial clinics; in government surgeons, for example, they received the nickname “butchers”) and certainly not the high income of Egyptians; the secret lies in the usual for Arab countries large families. However, in fairness, it should be noted that the average life expectancy is quite high: 68 years for men and 73 for women.
Some gloss of the influence of international culture, and perhaps the colonial past, is noticeable in the clothing of the employees.
Probably, ties and jackets are required for various types of office workers, as well as employees of travel companies who, due to the nature of their work, encounter foreigners. However, this rule usually does not apply to bus drivers or tour guides.
Ordinary residents of large cities, if we talk about the stronger sex, generally dress in a manner familiar to the Western eye: jeans, shirts, jackets, light jackets...
By the way, there are only three really large cities with a population of more than a million people in Egypt: the capital Cairo, El Giza, which is closely adjacent to it, and Alexandria, which has the unofficial status of the cultural capital.
School education is free, although parents who have this opportunity try to enroll their children in paid educational institutions. The higher education system is different from what we are used to; studying at universities takes on average three to four years, although for doctors, if I’m not confusing anything, it takes longer.
The pride of modern Egyptians is their pedigree; on occasion they like to emphasize that they descend from the great builders of grandiose pyramids and majestic temples, whose state reached its dawn long before the first cities appeared in Europe. In fact, of course, the direct descendants (as far as this term is generally permissible in the correct cauldron of many nationalities) of the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt are only some Copts, who make up only a small proportion of the total population of the country. The ancestors of the rest are the Arab conquerors who poured into Egypt in the 7th century. In fairness, it should be noted that the Byzantine emperors in the previous fight against the Arian heresy turned out to be so zealous that the Mediterranean coast of Africa was fairly depopulated; thereby creating the most favorable conditions for an invasion from Arabia.
National minorities now also include Bedouins, Berbers, Nubians and Circassians, whose total number does not exceed 2% of the country's population. As far as I know, there are no clashes on this basis in Egypt; if anyone is causing problems, it is the radical Islamists.
The fact that Egypt is a Muslim state (Sunni Islam is professed) and not entirely secular (although the legislation is based on much more from the Napoleonic Code, Sharia norms are also incorporated into it) is immediately evident, if only by the fact that the overwhelming majority of women They wear hijabs - light headscarves.
One of the guides gave a whole speech about the advantages of the fair sex in Egypt. Like, there is no emancipation, women are groomed and cherished, literally carried in their arms. Well, if some person suddenly does not want to live according to Sharia laws, she is always free to take off her hijab and start living according to secular laws. At the same time, the guide listed the names of women holding prominent positions in the Egyptian government apparatus, and even turned out to be so savvy that he named Russian ministers of the fairer sex. The comparison, of course, turned out to be in favor of the Islamic country.
Very young people also wear headscarves, with the exception of little girls.
According to existing canons, it is required not only to wear a hijab, but also to cover your shoulders, arms and, of course, legs. I don't think it's very comfortable in hot weather. However, Egyptian men, as can be seen in the photographs, do not wear shorts.
However, youth and flirtatiousness take their toll - girls try to dress fashionably. Nowadays, it seems to me, slightly flared jeans are popular, over which long sweaters or short dresses are worn.
School excursion. These are just kids, and the girls don’t wear headscarves yet.
While lightly dressed Europeans and Russians were photographing the Sphinx and the pyramids, these high school girls were sometimes secretly, and sometimes quite openly, photographing tourists as much more exotic.
And this is the veil - so to speak, a radical form of Islamic women's clothing. The guide mentioned above, by the way, spoke sharply negatively about this phenomenon, emphasizing that a woman who is truly firm in her faith will not dress like that only if she is carried away by the false currents of Islam.
By the way, in Cairo or Giza I came across such pictures relatively rarely; for example, I took this picture in Luxor.
By the absence of a veil and the crosses on their chests, the elderly woman and girl standing on the left are unmistakably identified as Christians. The share of Orthodox Christians among the country's population is about 5% (there are still a few Catholics). In general, I rarely saw women without headscarves in Egypt.
The guides discussed the topic of population income very reluctantly. Their answers boiled down mainly to the formula that sounded like a spell: “Egypt is a rich country, only our rulers are thieves.” By God, the analogies here speak for themselves. :)
The most patriotic guide (Mahmud-Aziz, whom I already talked about in the album about) preferred to talk about how good life is for scientists here: a salary of three thousand dollars a month, and a lot of benefits, including an annual week-long vacation at the resorts of Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh. Another guide reluctantly admitted that many people earn less than $100 a month, especially in rural areas and small towns.
Frankly speaking, I got the impression that for many, the announced hundred-dollar bar is more than desirable. However, I have never seen reliable statistics on this matter.
It is curious that all the guides spoke very contemptuously about the fellah peasants, who often come to the cities to work and wear archaic-looking national long shirts (galabei).
I even mistook this street vendor for a European. And although his skin color is unusually light, his facial features are rather local. As I was told, this is most likely an albino.
In the Egyptian province, many men wear galabayas, not necessarily only peasants.
Often such robes are used as a uniform by minor servants such as watchmen at excursion sites. At the same time, they often try to earn extra money by offering tourists to photograph themselves for money against the backdrop of old temples or tombs. They probably flatter themselves with the hope that they can well replace the ancient Egyptians in the surroundings.
Bedouins, who are not allowed into the territory of the Orthodox monastery of St. Catherine near, are trying to sell guidebooks and some souvenirs to tourists through the fence.
The vast majority of Egyptians live in the Nile Valley, where the population density exceeds 1,700 people per square kilometer.
At the same time, no more than 2% of Egypt’s population lives in the deserts that cover most of the country’s territory, and there is less than one person per square kilometer.
Veranda cafe on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor. In general, I would not call the Egyptians a people of idleness (many are forced to work in several places), but the fact that they do not like to work hard is a fact. And most of all, in my opinion, they are hampered by inattention to detail, which manifests itself in literally everything: clothes, houses, quality of work...
However, even poor fellaheen make full use of mobile phones.
Egypt's main sources of government income are revenues from shipping in the Suez Canal, sales of raw materials abroad (mainly oil) and tourism. Nevertheless, agriculture still plays a huge role in the country's economy, and there is a serious struggle for possession of fertile land.
Innocent children's fun on a village street.
Let Egypt import wheat; on the contrary, it exports vegetables and fruits. Prices for local agricultural products, even in tourist places, are quite low. Let's say a kilogram of good strawberries costs 10 pounds, that is, less than two dollars. At the same time, prices in stores for all kinds of chocolates, sweets and other little things can amaze even a foreigner, and we are not talking about the shops of Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada, where all shame has long been forgotten, but about minimarkets at gas stations along the main highways of the country. I suspect that the price tags there are in a hurry to meet effective demand, since fellahs do not travel between cities in private cars.
Meanwhile, in the outback and in stores only for the local population, I’m sure everything is very cheap. Egypt is an expensive country only for tourists, and then only in crowded places.
Racks: on the roof of a car, on a woman’s head... However, for the spine, a vertical axial load is probably preferable to an asymmetric one.
Street seller of flatbreads. Crispy, they looked so tempting that I could hardly resist buying them. The main thing that stopped me was not thoughts about unsanitary conditions, but the almost one hundred percent probability that the merchant, upon seeing a tourist, would increase the price tenfold.
Souvenir seller. You have to keep a sharp eye on these comrades, because they like to deceive here, in particular, selling costume jewelry, etc., under the guise of silver jewelry. In general, the abundance of tourist clients, it seems to me, spoils representatives of any nation. Even in China, the further you are from the border with Russia, the better the attitude towards Russians (take the same one near Khabarovsk - a very illustrative example). In the tourist areas of Egypt, tourists are perceived solely as wallets on legs. This phenomenon is so widespread that it arouses in many foreigners an acute hostility towards the entire local population indiscriminately.
Meanwhile, I have heard that in the Egyptian outback people are completely different: much more friendly, and their friendliness is usually devoid of the selfish component that has become part of tourist folklore. There they can give the traveler a free ride and even feed them lunch, satisfied with the very fact of meeting a foreigner.
I had a chance to observe similar altruism in Sharm el-Sheikh, when a gardener (by the way, an intelligent-looking young man with glasses) gave a flower to a beautiful girl on the street (at first she even refused, believing that this was an attempt to get money).
By the way, it is easy to communicate in Egypt without knowing Arabic in light of the colonial past mentioned above. French is common in educated circles, and even more people, from different walks of life, speak English to one degree or another. It seems that both of these languages are even included in the compulsory school curriculum. In tourist places it is easy to meet Egyptians speaking Russian: they have long ago learned the laws of competition and the strange reluctance of many tourists from Russia to master foreign dialects.
Street cleaner. However, I’ll better talk about the situation with garbage on the streets of Egyptian cities and about the environment another time, when I show Cairo and El Giza. In about the Egyptians, I will mainly touch on issues of transport, including public transport, and law enforcement.
Egypt's territory extends across the Arabian and Libyan deserts. The concentration of settlements and tourism is on the Nile floodplain and coastal strip.
Egypt is a colorful country. Antiquity meets modern technology, camels and donkeys make their way through rows of luxury cars. Everywhere you can feel the imprint of the past, and for little money you can relax in comfortable hotels and try rich oriental cuisine.
Sunnis - Muslims - make up 90% of the population.
A Muslim is considered to be one who follows the 5 commandments:
1. Honors the one God Allah with the Prophet Muhammad.
2. He prays five times a day (5 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m., and 9 p.m.). The direction of the face of the worshipers is always turned towards Mecca. All mosques have a mihrab - a wall with an indentation towards Mecca. Muslims travel with a compass so that they always know the direction for prayer. Only men enter the mosque. There is a separate room for women.
3. It is necessary to give alms - God gave it to you, help someone in need.
4. Ramadan is celebrated every 9 months - you cannot eat, drink or smoke until sunset. Drinking alcohol is generally prohibited by the Koran. In Karim (generous), the poor eat food in the streets.
5. A true Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once. Such a trip from Egypt costs 4 thousand dollars. Wealthy Muslims can afford this more often.
Muslim men do not wear gold. By the degree of closedness of a woman’s face, one can determine religiosity. Strong believers leave only their eyes open. Everything is hidden from the eyes of strangers: figure, legs, arms, hair, face. Egyptians wear a galabiya, a long shirt. A headscarf is required for women.
Christians, who make up 10% of the population, dress more democratically. Coptic men have a cross tattooed on their right arm.
Smoking and drinking alcohol are also prohibited for Muslims. In times of crisis, the government first raises prices on cigarettes. Alcohol is sold strictly in selected restaurants.
There is no lunch break at work. Shops on busy streets are open from 12 to 24 hours. Sellers go out onto the road and invite tourists in every possible way. They may offer you a product for $1, ask you to come in for a cup of tea or coffee, or even promise to give you a souvenir. But behind this lies the desire to sell the goods at any price. In the absence of a fixed price in Egypt, it is customary to inflate the price several times. If you immediately reduce the price by 2, 5, or even 10 times, you can not only bring home gifts at a good price, but also enjoy communication and learn interesting things about a topic that worries you. By the way, knowledge of Russian, English, German, Italian is a guarantee of sales. Therefore, the majority of sellers on the streets can boast of their polyglot knowledge.
There are a lot of cars on the roads. Accidents are also common. Sewage trucks ply around the cities, the drivers of which receive 200 pounds ($40). This is a very small monthly salary for Egypt. Drivers are afraid of conflict situations with these giants - with their drivers and the demand for wages.
Traffic lights appeared several years ago. Pedestrians should beware of passing cars - the temperament of the southern country also affects when driving a car. The taxi business is considered profitable. One license costs the owner 10 thousand dollars. The cost of travel should be negotiated first, since the owner, like sellers of goods, is not averse to making good money.
In Egypt, it is not enough just to have a great rest and get acquainted with the way of life of Africans, without visiting the pyramids and without sharing the sacraments of the burial of the pharaohs.
A total of 3,100 burial pyramids were built. Currently, only 70 of them have survived. The most famous, of course, are the Pyramids of Giza. The peace of the pyramids may be disturbed by the growing suburb of the Egyptian capital Giza. From the windows of the five-story buildings one can see the peaks of three of them rushing into oblivion: Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin.
And, once at the foot of the pyramids, you feel like a participant in historical events, changing century after century, ruler after ruler. Only when you are on a stone plateau rising 40 meters above the city level and looking up at a 138-meter-high mass of 2.5 tons of stones do you think about the greatness and role of man in this world. The mystery of knowledge, the power of thought and the greatness of actions are revealed to you. You feel that you are strong and unique, regardless of your age or place of residence.
And I also felt, being at the base of the first Wonder of the World, that all people on Earth are connected to each other by invisible threads and must honor each other forever!
Egypt is not only one of the most favorite holiday destinations for Russians, but also the cradle of world civilization.
Did you know that this country is the ancestor of most household items: from dishes and tools to personal hygiene items.
1. Cosmetics were first invented in Egypt. But unlike a modern woman who uses it to look more attractive, Egyptian women used cosmetics to protect themselves from active sun rays.
2. The production of earthenware, glass and even cement is an innovation of Ancient Egypt.
3. The Egyptians were among the first to write. It was the people of Egypt who came up with the idea of writing letters using paper and ink.
4. Although France is considered a trendsetter for alcoholic beverages, particularly wine, few people know that the first wine cellar was found in Egypt. In addition, it was there that the first beer on the planet was brewed.
5. Pharaoh Pepi II is the longest-reigning ruler in the world. He ascended the throne at the age of 6, and resigned due to his death at the age of 94.
6. It is also interesting that the Egyptians used to sleep on pillows not made of down and feathers, like modern people, but from stones.
7. It is believed that antibiotic treatment was discovered at the end of the 19th century, but it is known for certain that the ancient Egyptians treated infected patients with bread mold. Therefore, it can be assumed that Egypt is also the founder of antibacterial medicine.
8. For the first time, carrier pigeons were used to transmit letters in Egypt.
9. One of the famous attractions of this country is the figure of the Sphinx. Anyone who has been to Egypt has probably seen that the Sphinx is missing a nose. This sculpture was lost in 1798 when soldiers of Napoleon's army used it as a target for target practice.
10. Residents of Egypt never celebrate their birthday. The reason for this is still not clear.
11. Even in unbearable heat, men wear white clothes and women black. It is believed that this way the woman will return home faster.
12. Egyptian pyramids are a wonder of the world. The Great Pyramid of Cheops was built about 3000 years ago. 2,300,000 huge stone blocks were spent on its construction, the total mass of which is 7,000,000 tons.
13. It turns out that this African country receives a large share of its income not from tourism, but from duties levied on ships passing through the Suez Canal. In second place is oil production, and tourism is given only third position.
14. Property taxes in Egypt are very high. Therefore, to avoid it, local residents do not erect roofs on their houses. So the house is considered unfinished, and therefore there is no need to pay tax.
15. The Suez Canal is the largest in the world. It was built in 1869 and connected the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Shipping stopped here only in the period 1967-1975 during the war with Israel. No less famous, the Panama Canal is exactly two times shorter than the Suez Canal.
16. The Aswan Dam, built to protect fields from Nile floods, is the most massive building in the world. In terms of the amount of material spent on construction, it was 17 times greater than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. After the construction of the Aswan Dam, Lake Nasser arose - the largest man-made reservoir in the world. And although during the construction of the dam all issues between Egypt and Sudan were agreed upon, it very often causes conflicts between these countries. In some years, when the Nile is very full, Egypt refuses to artificially lower the water level in Lake Nasser and spare Sudan from destruction.
18. Dying, Alexander the Great bequeathed to his commander Ptolemy Lagus to bury himself in the oasis of Siwa in Egypt. However, his grave has not yet been found. It is assumed that the commander broke the promise of Alexander the Great and buried him near Alexandria, a city built by the Great himself.
19. Almost the entire territory of the country is desert (95%), so it is not surprising that the entire population of Egypt lives on the remaining five percent of the land.
20. The ancient Egyptians used honey instead of gold to pay taxes.
21. In ancient times, killing a cat was considered a terrible crime.
22. In 1974, Egyptologists discovered that the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II was rapidly deteriorating. It was decided to immediately fly it to France for examination, for which the mummies were issued a modern Egyptian passport, and in the “occupation” column they wrote “king (deceased).” In Paris, the mummy was greeted with all the military honors due to kings.
23. We also owe our wedding rings to the Egyptians. It was there that the tradition arose when newlyweds got married to put a ring on their ring finger.
24., one of the resorts in Egypt, is completely covered with water. Outwardly, El Gouna resembles Venice. As in Venice, in El Gouna you need to get around by boat.
25. Among the rocks there is an archaeological historical monument consisting of two rock temples (Abu Simbel). These temples were completely moved in 1960 due to the threat of flooding from Lake Nesser. The Abu Simbel Temple was saved by carefully cutting the entire rock into blocks and moving it 200 m horizontally and 65 m upward.
26. The Red Sea got its name because of the sand, which, if you look closely, has a reddish tint.
27. There are black and white deserts in Egypt.
28. The Red Sea is the most favorite diving spot for divers all over the world, thanks to its diverse fauna.
In traditional history books they write this about the appearance of the Egyptians: “The first prehistoric people who inhabited these lands belonged to the Mediterranean race. They were slender, even thin, with slightly elongated heads and dark curly hair. Later they mixed with nomadic tribes that came from Palestine. This is how the ethnic type of Egyptian arose: of medium height, with a large head, strong bones and especially strong wrists and ankles.
Representatives of this original type are still found today among peasants in remote areas of Egypt. “The physical type of the Egyptian was formed as a result of thousands of years of mixing of various tribes forced into the Nile Valley. The Egyptians were tall, had a dense figure, broad straight shoulders, a wide face, a thickish straight nose, and a low forehead. They had dark skin, blue-black straight hair and thick eyelashes, black almond-shaped eyes. What is the main evidence for us of what the ancient Egyptians looked like?
1. Images on the walls of temples and tombs. 
“We know very well what the Egyptians of the dynastic period looked like. Many painted flat reliefs present them to us as people of average height, broad shoulders, slender, with black straight hair (often a wig); in accordance with tradition, images of Egyptian men are always painted in brick color, women - yellowish. ”
There is one caveat to this quote. It is obvious that the portraits of Egyptians that we find in tombs and on the walls of temples are mostly idealized. Artists and sculptors followed only a certain canon of image, developed at the dawn of Egyptian civilization and held for thousands of years: hence the accepted image of women with light skin and men with darker skin, but this does not mean that this was actually the case. Further, regarding straight hair: Egyptians were usually depicted in wigs or with shaved heads, so it is difficult to judge what kind of real hair they had from frescoes and sculptures.
Faces and figures were also standardized, although artists and sculptors sometimes deviated from the canons, depicting, for example, full bellies and elongated heads, or faces that were more realistic.
But still, the frescoes can give us a certain image of the ethnic type of the Egyptian. It appears in comparison with the images of Egypt’s neighbors, which we also often come across on the walls of temples and tombs.
There are also numerous images of representatives of the tribes and peoples that the inhabitants of the Nile Valley most often encountered. We see the Egyptians' western neighbors - the light-skinned, blue-eyed Libyans; their eastern neighbors, immigrants from Western Asia - tall, with yellowish dark skin, a convex nose and abundant facial hair, with the same characteristic beards; Southerners, inhabitants of Nile Ethiopia, or Nubia, appear dark purple. Black, curly-headed representatives of the Negroid tribes of South Sudan can be found on the reliefs.
The following picture clearly illustrates this: This picture clearly shows the skin color of the Egyptians - bronze-golden and classic black hair color. That is, we can assume that they were neither white nor black, like their neighbors, but were something in between in skin color. In most frescoes, Egyptians are depicted with exactly this “brick” skin color. Even if it is canon, I don't think it came out of nowhere. 
2. Evidence from historians
How did representatives of other nations see the Egyptians? We can learn this from the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus. There is a mention of their appearance in his “History”.
Herodotus compares the Egyptians, Ethiopians and Colchians. He suggests that these peoples are related, based on the fact that they are similar to each other. Herodotus writes that both are dark-skinned (μελαγχροες) and curly-haired (ουλοτριχες).
Here is this passage that mentions the Egyptians:
After all, the Colchians are apparently Egyptians: I understood this myself even before I heard it from others. Having become interested in this, I began to ask [about this relationship] both in Colchis and in Egypt. The Colchians retained clearer memories of the Egyptians than the Egyptians did of the Colchians. However, the Egyptians told me that, in their opinion, the Colchians trace their origins to the soldiers of the Sesostris army. I myself came to the same conclusion because they are dark-skinned with curly hair. However, this still does not prove anything. After all, there are other peoples of the same kind. The following arguments are much more compelling.
We see that the images of the Egyptians and the memories of Herodotus coincide in general terms. This is how most people imagine them.
3. Sculptures
Due to the belief that preserving the image of the deceased makes him immortal, the Egyptians made, in addition to canonical idealized sculptural images, fully or partially realistic portraits of their contemporaries. As a rule, these are portraits of august persons. They give us a more specific picture of the external appearance of the Egyptians.
Plaster mask of an elderly man, possibly Ey (Egyptian Museum, Berlin)
Plaster mask. Akhenaten. (Egyptian Museum, Berlin)
Queen Hatshepsut (a very interesting detail - she was depicted everywhere with such a nose)
Scribe statue.
These seem to be the most realistic sculptures. The faces are very interesting, it’s even difficult to say what race they belong to.
4. Reconstructions based on mummies
Computer reconstruction using the skulls of mummies also helps us see the appearance of the ancient Egyptians. Of course, it does not convey facial features one hundred percent, but it is still quite reliable. Here's what we managed to dig up on the Internet: as a rule, these are reconstructions of the faces of famous Egyptian rulers.
Tutankhamun:
(in profile it is clear that he has a slightly elongated skull. This is how he was depicted both on frescoes and in sculpture. His father Akhenaten and his daughters had the same elongated skulls, which led many mystification lovers to believe that Akhenaten’s entire family – ALIENS….)))))
here is another famous person - Akhenaten’s wife Nefertiti (however, scientists argue about whether the mummy from which her portrait was restored belonged to Nefertiti or someone else) 
Cleopatra (though she is not exactly Egyptian, but still one of the famous rulers of Egypt)
CT image of the skull (left) and a recreation of the artisan Harva (right)
5. Descendants of the ancient Egyptians
Well, finally, their descendants can give us an idea of the ancient Egyptians. Most believe that the direct descendants of the Egyptians are Copts. Copts are the Christian population of Egypt. “Copt” actually translates as “Egyptian”.
Copts differ from other residents of Egypt in appearance - they are very careful about the purity of their blood and take only Coptians or Europeans as wives. Therefore, they retained the ancient Egyptian straight profile. They make up about 7% of Egypt's population and live side by side with the Muslim majority, and call God Allah. And churches in Egypt stand almost next to mosques.”
It is almost impossible to distinguish Copts from Arabs on the street. At least at first glance. However, there are differences. First of all, they can be distinguished by the tattoo on their right hand. In general, Copts are more attractive. Let no one be accused of chauvinism, but it is so. Arabs are rougher and “plumper”. Copts, on the other hand, have more noble and refined facial features. There are many very beautiful Coptic girls. Well, the spitting image of Nefertiti! Like on a picture: 
And yet we do not think that only Copts can be considered direct descendants of the pharaohs. One Coptic priest said about the modern population of Egypt: “We are all Copts, only some are Christians, and others are Muslims.” We think that the current population of Egypt is alien and consists of Arabs. Apparently, we think this way because today's Egyptians practically do not speak the original Coptic language, which was the successor to the Egyptian language itself. But to assume that the indigenous population of Egypt was so displaced by the Arabs that most of them simply disappeared would be incorrect.
Gustave Le Bon in his book “The Civilization of the Arabs” writes about the Arabs of Egypt:
“Modern Egyptian Arabs are the product of interbreeding between the local population and the Arabs who conquered Egypt in 640. under the leadership of Amru. While Arabs by language and religion, modern Egyptians are not Arabs by blood. By virtue of the anthropological laws mentioned above, the conquering element was soon dissolved in the larger element represented by the conquered population.
The intermediate elements soon disappeared, so that the modern sedentary inhabitant of Egypt is essentially the son of the Egyptians of the times of the pyramids. This can be seen in his figure, in his broad shoulders, thick lips, prominent cheekbones, and in his similarity to the characters depicted on ancient monuments.”
