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Ancient Egyptians - Modern History of Egypt |
Modern History of Egypt Modern History of Egypt Fact Sheet Fact 1 Modern History Egypt: Queen Cleopatra was the last ancient Egyptian ruler. She became the mistress of Julius Caesar and then the wife of Mark Anthony. Following defeat at the Battle of Actium the country became a province of the Roman Empire from 30BC - 641 AD. Fact 2 Modern History Egypt: In 384AD the Roman Emperor Theodosius ordered the adherence to Christian religion. Fact 3 Modern History Egypt: In 395AD the Roman empire split into two empires and Egypt became part of the Byzantine Empire. Fact 4 Modern History Egypt: In 642AD Alexandria was captured and became part of the Islamic Empire. Fact 5 Modern History Egypt: In 868 AD The Tulunids (the first independent dynasty in Islamic Egypt) and the Ikhshidid dynasty rule Egypt from 868 - 969 AD Fact 6 Modern History Egypt: In 969 AD the Fatimid rulers seized Egypt and Cairo was established as the capital of Egypt. Fact 7 Modern History Egypt: The Mameluks governed Egypt from 1250 to 1517. In 1517 Egypt was absorbed into the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Fact 8 Modern History Egypt: In 1797 Napoleon Bonaparte launched a military expedition to seize Egypt, a province of the Ottoman Empire. The exploration of Egypt started with the French invasion and Napoleon Bonaparte's discoveries in Egypt gave rise to fascination with Ancient Egyptian culture and the birth of Egyptology in Europe. Fact 9 Modern History Egypt: The Rosetta Stone: The famous Rosetta stone was found in 1799 at Rosetta (Rashid) in the Nile Delta region by a young French officer called Pierre-Francois Bouchard (1772 - 1832). Fact 10 Modern History Egypt: The Rosetta Stone is a large black basalt stone that was inscribed with a royal decree of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ptolemy V (r.204 BC-180 BC.) The Rosetta Stone had the same message written in three different languages: Ancient Greek, hieroglyphics, and demotic (the language of the ancient Egyptians). Modern History of Egypt Fact Sheet Modern History of Egypt Modern History of Egypt
Jean-Francois Champollion - known as the first translator of the Rosetta Stone hieroglyphics Modern History of Egypt Fact Sheet Fact 11 Modern History: Giovanni Battista Belzoni: The Italian explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1778 - 1823) was sent by Henry Salt, the British consul to Egypt, to explore the Ramesseum at Thebes. He continued his explorations to the great temple of Edfu and visited Elephantine and Philae. His most famous discovery was the great temple at Abu Simbel which he cleared of sand in 1817. He also made made excavations at Karnak, and opened up the sepulchre of Pharaoh Seti I aka "Belzoni's Tomb". The 'Great Belzoni' was the first to enter the second pyramid of Giza. Fact 12 Modern History: Jean-Francois Champollion: Jean-Francois Champollion became known as the translator of the Rosetta Stone. Jean-Francois Champollion deciphered the system of Egyptian hieroglyphs from the Rosetta Stone making it possible to uncover the secrets of the civilization of the ancient Egyptians. The Rosetta Stone has been on public display at the British Museum since 1802. Fact 13 Modern History: In 1822 British troops take control of Egypt. Fact 14 Modern History: The British Egyptologist James Burton (1788 - 1862) was famous for his excavations of Tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Fact 15 Modern History: Ernest Budge: Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (1857-1934) was Keeper of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in the British Museum from 1894 to 1924. Budge was a prolific author and particularly famous for his translation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead and for acquiring the Papyrus of Ani. Fact 16 Modern History: In 1914 Egypt became a British protectorate. Fact 17 Modern History: In 1922 Egypt gained independence from Britain. Fact 18 Modern History: Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon: Howard Carter, financed by Lord Carnarvon, discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings in 1922 Fact 19 Modern History: The 1952 Egyptian revolution Fact 20 Modern History: Nasser: In 1953 Gamal Abdel Nasser established a military dictatorship with a one party state, known as the Republic of Egypt. Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal leading to the 1956 Suez Crisis. Modern History of Egypt Fact Sheet Modern History of Egypt Modern Egyptian History Fact Sheet Fact 21 Modern Egyptian History: In 1954 the British finally leave the country. Fact 22 Modern Egyptian History: Aswan High Dam: The Aswan High Dam was built between 1960 and 1970. The project threatened the Temples at Philae and Abu Simbel. The Temple of Isis on the island of Philae was transported to the island of Agilkia and the enormous rock temples of Abu Simbel were moved 180 metres inland. Fact 23 Modern Egyptian History: Aswan High Dam: The Aswan High Dam was completed in 1970 forming Lake Nasser. The annual floods of the River Nile, which had occurred for thousands of years, ceased. Fact 24 Modern Egyptian History: In 1971 the new constitution was introduced and the country was renamed the Arab Republic of Egypt. Fact 25 Modern Egyptian History: In 1979 it became the first Arab country to official recognize Israel by means of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty that was signed in Washington, D.C., between Anwar El Sadat and Menachem Begin. Fact 26 Modern Egyptian History: In 1981 President Anwar El Sadat was assassinated and Hosni Mubarak became president by a national referendum. Fact 27 Modern Egyptian History: Zahi Hawass: Zahi Hawass is one of the most famous Egyptologists in the world and in 2002 he was named as the chairman of the Supreme Council of Antiquities which oversees all artefacts and monuments in Egypt under the authority of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture. Fact 28 Modern Egyptian History: In 2011 President Mubarak stepped down amid widespread protests. Fact 29 Modern Egyptian History: In December 2011 National unity government headed by new Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri takes office. Fact 30 Modern Egyptian History: July 2012 - President Morsi submits to a Supreme Court ruling that parliamentary elections were invalid Fact 31 Modern Egyptian History: Political unrest in the country continues Modern Egyptian History Fact Sheet Modern History of Egypt |
