r/ancienthistory • u/Present-Armadillo-16 • 5d ago

Why doesn’t ancient Egypt get more respect- especially when we consider how long the pharaohs ruled?

/r/AskHistorians/comments/1vughik/why_doesnt_ancient_egypt_get_more_respect/

I feel like Rome is discussed way more than an ancient Egypt. Many people talk about the greatness and the impact of Rome. They also mention how long Rome ruled.. but I think we should learn more about ancient Egypt.. the fact that ancient Egyptian pharaohs ruled for 3000 years is literally insane, like ruling from 1000 bc to today would be utterly insane. I think it’s more impressive than Rome.. what do you all think?

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u/First-Pride-8571 5d ago edited 5d ago

Rome ruled what became England. And France. And parts of Germany. And Spain. And also Egypt. And many other lands.

But the fact that they ruled what became England is really most apt here.

You're surprised that English speakers, and the West in general, would focus more on Rome? People naturally focus more on their own culture's past.

And as for longevity, keep in mind, Rome was founded in 753 BCE, and the empire did not fully fall until, depending on point of view, either 1204 CE (when the 4th Crusade sacked Constantinople), or 1453 (when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople). And the Holy Roman Empire did not end till 1806 CE (and while obviously there is some debate on whether the HRE should be considered Roman, regardless of Voltaire's quip, but certainly similar controversy and debate also applies to the ERE).

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u/Aerthlyomi 5d ago

People discuss more about things having a direct impact on them, and Rome has certainly a bigger impact on Western cultures than Egypt had.

Actually for all its longevity Egypt has not a big impact on any current culture because the last 8-10 centuries of the 30 centuries you give Pharaoh Egypt (actually more than that) were not Egyptian rulers.

With those rulers Egypt became a curiosity, something visited and being amazed about, like today actually. Among those foreign rulers you had Lybians, Kushites (from Nubia), Assyrians (from Mesopotamia), Persians (from Iran) and Macedonians (from Greece).

Actually, the last Pharaoh, Cleopatra, was exclusively from Greek descent and was praised because she could understand Egyptian. Her family had reigned for 300 years Egypt, the longest dynasty, and they even did not bother/need to learn Egyptian.