Egypt's Impact on the Ancient World Persuasive Essay by Top Papers

The paper relates that in Western literature and culture, there is a tradition that ancient Greece is the source of civilization, however, Greece-and other ancient civilizations-were profoundly influenced by Egypt. This paper argues that Egypt was the most influential civilization in the ancient world for three reasons: culture, commerce, and technology. The paper discusses how Egypt's contributions in these areas were absorbed by other civilizations, including not only the Greeks but also the Phoenicians and others. The conclusion is that, while Greece certainly ought to be acknowledged as the source of much of what we deem civilization, Egypt ought to be acknowledged as the first truly world-historical civilization, and the source of much of later Greek learning and aesthetics. The paper asserts that the fact that this acknowledgement has not taken place is a testimony both to the prejudices of scholars and the absence of popular knowledge about Egypt.