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Page 12A - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, September 29, 1988 Egypt's God-Kings, The Divinity Of Ra Continued From Page 7A be worthy of a god. Only a mag nificent palace was suitable for his home; In fact, the very word PHARAOH means "great house." The pharaoh's ability to com mand the resources and labor necessary to build a huge pyra mid amply demonstrates that the god-king was an absolute ruler. As to be expected the life style of the god-king was supported by taxes levied on the common folk. Needless to say the arrival of the tax collector was never a happy occasion. Taxes might amount to 20 percent of the har vest, and tax collection could be brutal. Regardless of which dy nasty • was In power, little changed for the Egyptian peas ant whose life was regulated by the omnipresent tax collector and the rhythm of the river Nile. Egyptian society seems to have been a curious mixture of freedom and restraint. Slavery did not become widespread until the New Kingdom (1570-1075 B.C.). There was neither a caste system nor a color bar, and humble people could rise to the highest positions If they pos sessed talent. The most famous example of social mobility Is the biblical story of Joseph, who came to Egypt as a slave and rose to be second only to the pharaoh. On the other hand, most ordi nary folk were little more than serfs who could not easily leave the land of their own free will. According to the Old Testament, even Joseph requested Pha raoh's permission before re turning to Canaan to bury his father. Peasants were also sub ject to forced labor (corvee). In cluding work on the p3Tamlds and canals. Young men were drafted Into the pharaoh's army, which served both as a fighting force and as a labor corps. The Egyptian view of life and society Is alien to those raised on the concepts of Individual freedom and human rights. To ancient Egyptians the pharaoh embodied justice and order - harmony among humans, na ture and the divine. If the pha raoh was weak or allowed any one to challenge his unique position, he opened the way to chaos. Twice In Egyptlaii history pharaohs failed to maintain rig id centralization. During these two eras, known as the First and the Second Intermediate peri ods, Egypt was exposed to civil war and Invasion. However, the monarchy survived, and In each period a strong pharaoh arose to crush the rebels or expel the Invaders and restore order. The accident of geography could not shield Egypt forever from the buffeting winds of change. By 1640 B.C. people whom the Egyptians called Hyk- sos (rulers of foreign lands) be gan to settle In the Nile delta. Their presence introduced new Ideas and concepts into Egyp tian life. These "Invaders" brought with them the methods of m^ng bronze and casting It Into tools and weapons that be came standard in Egypt. This brought Egypt fully Into the Bronze Age culture of the Medi terranean world, a culture In which the production and use of bronze Implements became basic to society. The Hyksos's use of bronze armor as well as the horse drawn chariots and the composite bow revolution ized Egyptian warfare. In time, Egyptian culture absorbed the newcomers. During the Eighteenth D}mas- ty, the pharaoh Ahmose (1558- 1533 B.C.) rid Egypt of the Hyk sos's presence. Following this, subsequent pharaohs subdued Nubia In the south, conquered Palestine and Syria and fought the Mltannl kingdom on the up per Euphrates. These warrior- pharaohs Inaugurated the New Kingdom - a period character ized by enormous wealth and conscious Imperialism. The New Kingdom realm covered approx imately 400,000 square miles. The Ramesslde kings, repre senting D3masty XIX. are part of the New Kingdom. Ramses II Is IN THE ARTS The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Art Commission Is seeking re sponse to Its artist competition for the Community Services Fa cility located at 500 Spratt Street. Charlotte. Artwork Is be ing sought for the campus-type location which serves as a cen tralized assistance center for rnore than 3,000 needy people believed to have signed one of the world's first peace treaties. For the first time widespread slavery became a feature of Egyptian life. In pharaonic- Egypt, the dominant Image of the slave was that of an Insider who had fallen, one who ceased to belong and had become ex pelled from normal participa tion In the community because of a failure to meet certain mini mum legal or socioeconomic norms of behavior. The destitute were a part of this group. Egyp tian terminology accurately re flected the Internal source of slavery and the fact that It arose primarily from destitution. To the Egyptians this status amounted to social and legal death. It was Into this status that captives who were enslaved were assimilated. The Egyptian word for captive, literally trans lated, meant "living dead." In pharaonic Egypt, as In other slave societies, slavery Involved a name change - the symbolic act of stripping a person of his former Identity. The slave's name died with his former self. In pharaonic Egypt, the absence of a family name was the surest mark of slavery. The pharaoh's armies returned home leading hordes of slaves, who constitut ed a new labor force for Imperial building purposes. The He brews, who according to the Old Testament migrated into Egypt during this period to escape a drought, were soon put to work on Imperial construction pro jects. The warrior-pharaohs of the Eighteenth I>ynasty created the Art Ideas Sought For City Works eveiy month. Artists who are Interested should direct questions and re quests for a prospectus to: Jack Stuart, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, (704) 336-2205. Deadline for artists' proposal submissions Is 5 p.m., Friday, October 14. 1988. Need Facts, Feature Stories, Entertainment, & Sports? •THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY" has it ALL! CROSSWORD Answer' ACROSS 1. Agreement 5. One's dwelling 9. Mountain nymph 11. First-rate (slang) 12. Half diameters 13. Arab chief tain (var.) 14. Bottoms of ships 15. Sets at an angle 16. Disdain 18. Sheep’s cry 21. Soon 25. Tanker 27. AU.S. President 28. Georgia’s capital 30. Pasha of Tunis 31. Sting 33. List of candidates 36. Governor Loveless, e.g. 40. Made of flax 41. Conscious 42. Wide-awake 43. Purposive 44. A chessman 45. Fume DOWN 1. Flesh of swine 2. Genitive of Ara 3. Give over 4. Heads or-^— 5. After man* nerof men 6. Not shut 7. Encounter 8. Blunders 10. Percepticai 11. Secretary’s department 17. Conjunction 18. Large snake 19. River isle 20. Entire 22. Aged 23. Bom 24. One tenth of a line (obs.) 26. The Great cable- layer 29. Tan* . talum (sym.) 32. of London 33. Strike 34. Miss I^ee, actress II Reorronge lelfers of the four scrambled words be low to form four simple words. S H E A I C 35. Afresh 37. Skin mark 38. Biblical name 39. Part of the body G L T H I 3 1 X 3 4 s 4» 7 8 4 10 11 IX i3 ■4' 17 20 21 22 23 24 Ih a7 Z8 iv 30 % 3X 93 34- 35- I 36 37 36 39 40 41 4X 46 44 i 45 E X R I M 5 S E R V T Y 6 7 My old uncle always cautioned me to keep my words soft and sweet, since you never knew when you might have to Complete the chuckle quoted by filling in the missing words you develop from step No, 3 below. PRINT NUMBERED LETTERS IN THESE SQUARES O UNSCRAMBLE LEHERS FOR ANSWER "We don't have any job openings right now, but give me a minute to decide whom you will replace.' BLACK FHH QUIZ I—I Ulho was the first Black man to preach in the ^ U.S. Capitoi? r~l Where did Dr. Charles R. Dreiu receiue his undergraduate education? Q In the N.B.C. Mini-series "King" mho starred as Martin Luther King, Jr.? f~l Hoiu long did Joe Louis hold the heauyuieight title? □ Who uirote the book, Brown Girl, Brown- stones? □ What do the letters "SCLC" stand for? LRST WEEK'S ANSWERS 1. Newt Clendenen 2. 1895 3. Quincy Jones 4. O.J. Simpson 5. J. Saunders Redding 6. Isaac Hayes first Egyptian empire. They ruled Palestine and Syria through their officers 2uid incor porated the African region of Nubia. The warrior-pharaohs celebrated their success with monuments on a scale unparal leled since the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom had built the pyra mids. Artifacts from the tomb of "King Tut" provide eloquent tes timony to the might and splen dor of the New Kingdom. About The Author Dr. Perclal Moses Thom as Is Director, of the Honors College at Johnson C. Smith Uni versity. He possesses B.A. degrees In both History Education and Liberal Arts. , He also has a fhomas M.A, In Social Studies and a Ph.D In History. He Is an Assistant/Associate Professor of History at JCSU and Chairperson of the Division of Social &lences. He has received several grants and fellowships for studies and research. He belongs to a number of na tional historical and social science professional organiza tions, including the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History .and he Is active In various committees In the ed ucational community. The 31st Annual ebony , Fashion Fair iitawH '88/’89 Sponsored by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority inc. Benefit Educational institutions, Scholarship Fund, Community Agencies Ovens Auditorium Sunday October 30,1988 6:00 pm $20.00 per person For more Information call, 333-4847 between 8:30-4:30 pm Tickets Available- Member of the local chapter Ticket prices include one year subscription to EBONY or six months to JET. COME... MEET and HEAR SENATOR LLOYD BENTSEN The Next Vice President FREE RALLY 1988 ANSWERS 1V3 9Aeq mOjUj noA ueu/vi m9u> j0aou noA eoujs pue ijos spjOM Alu da9>j oi atu peuoiineD sAbmib apun p|0 A^'j fV3Hi 1V3 ~ ^JlSdA — jax!^ — iq6n — osieqo Friday, Sept. 30, 12 Noon First Union Plaza 301 S. Tryon Street "FREE" Bar-B-Que... While Supply Last Volunteers Please Call 335-0819 I can NBC clearly now.” Thanks to the power of our new tower, all your favorite NBC shows like The Cosby Shoiv, Golden Girls, AlJ, Family //ev Matlock and Amen go out bright and clear across the Carohnib
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Sept. 29, 1988, edition 1
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