Ancient Egyptian Inventions

Ancient Egyptian

Inventions

By Kate Wilkinson-Brindle
Illustrated by Amy Robinson

Introduction

Which civilisation was the first to invent toothbrushing? What games did the
ancient Egyptians play? Who made the first paper? The ancient Egyptians
invented many of the things that we still use in the present day. Read on to
find out more about these innovative people and their inventions.

5000 BCE 3500 BCE 2500 BCE
early toothpaste hieroglyphics first instances
invented painted or carved of papyrus
on walls being used

4000 BCE 3200 BCE 1500 BCE
first instances first game shadow clocks
of make-up of bowls invented
being used

Toothpaste

It’s believed that in around 5000 BCE, the ancient Egyptians started using
paste to clean their teeth. This early form of toothpaste is thought to have
been made from powdered ox-hoof, burnt eggshells and pumice stone!
The world’s oldest written recipe for toothpaste contains instructions to
make a paste from salt, mint leaves, dried iris flowers and 20 grains of
pepper. Would you like to try this toothpaste? An Austrian dentist called
Dr Hans Neuman tried it, and he found it painful but refreshing!

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Make-up

In ancient Egypt, the wealthy and powerful people wore
a lot of make-up. They applied black kohl eyeliner, green
paste and powders in thick, bold lines around their eyes
and out towards the temples. Such dramatic eye make-up
wasn’t just for decoration. It was thought to protect the eyes
from the sun and even repel insects!
Make-up was also used by Egyptians to imitate the look of some ancient
Egyptian gods and goddesses, many of whom were thought to be part human
and part animal. The eye of the falcon-headed god, Horus, was considered to
be a powerful symbol of protection and good health.

Writing

Some of the earliest evidence of writing was found in Egypt, and it dates
back to 3400 BCE! The ancient Egyptians used small pictures, known as
hieroglyphics, that represented different words and sounds.
Hieroglyphics could be written from left to right or from right to left. When
you read hieroglyphics, you need to check the direction that the animals or
people are facing: they always look towards the start of the line! Hieroglyphics
were carved into or painted onto stone. In around 2500 BCE, the ancient
Egyptians invented papyrus, which is an early form of paper made from reeds.
Hieroglyphics could also be written vertically.

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Bowling

In Narmoutheos, south of the Egyptian city of Cairo, archaeologists discovered
an ancient Egyptian bowling alley! They found a set of lanes and a collection
of bowling balls of various sizes. Instead of rolling balls towards one end of a
lane, ancient Egyptian bowlers stood at opposite ends of the lane and tried to
roll different sized bowling balls into a hole in the middle of the lane.

Clocks

Some of the earliest known sundials were invented in ancient
Egypt around 3500 BCE. The first sundials were giant stone
obelisks that cast shadows onto the ground. The changing
position of the shadow throughout the day showed the
passing of time.
Around 1500 BCE, smaller shadow clocks called gnomons
were invented. These T-shaped sticks were divided into
sections so that people could use the position of the
shadow to tell the time.
A water clock, or clepsydra, was a water-filled bowl
marked with lines on the inside. As water dripped out of
a small hole, the time could be read by measuring the
level of the remaining water.

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