The influence of foreign cultures on North America pre-european discovery

Essay by KarmadogUniversity, Bachelor's October 2006

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Walk like an Egyptian

American history is full of many events and ideas which helped shape the modern day United States. The United States is a country with a value system and culture which will forever have its own set of unique characteristics. Where did this uniqueness stem from? Few would argue that this land we call the United States arose out of a melting pot of cultures and ideas from around the globe which came to this "New World" to avoid persecution, seek riches, achieve religious purity, and a variety of other reasons. The influence of foreign ideas is evident all around us. But, the Egyptian influence on America proves that the United States was being shaped into what it is today far before European influence ever made it to the "New World".

The Mississippi River Delta is a fertile farming region in the United States comparable to the physical environment of the Nile River region in Egypt.

This statement by itself is not profound in any way. However, when you look at the history of this American region it becomes apparent that somehow Egyptian civilization manifested itself here in a variety of different forms. Trying to make sense of how this happened is next to impossible. Regardless, understanding the history of this area further illustrates that the United States can attribute its unique identity at least in part to Egyptian civilization.

Cairo, Illinois shares much more than a name with Egypt's capital. Jane Adams, an associate professor in anthropology and history, said the present town of Cairo was named in 1818, but its ties to Egyptian culture are evident much earlier than that. Pyramid-like burial sites in the region constructed by Native Americans prove that ancient Egyptian ideas had surfaced in the "New World." The Mounds in...