Ancient Egyptian civilization developed customs, orientations, and practices that struck Greek and Roman visitors as completely backwards, and the Egyptians did so deliberately. From their writing direction to their gender roles to their relationship with death, the Egyptians organized their world according to principles that systematically inverted the conventions of neighboring Mediterranean cultures. Understanding why reveals a civilization whose sense of identity was partly constructed through conscious differentiation from the peoples around them. The Greek historian Herodotus compiled a famous catalog of Egyptian reversals that fascinated his readers. Egyptian women managed commerce in the marketplace while men wove cloth at home. Egyptians wrote from right to left rather than left to right. They kneaded dough with their feet and clay with th ...