what is the legacy of classical ancient egypt

The engagement-and occasional obsession-with ancient Egypt and the adaptation of its concepts and imagery are not confined to the forms and contents of the pyramids, temples, and tombs that have so awed tourists since classical times, but exist within the history of ideas. The monumental achievements of pharaonic culture inspired not only the later ancient Egyptians themselves, but have resonated throughout subsequent civilizations. A long prehistory with interactions among groups from far-flung territories to the west and south, and later with the northeast, forged the rich cultural traditions of pharaonic Egypt. The land of ancient Egypt-the Nile River valley and delta with the surrounding deserts-was the birthplace of a civilization that flourished for over three millennia.

Denison Olmstead, Professor of Astronomy and Natural Philosophy at Yale University, July 18, 1845, at the laying of the cornerstone of the New Haven City Burial Ground (Grove Street Cemetery) gateway

“Dignified and beautifully proportioned, it is symbolic of an attitude toward the dead and their part in the hereafter, expressive, but respectful and reverential, which arose in the valley of the Nile centuries before Christianity and is consequently so detached from modern creeds, prejudices or sentiments that it can appeal to any belief.”

What is the legacy of classical ancient egypt