Egyptian society and everyday life

1. Egyptian society and everyday life

2. Pharaoh was seen as a living god, and was at the top of society Nobles and military leaders were next, and they kept track of property, taxes, and storehouses Priests and scribes made up the next rung, and were the educated class Social organization

3. The fourth class were craftspeople who produced many of the cultural relics of Ancient Egypt The common folk were peasants, also known as fellahin, and they made up the majority of the population Slaves were the lowest class, with virtually no rights as foreign prisoners of war Social organization

4. Social pyramid

5. Archaeologists have found combs, mirrors, and razors, so personal grooming was important Family structures and homes

6. Some men and women wore dark wigs to protect from the sun or for special occasions • Men and women wore make-upand perfumes, although only women painted their lips and fingernails Family structures and homes

7. Clothing was class-specific with farmers wearing loin-cloths or tunics, and wealthy individuals wearing white linens, leather sandals, skirts, and capes Family structures and homes

8. Homes were also an indicator of social class • Poor folk lived in simple huts whereas the wealthy had larger residences • Wealthy individuals even had rural retreats with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, slaves, and other amenities Family structures and homes

10. Mud bricks were the primary building material for all homes • Wooden beams covered with papyrus and clay made up the roofs • All homes had a central room, and depending on the social class, could have bedrooms, storerooms, and a personal temple Family structures and homes

11. Interior of an upper-class home

12. Wealthy individual’s homes were often walled-in and had gardens or even pools Poorer individual’s homes were built close together and thus had no gardens Depending on social status, homes could have been furnished with anything from chairs and tables to decorative walls and candle lamps Family structures and homes

13. Common people ate bread and drank beer made from barley, supplementing their diet with fruits and vegetables, or ducks and geese • Wealthy people often at beef, antelope, gazelle, baked goods, and drank wines made from grapes, dates, or palm Family structures and homes

14. Young boys had shaved heads with a single lock of hair; when boys reached manhood, their lock was cut off Reaching manhood was usually at the same time of marriage Marriages happened between family members like cousins Family structures and homes

15. In marriages, male children were most desired because the men were responsible for the parent’s funeral processions Women did not have the same status as men, and couldn’t hold government office or become a scribe or craftsmen Instead, she was expected to keep her husband comfortable Family structures and homes

16. Education was important; children were education at home, then boys went off to serve apprenticeships Students used ostraca to write on in scribal school as papyrus was too expensive Family structures and homes

17. Agriculture was the most important economic activity, with the majority of Egyptians practicing farming • The Nile was integral to this, as annual flooding left deposits of minerals in soils for the crops to feed off The economy

18. In August and September, farmers harvested their crops and tax assessors would assess the value of the crops Farms also raised cattle, geese, ducks, goats, and pigs The economy

19. In towns, craftspeople produced goods such as textiles, furniture, bricks and jewellery for trade Egypt had a lot of natural resources too, which could have been traded across the desert, down the Nile, and into the Aegean, Mediterranean and Red seas Traded with Lebanon, Crete, Syria, and around continental Africa The economy

20. Hieroglyphics developed around 3000BCE and were possibly borrowed from Mesopotamian writing style • By the time of the New Kingdom, there were some 700 signs The arts

21. Literature developed and included fairy tales, poems, and stories The arts Instructions of the Vizier Ptahhotep, 250BCE

22. Paintings and sculptures were created for temples and tombs, depicting scenes of daily life and the afterlife The arts

23. Task: Create a table to take notes on The Old Kingdom, The Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. (31-33)