Ancient Egyptian Daily Life and Culture
Kate
What do you imagine when thinking of ancient Egypt? Mummies, Cleopatra, King Tut, and pyramids, right? Those might come to mind, but Ancient Egypt was much more then that. Daily life consisted of many things similar to today such as close family life, religion which was very important to the ancient Egyptians, and work which was mostly related to the pyramids. Additionally, they had a large variety of entertainment, government, even clothes and fashions.
Egypt's geography was very important to the ancient Egyptian daily life and culture. The Nile was the most important geographic feature, it provided rich soil, fishing, irrigation, and papyrus. Every year the Nile the flooded, enriching the soil. This fertile soil was used for growing crops, and the Nile water was used to to irrigate those crops. The Egyptians no longer had to be nomads moving from place to place. This left them more time to be things like artisans instead of searching for food.
The Nile provided fish and papyrus. Fish was a big part of the ancient Egyptian diet because the Nile was easy to get to and they didn't have to hunt. Papyrus was an early form of paper made from a reed-like plant found in the Nile Delta. Writing was easier on papyrus than writing on clay tablets.
The Nile provided transportation, the Nile Valley provided natural resources, and the deserts provided protection. Transportation was important for trade. Without the Nile's transportation they couldn't sell their goods and natural resources. The deserts around the Nile civilization shielded the Egyptians from invasion for two thousand years. Without these deserts they might have been invaded many times and not survived. The Nile Valley provided many natural resources which were used for trade. If they didn't have so many natural resources, they might not have been able to trade and they might have had to give up some of their luxuries.
Family life was highly valued and children were considered a great blessing. In upper class families servants and slaves took care of the children. In the lower class families, the children were usually taken care of by the mothers. People would pray to the gods for children and even attempted magic. Also, if they didn't have kids, adoption was an option.
Egyptian mothers were highly respected in this ancient culture. They had the legal right to be in business deals, own land, even represent themselves in court. Women in ancient Egypt also had equal rights as men. Sometimes the mother of a pharaoh had the real power, women were still expected to obey their father or husband.
Peasant girls usually married at age twelve, and the boys they married were a few years older. Most of the time these marriages were arranged by the parents, but some people chose their own spouse. Ordinary men usually had one wife, but kings always had several. Before a marriage an agreement was signed by the couple which stated that the wife would receive an allowance from her husband. Divorce was an option, but was highly uncommon. If the husband treated his wife badly she would go to her family for help. The family would persuade him to change his behavior. If he did not improve, divorce would take place. Divorce was simple, they made a statement in front of a witness. The wife got custody of the kids and was free to remarry.
Religion was a very important part of Ancient Egyptian daily life and culture, it explained the unexplainable. They worshiped many gods, which is called monotheism. They believed in the journey of the after life, and a very special burial. First, the ancient Egyptians worshiped several hundred different gods and goddesses. Many of whom were supposedly present in animals on earth. In ceremonies, priests often wore animal masks to give the impression to the uneducated people that they were the actual god. Some of the animals represented many gods. Each part of Egypt had it's own god or goddess, who controlled the events that happened. These gods also had their own temple. The king of all other gods was Amon-Re. Amon- Re, the sun god who protected the rich and the poor. He was born each morning in the east and died each evening in the west. That is why the west of the Nile was the home of the dead.
Ancient Egyptians thought special burial was critical for a dead person's survival in the afterlife. The bodies were mummified in cloth to preserve them and spells were put on them to help them in the journey to the afterlife. The tomb they were buried in had many boxes. The one containing the body was gold and painted to resemble the persons' face and placed in a pyramid. They organized the building of the pyramids by hauling each stone up one the and put into the right place.
The Ancient Egyptians believed in the journey to the afterlife. They went to the afterlife in heavenly boats. When they arrived, they lived a life of ease and pleasure, and spent their days eating and drinking with past relatives. Ancient Egyptians believed in Daut, the underworld where the dead made their journey to the afterlife.
There were many jobs in Ancient Egypt. Building pyramids created most of those jobs. For example: motor makers, stone cutters, masons, and carpenters.
The jobs of farmers and scribes did not depend on pyramid building. One of the most important jobs was a scribe. There were several people in this business. They wrote and read important documents and personal letters. This was important because not many people back then learned to read and write.
The most important job for building the pyramids was the job of a stone cutter. It was probably the most physically intense job also. Stone cutters went to rock quarries miles away and brought the stones to the sight of the pyramids.
Motor makers also had an important job. They used a special blend of sand with lime and water to make stones greasy. Without them pyramids would not exist.
Metal makers were important to pyramid building too. They worked on metal tools used for making pyramids. For example cutting tools for carpenters.
Masons built houses for Egyptians. Masons built houses for both the rich and the poor. Like stone cutters and carpenters they used the metal workers tools .
Carpenters were important even though wood was scarce in Egypt. Even though wood they had was of bad quality, they were working for the rich they could get the best wood there was.
Styles in Ancient Egypt didn't change throughout ancient times. Whether they were stylish, that's up to you. Ancient Egyptian clothes were made of linens in range from coarse to fine texture. Men usually wore skirts called kilts. The wealthier men wore pleated ones older men wore longer ones. Women wore straight fitting dresses usually held up by straps. Children usually ran around naked in the summer. In the winter they wore wraps and cloaks. Almost everyone went around barefoot, but some kings wore decorated sandals and gloves. Most styles were chosen based on comfort in Egypt's hot, dry, climate. Men and women wore beaded earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. When making jewelry they used, amethyst, garnet, jasper, and turquoise. The Egyptians were very superstitious they wore amulets, and good luck charms. Some men and women wore wigs. Boys often shaved their head leaving one little braid to the side, while normally girls wore pigtails.
Cleaning was very important to the Ancient Egyptians. Most of them bathed daily. Although they did not use soap they used a cleansing cream made from oil, lime, and perfume which they rubbed in daily to prevent their skin from drying out in the harsh climate. Men, women, and children from all ages and classes wore makeup. Khol was a green eye paint made from malachite (a green mineral) and glena was a lead ore ground in oil. They applied Khol with a small stick. On the upper and lower eyelid they put black paint. Orche was a type of ground clay mixed with water used for fingernails, cheeks, and lips. It was colored orange and yellow. The ancient Egyptians believed that make up healed bad eye sight and it did fight the suns glare.
Ancient Egyptians did a variety of things for entertainment. This is shown through the writing on tomb walls. The most important feature for relaxation was the Nile river. They fished, swam, and hunted for hippopotamuses and crocodiles. One of the most popular games was a game where two pairs of men with long poles and tried to push each other off a boat. The wealthy had big parties with plenty of food, beer and wine, and many entertainers. The Ancient Egyptians loved music. They played instruments like, flute, harp, and lyre. For fun they also played board games. Children played with toys, such as animals carved out of ivory, wooden horses on wheels, and balls. Festivals were held by priests on holidays in honor of their gods.
Over time, Ancient Egyptians organized themselves into the Upper Kingdom and Lower Kingdom. In about 3100 B.C. Mems, the ruler of the Upper Kingdom, conquered the Lower Kingdom's government. Mems became the first ruler of both Upper and Lower Kingdom. To many Ancient Egyptians the pharaohs were considered gods. As a god, a pharaoh was supposed to posses secrets of heaven and earth. They were also responsible for all aspects of life, such as irrigation, directing the army, keeping peace, making laws, control of trade, economy and, land. The pharaoh owned mines, and quarries, so foreign merchants had to deal with royal officials.
Next time you think of Ancient Egypt maybe you'll think of more every day things, such as family life, religion, work, clothes and styles, entertainment, and government. Not everyone was rich and powerful, which is what most resources tell about. Most people were workers for the rich and powerful, and worked very hard on things like pyramids. They were similar to most people today and did every day things.
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