egyptian society and everyday life

EGYPTIAN SOCIETY AND EVERYDAY LIFE

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION 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 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 PYRAMID

FAMILY STRUCTURES AND HOMES Archaeologists have found combs,

mirrors, and razors, so personal grooming was important

FAMILY STRUCTURES AND HOMES Some men and

women wore dark wigs to protect from the sun or for special occasions

Men and women wore make-up and perfumes, although only women painted their lips and fingernails

FAMILY STRUCTURES AND HOMES 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 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 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

Interior of an upper-class home

FAMILY STRUCTURES AND HOMES 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 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 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 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 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

THE ECONOMY 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 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 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 ARTS 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 Literature developed and included fairy

tales, poems, and stories

Instructions of the Vizier Ptahhotep, 250BCE

THE ARTS Paintings and sculptures were

created for temples and tombs, depicting scenes of daily life and the afterlife

Task:Create a table to take notes on The Old Kingdom, The Middle

Kingdom and the New Kingdom. (31-33)

The Old Kingdom The Middle Kingdom

The New Kingdom