Life in Ancient EgyptNobility and Common People

Pharaohs, Noblemen and FamiliesHomes• Large, expensive homes made of wood and brick• Contained many rooms• Walled gardens• Shrine for favorite god• Furniture was portable• Wooden headrests for pillowsDiet• Goose, meat, figs, dates, pomegranates• Grape and date wineChildren• Girls – singing, dancing and playing• Boys – studying, wrestling, playing army, and playingPets• Monkeys• Dogs• Cats

• Basket – goddess of happiness in the form of a cat• When a cat died, the family shaved their eyebrows

(mourning)• Had cemeteries with mummified cats

Daily Life of the Wealthy• Men

• Busy overseeing merchants trading along the Nile River• Supervised the daily workings of gigantic farms• Priest – some of the most powerful and wealthiest men

• Women• Could own land• Run businesses• Oversaw the households• Treated better than most other civilizations

• Boys of the very wealthy• Taught to read and write to guarantee a successful

future• Girls• Taught domestic skills from their mothers• Some even became doctors

Ordinary People• Homes

• Small mud brick homes – used the roof to cool off at night

• One story, one room with a basement with 4 rooms• Little furniture, if any• Diet• Vegetables, bread, beer, and dried fish

• Daily Life• Difficult for the poor• Worked long hours for the government• Paid with food, clothing and housing• Were looked down upon• Many worked at the necropolis – the place of burial for the

the kings and wealthy• Children – Very little playtime!

• Boys – Learned the trade from their fathers• Girls – Taught to care for the home and family by their

mothers

Clothes – most were linen• Men – Loin cloths or kilts and shirts like our T-shirts• Women – shawls and sheer ankle length dresses (sheaths)• Children – often very young children did not wear clothes.

Boys heads were shaved so only one lock of hair remained. Girls wore pigtails.

• All• Wore make-up to protect their skin from the sun• Wore jewelry• Went barefoot – only wore sandals if necessary• Many adults wore wigs