By Bailey M.

I wake up near dawn, for I am a young artisan, so I have

to be at the pharaoh’s tomb early. I don’t mind being an artisan because I make good pay, and I don’t have the responsibilities of a noble. Before I leave I eat a hardy breakfast of figs, dates, bread, butter, and a tall glass of milk to quench my thirst. I then get dressed in my cloth head dress and my knee length loin cloth to shade me from the torrid sun. I then walk to work.

As I Rise

As I arrive at the site of the great pharaoh Angelo’s tomb, I see the

other workers have already begun to work. The watchmen come to me. They say that I am late, and that I will have to work late tonight, and be docked pay. My job there is to create the sarcophagus for the pharaoh. Every day at work I chip away, little by little at the stone to form the cast. When I am finished, I will melt the gold over the stone, and etch the reds, browns, and blacks. Then I gather with the other workers for lunch; bread and fish harvested near the

Nile. I wish that I wasn’t being punished for being

late.

Work

I walk home on my callused feet, for I do not have the

money for a litter to be carried on. By the time I arrive home, dinner is cold. On the table sits a bowl of roasted meats, lentils, and carrots. After I finish my filling meal, I sit down with a glass of beer to wind down. “Abb, will you play senit with me?”

“No Aziza, not tonight.”

“Yalla!”

“No!”

Evening

Before I close my eyes for slumber, I pray to Isis. I pray

that my daughter, Aziza, will have a full and plenty life for eternity, that she may one day overthrow pharaoh Angelo, and that I will have enough money to be embalmed and mummified. Then I lie down on my reed mat, and shut my eyes till dawn.

Gods

Mashi- o.k.

Yalla!- come on!

Leh la’- why not

Abb- father

Umm- mother

Glossary

"Egyptian Baby Names | Meanings and Origins." BabyZone. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2014.

"Ancient Egypt for Kids." Ancient Egypt for Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2014.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2014.

"Ancient Egypt." - Middle School History for Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2014.

"Isis." - Egyptian Goddess. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2014

Bibliography