Daily Life of Ancient Egypt Citizens

The Great River

• Life centered around the Nile River

• Irrigation systems• Brought nutrients to

the soil

• Complex flood patterns• Mathematical skills

required• Advanced planning

required

• River used for travel

Life along the Nile

(A) THE DELTA North of Memphis, the Nile divided into channels, to form a delta. Much of this land was swampy, but the rest was good for farming.

(B) OASIS The Western Desert had a few places where enough water was available for crops to be grown. These were called oases.

(C) THE EASTERN DESERT The Eastern Desert had no oases but it contained valuable minerals, including gold.

(D) THE VALLEY The valley was only 19 km wide but over 5,960 km long.

(E) CATARACTS Ships sailing south were stopped by cataracts (rapids).

The Economy

• The economy centered around the desires of the Pharaoh

• Taxes were collected on crops that were grown, and goods that were made

• Goods were “bartered” or traded

Life of the Working Class

(A) HARVEST When the main crops were ready, nearly everyone - men and women, even priests - helped with the harvest.

(B) MUSIC Musicians played while work went on in the fields. At planting time, magic spells were chanted to make the crops grow.

(C) WINNOWING Women scooped the grain up with wooden trays, letting the chaff blow away while the heavier grain fell to the ground.

(D) TAXES Farmers paid part of their crop as taxes. Scribes kept careful records of the amounts.

(E) CATTLE Young boys helped to look after the livestock. A man's wealth could be judged by the cattle he owned. Farmers also owned sheep, goats, and donkeys.

The Craftman(A) POTTERY Pots of many shapes and sizes were made from local clay. It was shaped by hand in a mold made of stiff sand, given a glaze, and hardened in fire.

(B) GOLD The Egyptians had plenty of gold, mostly from mines in Nubia. Jewellery and gold-plated objects were made. Statues and even a king's coffin were made of solid gold. (C) SANDALS The shoemaker's trade was simple, because the only shoes people wore were sandals, made of leather or papyrus reed. Usually they went barefoot.

(D) WOOD CARVING This man is making a wooden animal. Most woodworking tools, such as saws and chisels, have not changed much since.

The Hierarchy

• Agricultural and Trading opportunities allowed a new Hierarchy to form

• Aristocrats paid wages to others to work for them– Leisure activities– Time to develop

Inventions and skills

– Medicines developed

Life in the City

• Craftsmen, traders, and labourers lived in in cities for convenience

• Large-scale building projects were feasible– Planning– Writing and

Mathematics– New Tools

Sophisticated Structures

(A) RAISING STONE BLOCKSOne of the hardest jobs was moving the heavy stone blocks into place. The builders made huge ramps of earth and dragged the stones up the ramps with ropes.

(B) SUPERVISORSOfficials, who were probably priests, directed the gangs of workmen.

(C) SHAPING THE STONEEach stone was carefully measured and shaped to fit into place.

(D) ACCIDENTSMany workmen were killed or injured, crushed by the heavy stone blocks.

Communication

• System of Writing– Hieroglyphics– Papyrus– Pictographs– Scribes

• Rosetta Stone– Transcribed

Hieroglyphics, Greek, and Demotic

Egyptian Religion

Polytheism - About 2000 gods & goddesses

Next Time: Pharaohs and the Pyramids

TO BE CONTINUED