Daily Life, Gender Roles, and Education in Ancient Egypt

1. Daily Life, Gender Roles, and Education in Ancient Egypt

2. Homes • Close to the Nile • Made of mud bricks • Usually 2-3 storeys high to avoid flooding • Few pieces of furniture • Outdoor kitchens • Upper levels were used as living space • Size and complexity of homes depended on wealth

3. Homes • Had small windows to keep homes cool • The wealthy could afford to have houses built of stone Which is the home of a wealthy Egyptian?

4. Food & Agriculture • Depended on crops • Wheat and barley used to make beer and bread • Flax for linen • Annual flooding of Nile provided fertile soil • Vegetables such as onions, leeks, lettuce, and peas were grown • Wine • Dates and figs from trees • Ate beef, pork, mutton, fowl and wild game meat • The commoners ate fish as a substitution for meat

5. Leisure Activities • Plays held in temples • Fishing, swimming, and games in river • Noblemen would hunt game and fowl • The wealthy held parties • Pets • Reading

6. Leisure Activities • Board games such as Hounds, Jackals, and Senet • Rules of board games are unclear, but are found in tombs • Children had toy animals carved out of wood and ivory

7. Education All children received education, whether or not they were from a rich family Unprivileged children were educated in trades Privileged children received formal education A scribe student’s homework

8. Education Unprivileged children began education at age 14 Boys learned trades from fathers Girls learned housekeeping from mothers For example, parents hoped children could become tomb builders If not, they had to leave their village and find work elsewhere Metal-working… one of many trades

9. Education Sons of Pharaohs, priestsand other privileged familieswent to scribe school at age 5 Consisted of copying texts and reciting lessons Scribes also educated in math Near end of scribal education,scribes went to vocational schoolsrun by the government, army ortemples, etc. Would receive training for specificjobs such as tax assessing Statue of a scribe

10. Education Egyptians believed in stability through education Taught children manners and to be contributing members of society Literacy was vital to bureaucratic Egypt Scribes kept records such as taxes and inventories, and ritual practices and medicines

11. Gender Roles (Family) • For the ancient Egyptians, the prime purpose of marriage was to establish a family. • A suitable age for men to be married is at the age of 20. • The wife would be even younger, according to the teachings of the scribe Onkhsheshonqy. • Parents were considered as the source of life for the children. • They deserve respect and honour.

12. Gender Roles (Women) • Women took care of the daily needs of their family. • Pregnancy was important to the ancient Egyptian women, because they gained the respect of society and the approval from their husbands. • Even though the society was mostly dominated by men, the women still enjoyed quite a bit of their freedom, because the men did not have it all their way. • Aside from taking care of the family, women were also involved in the society, and they could conclude any kind of legal settlement.

13. Gender Roles (Men) • Egypt’s society was typically male-dominated. • Men hunted animals such as antelope, hares, and lions in the low deserts in Egypt. • The father was responsible for the economic well-being of the family. • Upper-class men often became scribes or priests. • Lower-class man often were farmers, hunters, potters, or craftsmen.

14. Gender Roles (Children) • Children were considered as the link with the future generations. • They were also expected to reciprocate the care they received from their parents, mainly their mother. • Children were expected to take good care of their parents in their old age, and also to carry out the principal roles in their funerary rights when they died. • The eldest son in particular was sometimes referred to as the “staff of old age”, who would look after the aged parents and take over his father’s work.

15. Bibliography • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Pyramids, Mummies & Daily Life. 17 Oct 2006 <http://www.clevelandart.org/kids/egypt/roseff.html> • Dollinger, André. Aspects of Life in Ancient Egypt. 17 Oct 2006 <http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/index.html> • Division of Education.Life in Ancient Egypt. 23 Jan. 2006. 18 Oct. 2006 <http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/egypt/guide.htm.> • Dollinger, André. Gender Roles. 12 Jan. 2006. 17 Oct. 2006 <http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/people/gender.htm> • Stead, Miriam. Egyptian Life. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1986 • Hawass, Zahi. Women in Pharaonic Egypt. Italy, 2000 • Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. Mysteries of Egypt – Egyptian Civilization. 17 Oct 2006 <http://www.civilization.ca/CIVIL/EGYPT/egcivile.html> • St. Petersburg Times. Egypt : Daily Life. 17 Oct 2006 <http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.2.html> • Hart, George. Eyewitness Books: Ancient Egypt. Toronto: Stoddart Publishing Co. Limited, 1990. • Stead, Miriam. Egyptian Life. Cambridge, Massachussets: Harvard University Press, 1986. • Newman, Garfield. Echoes from the Past: World History to the 16th Century. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2001. • The British Museum. Ancient Egypt - Writing. 17 Oct. 2006 <http://ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/explore/main.html>. • The British Museum. Ancient Egypt - Trades. 17 Oct. 2006 <http://ancientegypt.co.uk/trade/story/main.html>.