Ch 9 Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

1. Ch 9 Daily Life in Ancient Egypt • Introduction • Ancient Egypt's Social Pyramid • Government Officials • Priests • Scribes • Artisans • Peasants • Summary

2. Introduction • Life during New Kingdom 1600 - 1100 BCE • Opet Festival • Nile flooded its banks • People honored the pharaoh and his patron, the god Amon-Re • statue of god decorated with jewelry by priests • Placed statue in shrine and shrine on a ceremonial boat, barque • boat made by craftspeople • Barque carried by high government officials • Peasant farmers watched the procession • Scribes recorded the celebration • Social Classes

3. Ancient Egypt's Social Pyramid • Egypt's Social Classes • Pharaoh at the top • supreme ruler • Egyptian religion strengthened authority • Viewed as gods • Word was law • Government officials • carried out pharaoh's orders • came from noble families • powerful and wealthy • high quality of life • Priests • in charge of temples and religious rituals • oversaw ceremonies surrounding death and burial • scribes • recorded information for government and religious leaders • required many years of schooling • artisans • Included carpenters, metal-workers, painters, sculptors, and stone carvers • highly skilled • little social statue • peasants • largest social class • worked the land • worked on pharaoh's massive building projects • Life in Egypt's Social Classes • little chance to move to a higher class • Family life • married within social group • children highly valued • Men and women had different roles • men • heads of households • worked to support family • trained sons to take their line of work • women • managed home • raised children • servants or slaves helped noblewomen • had more freedom and rights than most women in ancient world • could own land and run businesses • ask for divorces • represent themselves in legal matters • In middle and upper classes women might be doctors, government officials or priestesses

4. Government Officials • Important government officials • Assisted pharaoh in role as supreme ruler • Came from Pharaoh's family or upper-class families • Most inherited their positions • Trusted servants from the royal court sometimes rose to power • Vizier • more power than anyone except the pharaoh • advised pharaoh • carried out his commands • appointed and supervised other officials • Chief judge • expected to be fair and not show partiality • In works of art shown wearing white, the color of neutrality • Chief treasurer • looked after government's wealth • collect taxes • taxes were in the form of grain, cows, cloth, silver, and beer • General of the armies • advised the pharaoh in matters of war and national security • protected Egypt's borders • Helped the pharaoh make alliances with other kingdoms • Lives of luxury • Demonstrated by lavish banquets • host provided the best food • Guests dressed in fine linen clothing • Men and women wore perfume • Guests offered long blessings • Men and women sat on opposite sides of the room • important guests were given chairs with high backs • Normal seating was on stools or cushions • Servants, mostly women, waited on guests • Ate with fingers • entertainment provided while guests ate • most musicians were women

5. Priests • The duties of priests • High priest • advised the pharaoh and oversaw all religious ceremonies • temple priests • in charge of temples • took care of the god of the temple • god was thought to live in a statue • statue housed in a holy room, sanctuary • priests would purify or cleanse themselves • avoided certain foods such as fish • bath three or four times a day in holy pools • shave off body hair • wear clothes made of linen • Women • allowed to be priestesses • equal to male priests • oversaw temples that were devoted to music and dancing • other priests • Gave advice and performed healings • The priests' role in burial practices • Egyptians believed in life after death • Embalming • Removed body organs • brain, lungs, liver • packed in jars to preserve them • brain pulled out through nostrils • heart left in body • gods used the heart to judge a dead person's soul • Dried out with a special salt called natron • After 70 days • embalmers washed and oiled the body • wrapped it in hundreds of yards of linen • decorated the wrapped body with jewelry and protective charms • may place a mask over the head • spread a black gooey gum over the body and wrapped it a final time • Burial • mummy placed in a wooden box • Wooden box placed inside a large stone coffin, sarcophagus • Buried with things needed in the after-life

6. Scribes • Scribe Schools • Not an easy life • classes lasted from dawn until sunset • teachers were strict • Teachers were harsh • length of training • School began around age 5 • Spent 12 years or more learning hieroglyphs • What they learned • Had to memorize over 700 hieroglyphs • practiced writing on pieces of wood, flakes of stone, and broken bits of pottery • When good enough, allowed to write on papyrus • Who attended • Students came from artisan or merchant families • very few came from peasant class • Teachers • Run by priests • Only men could be scribes • The Work of the Scribes • Types of records • records of grain and food supply • government census • calculated and collected taxes • recorded court cases • helped enforce laws • kept track of army soldiers and food supply • kept track of the number of enemies killed in battle • Tools • finely sharpened reeds were used for pens • paper was a sheet of papyrus • Invented by Egyptians • Process of production • cut the inner part of the papyrus plant into strips • soaked the strips in water for several days • Laid the strips out in a crisscross pattern between two sheets of cloth • Strips were pressed until cloth absorbed the water • Strips pressed one more time to form a sheet of paper. • tablets were made of wood or stone • Red and black ink • small container of water • Position in society • highly respected and well paid • one level below priests in the social pyramid • worked for the government

7. Artisans • Position in Society • Below the scribes • Highly skilled laborers • rarely got respect • Types of Artisans • Included carpenters, jewelers, leatherworkers, metal-workers, painters, potters, sculptors, and weavers • Usually men • Some women wove fabric, beaded clothing, and made perfume • Stone Carvers • Most skilled • produced statues, engravings, and reliefs • played important role in tomb building • Equipped the tombs with artwork to honor and preserve the dead • hard, time-consuming work • Tools • Granite • dolerite, to pound out the object's initial shape • stone tools and copper chisels • quartz sand for smoothing and polishing • The Daily Life and Work of Artisans • Homes • modest homes • rectangular and around 10 yards long • three rooms • work room or used to house animals • living room • kitchen/bedroom • roof • sometimes used as a place to work or sleep • Working conditions • Worked in large workshops • worked for 10 days at a time • depended entirely on employers for food • May go hungry when food in short supply • Worked in large groups on royal projects • Recognition • viewed as common laborers • almost never allowed to sign their work • Employers may have honored them with a banquet or they could portray themselves in a painting or an engraving

8. Peasants • Position in Society • lowest and largest class • unskilled laborers • grew crops that supplied everyone with food • helped build monuments like the pyramids • The Three Seasons of the Nile • Flooding season • June to September • Nile overran its banks and fertilized the fields • Worked on royal projects • Planting season • October • sowed fields with seeds • biggest crops were wheat and barley , used to make bread and beer • Worked in pairs • One plowed the earth • second person scattered the seeds • Harvest season • March • entire family helped with the harvest • men cut plants with sickles • women and children gather the stalks of grain • worked from dawn to dusk • Sang songs to make the long hours go quickly • Musicians might play in the fields • The Daily Lives of Peasants • Houses • made of mud bricks • furniture limited to woven mats • Diet • onions, cucumbers, fish, homemade bread, water or beer • peas and lentils common • rarely ate meat • during famine - boiled papyrus plants for food • Recreation • river game - knocking each other off of papyrus rafts • holidays celebrated before planting and after the harvest • Took part in festivals honoring Egyptian gods • After Harvest • allowed to gather up leftover grain from the harvest • paid taxes in the form of crops • If taxes weren't paid, farmers were beaten

9. Summary • Social Pyramid • Work and daily lives