When we consider the fact that Ancient Egyptian
culture existed for almost three millennia from the Bronze Age to well into the Imperial Roman
era, it should come as no surprise that so many people around the world are fascinated
by Egyptology. However, the majority of the artifacts, temples and monuments discovered
since Napoleon started what is now known as Egyptomania, mostly tell the story of the royal
family and the elite. Today we will delve into the lives of the people who build the foundations of
this great civilization - this is the world of the sponsor of this video Pharaoh: A New Era.
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One of the most popular nicknames for the Ancient Egyptian civilisation is the gift
of the river Nile, one which they themselves would certainly agree with. For millennia,
the longest river in the world was synonymous with life itself, according to their beliefs.
Its incredibly predictable seasonal flooding gave the Egyptians the means for sustenance, housing,
clothing, bathing, writing and transportation. Amidst the desert, this river allowed one of
the greatest cultures to flourish. While it is remembered for its colossal monuments,
mystical pharaohs and colorful pantheon, it was built on the backs of some of the
hardest-working people in the ancient world. For the tip of the pyramid to rise so high,
it needed the support of numerous large stones at its foundation, likewise, 90% of the agrarian
Ancient Egyptian society was made up of what we would consider peasants, working from dawn to dusk
the middle class of craftsmen and artisans? That is the question we will attempt to answer today.
The life of most people in Egypt was tied to the three seasons, dictated by the river Nile.
During Akhet or Flood, starting at the end of July, the river overflowed and brought prosperity
and fertility to the ground. While the fields were flooded, the people either repaired their
tools or worked on massive building projects for a wage. The Pyramids and many other structures were
built utilizing such a draft. Then between January and May came the time for sowing,
during the season of emergence or Peret. As the water levels dropped, many fish and thick layers
of silt were left behind. This muddy sediment, packed with nutrients, supercharged the soil,
allowing the growth of an abundance of crops. Nowhere else in the world could a culture find
such rich soil without the use of fertilizer. The silt was also baked into mud bricks, which was the
main building material for most houses people lived in. Egyptian families lived and worked on
the lands close to the river, lent to them by the state or priests. The women sowed the seeds while
the men behind them plowed the field by hand or with the help of cows and oxen. Afterwards,
a herd of sheep would pass through and bury the seeds deep into the soil. The last season was
called Shemu, meaning low water and was the time for harvest. It lasted between May and September,
and during that period, the farmers gathered their produce. Since there was almost no rain, small
irrigation canals had to be dug and repaired, which usually happened around this season as well.
The main crops that were cultivated were mostly cereals such as barley and wheat,
but the Egyptians also had access to vegetables such as leeks, onions, cucumbers, radishes,
beans, garlic and chickpeas. Fruits such as figs, dates, grapes and melons were indigenous, and more
species were brought by invaders and merchants from abroad, including almonds, cherries, peaches,
pears, apples, pomegranates and watermelons. Clothes were almost exclusively made of linen,
which was a fabric suitable for the hot and arid weather, and linen was made by harvesting flax.
Papyrus, which was used for writing, also relied on the flooding of the river, as did the well
developed fishing industry. Last, but certainly not least, the Nile flowed north, but the winds
blew south, which turned it into a highway. Most families owned wooden boats or skiffs, allowing
them to travel great distances. Larger ships could carry huge cargos or giant stones, used
in construction sites, with the ship following on the current north and sailing back south.
In fact the oldest sail in the world dated to 3100 BC are found in Egypt.
Considering this incredibly strong tie between the people and the river, it is easy to understand why
the Ancient Egyptians put so much emphasis on balance. Practicality aside, the Nile had an
enormous symbolic role on this society, while the sun is pulled by a chariot in many other
mythologies, the Egyptians portrayed it as sailing on a boat, religious processions were made on the
river with onlookers on either side, and the river is also an integral part of the creation myth.
The gift of the gods brought a plentiful harvest, which represented a lot more than food,
since Ancient Egypt based their currency on grain. For almost three thousand years, this prosperous
culture never minted coins, instead using a special type of barter system, based around
the deben which, according to historian James C. Thompson, "functioned much as the dollar.
Since seventy-five litters of wheat cost one deben and a pair of sandals also cost one deben,
it made perfect sense to the Egyptians that a pair of sandals could be purchased with a bag of
wheat as easily as with a chunk of copper. Even if the sandal maker had more than enough wheat,
she would happily accept it in payment because it could easily be exchanged for something else.
The most common items used to make purchases were wheat, barley, and cooking or lamp oil,
but in theory almost anything would do.” But if the crops a family harvested were
essentially their salary, this meant that storage was a very important issue.
State compensations were also paid in grain, which was usually stored in temples. As for the everyday
ancient Egyptian his crops had to be protected by scarecrows and the small granary had to be guarded
by, you guessed it, an adorable little cat. Egypt is known for its symbiotic relationship with cats,
which were lured with treats towards the granary silos, where the small hunters prevented rats from
spreading disease and spoiling the grains. Cats also made excellent pets, used for hunting cobras.
Herodotus, who went to Egypt during the 5th century BC, emphasized that “domestic animals were
abundant” and recorded that the death of a pet was met with great sorrow by the entire house: “They
plucked their eyebrows in distress when their cat died, and they shaved the entire body, including
the head, if it was a dog that died”. Some of the more well-off citizens also kept baboons, who made
great companions and helped with fruit harvesting. It is also true that many cats were mummified and
placed in the tombs alongside their owners, but the majority of mummified cats that archeologists
discovered were actually specifically bred to be killed, mummified and then sold in zoo shops.
Egyptians who wanted to give tribute to Bastet, the goddess of protection and fertility,
bought these pre-mummified cats, similarly to how Romans sacrificed live animals.
Other zoo shops also sold pre-mummified Fish, Mice, Crocodiles, Snakes and birds, depending on
the deities people wanted to give tribute to. Once the family had secured its harvest,
it was either processed, traded or consumed. Both the rich and the poor ate twice a day,
once at dawn and once in the evening. For the lower social classes, breakfast usually
consisted of bread, a jug of beer and some onions to start the day. Beer and bread were abundant in
Egyptian households and tombs, with a wide variety of selections. The bread was baked in nearly every
house, using ceramic moulds. The simplest bread was made with flour, water and salt,
but some added honey and dates or made it in the form of figures like gingerbread men.
The production of beer, on the other hand, was closely monitored by the state, with specific
instructions on how to prepare the drink invented by Osiris himself. Its container featured labels
detailing the year it was made, the region of origin and the brewery; these labels were even
more specific regarding wines. Beer also had many different varieties, from sweet to strong, but
most people drank it in the form of what we could consider a thick soup. The beverage was consumed
with a straw by every member of the family, including children, since its weak alcoholic
content was enough to kill most bacteria, making it far safer than water from the Nile.
For dinner, the family would gather in the mudbrick house, featuring small windows on the
top, which kept the home cool in the summer. There the adults would eat on small tables,
while the children would sit on pillows and eat off the floor.
Bread and beer were as usual on the menu, but this time there was a wide selection of vegetables,
small birds, fish, eggs and for dessert fruits and cakes. Here the focus was on quantity,
not quality, as the abundance of resources led to a not-so-intricate cuisine compared to places like
ancient Greece and Rome. This mostly vegetarian diet yielded around 3800 calories a day,
almost twice the recommended daily amount, especially considering that ancient Egyptians
were shorter. However, it was a necessity to support their extremely laborious lifestyle.
Discounting the rare instances of famine, nobody in Egypt starved, as the communal
mentality led to cooperation amongst the different households, which lived very close to each other.
Every member of the society was seen as an important part that kept daily life going,
and except for the priests and scribes, everyone worked difficult and dangerous
jobs under the desert sun. Those who caught fish, bathed or washed clothes faced the
constant threat of snakes, crocodiles and, worst of all, hippos. We know of at least
one Pharaoh who died of a hippo attack, and even King Tut himself was maimed by another.
Builders, craftsmen, carpenters, blacksmiths, bricklayers, chariot makers, miners and those
who worked in the quarries were often injured, but each one was a valued member of society.
The lucky few who could become priests or scribes needed to be literate, and since Egypt provided no
benefits or education for the lower classes, that was not easy. In fact, only between 5-10%, almost
exclusively men, were literate and could hope for an easier life. Social mobility, or the ability
to climb the pyramid, was virtually non-existent. Daughters were expected to marry and maintain the
household, and boys were to pick up their father’s trade. While arguably the most famous pharaoh is
a woman, Cleopatra was merely one of the five female pharaohs in the nearly three millennia-old
history of Ancient Egypt, the other four being: Sobekneferu, Hatshepsut, Twosret and Nefertiti.
That being said, Ancient Egyptian women had significantly more rights than their
counterparts in the rest of the Mediterranean world for perhaps a few thousand years.
Once again a perplexed Herodotus recounts: “Women attend market and are employed in trade,
while men stay at home and do the weaving.” Indeed, women could own a business,
didn’t require an escort, received inheritance and had the ability to divorce, with later dynasties
giving compensation to the woman if the man wronged her, which in some cases amounted to ⅔
of their belongings. Speaking of rights and social classes it is very important to note that the role
of slaves in ancient Egyptian society has been gravely exaggerated. While they did exist, they
made a very small portion of the population and they most certainly did not build the Pyramids.
Anyway, back to the topic of love and marriage. Many beautiful songs and poems remain,
at least 50 from the New Kingdom period alone and many inscriptions tell the romantic stories of
Egyptian couples who loved each other in both prosperous and difficult times. Ptah-hotep,
a minister of the 5th dynasty writes: “Marry and love your wife more than the whole world.
Give her plenty of food and beautiful dresses, soak her with your perfumes and make her happy
until death. The woman is a good field for its owner, but you have to know how to cultivate it.”
After courting a woman, the man would go over to her house and present a bundle,
a symbol showing his status and most precious possessions, inviting her to live with him. If
she agreed then the two were officially married, without the need of any religious or judicial
intervention or oversight. There were a number of customs associated with the wedding, performed in
one of the favorite Egyptian pastimes: the banquet, one of which included the exchange
of a ring, symbolizing the eternal bond between the two lovers. These large gatherings were the
glue that tied the community together, where they would sing, dance, perform rituals and celebrate.
The state also held many banquets and festivals on specific holidays, connected to certain deities.
Female musicians played lutes, rattles, trumpets, flutes, drums and
harps and pairs of singers from both genders performed beautiful songs for the audience.
This was also an opportunity to show off their highly decorative clothes, shoes and hairstyles.
To say that the Ancient Egyptians were obsessed with how they looked would be an understatement.
This was a culture that believed that the body passed on to the afterlife in its exact form,
so every member of each social class went out of their way to present themselves at their best.
Beautiful white linen clothes, which followed the curvature of the body tightly,
were very hard to dye, but accessories and jewelry were a must on big occasions.
Bracelets and amulets were very large, featuring precious stones like lapis lazuli, carnelian,
and turquoise and metals such as copper, silver and gold. Colors had significant meanings and one
would make a grave mistake to wear white sandals, a symbol of purity in funeral rites, to a party.
We mostly know of all of these details because the clothes, jewels, perfumes and cosmetics
were all applied to the mummified bodies we have discovered, but these Egyptians were as fascinated
with life as they were with death, since they believed they were part of the same journey.
When they weren’t working, families enjoyed leisure time in many different forms. They
hunted lions, leopards and wild animals alongside their pets, hunted birds with boomerangs or fished
with harpoons as a family. They played sports such as wrestling, stick fighting, archery,
javelin throwing, swimming, rowing and their own version of hockey. Children and adults
alike played board games like Senet or Mehen or games of chance where they threw sticks or dice.
These are just some of the parts of everyday life for most people and the most fascinating thing
about this culture is that most of the things we described in this video went on for almost three
millennia with very little change. Egypt was a land of plenty and tradition, when their time
came, embalmers used meteoric tools in order to preserve the bodies of the dead, so they may enjoy
an afterlife, surrounded by all of the mundane and favorite items, from tools to perfumes.
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