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The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies

City Life in Ancient Egypt

The civilization of ancient Egypt, located in eastern North Africa, flourished for approximately 3,000 years. The ancient Egyptians lived on a narrow strip of land located along the lower reaches of the Nile River. The Nile River was a central part of the lives of ancient Egyptians, who used it for farming, bathing, and recreation.

——Background & History——

The Nile River

Life in ancient Egypt revolved around the Nile River. The ability of the ancient Egyptians to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River helped them survive in the harsh, desert landscape of Egypt. The ancient Egyptians used the Nile River for agricultural purposes, and the annual flooding of the river provided the surrounding land with much-needed water for crops. They were able to predict the flooding, which occurred around the time of the summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest, and lasted for 100 days.

The ancient Egyptians also used the waters of the Nile River for drinking, bathing, and fishing. The river had an abundant supply of tilapia, catfish, and Nile perch. The Nile River was also a primary source of recreation, and the ancient Egyptians used it for boating, swimming, and playing games.

Food

The primary food in the Egyptian diet was grain because it flourished and had a long shelf life. The Egyptians used clay ovens to bake bread, which was a staple in their diet. They flavored the bread with honey, herbs, and fruit. Other important foods in the Egyptian diet were fish, fruit, and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables could be grown year-round in Egypt because of the hot climate and irrigation canals. Some of the fruits and vegetables that were grown in Egypt included grapes, figs, melons, leeks, onions, and cucumbers.

Eating fish was looked down upon by some members of the aristocracy, but fish remained a staple in the diet of most Egyptians. They prepared fish by drying, roasting, boiling, and frying it. Commoners only ate meat on special occasions, while wealthier Egyptians could afford to eat meat at every meal. Types of meat that Egyptians ate included goose, pork, duck, and mutton. Beef was expensive, as it was difficult to graze cattle on the arid land in Egypt. Wealthy Egyptians also drank wine (usually diluted with water) and ate a lot of imported food. Most Egyptians drank beer as a meal-time beverage, and it was also used in religious ceremonies.

Homes

Because the ancient Egyptians relied on the Nile River for survival, it influenced all facets of life, including housing. The Egyptians transported mud from the river banks, dried it in the sun, and then used it to make bricks for building their homes. They built their homes in proximity to the river but built them high in order to avoid the annual flooding of the Nile. Egyptian city dwellers typically prepared and ate food and slept on the roofs of their homes. The homes of wealthy Egyptians were large, typically two to three stories high.

Appearance

Appearance was very important to ancient Egyptians, and one’s social status could be judged solely on appearance. Men wore their hair short, with their ears visible. During the Old Kingdom, women preferred short hair styles and chin-length bobs; in the New Kingdom, women preferred to wear their hair long and decorated it with linen ribbons and flowers. In some cases, both men and women shaved their heads bald and used wigs. They did this to avoid the danger of lice infestation and to keep cool in the hot Egyptian climate.

All ancient Egyptians, including males and servants, wore makeup and perfume. Eye makeup was particularly popular. Ground mineral pigments were mixed with animal fats or oils in order to create makeup. The most commonly used colors of eye makeup were green, made from ground malachite, and black, most often made from ground stibnite. Oils and creams were applied to keep the skin soft and supple and protect it from the dry, sandy winds and sun.

Clothing was generally made of linen derived from the flax plant and decorated with pleats. Men wore kilts that were tied at the waist, and women wore sheath dresses. Children did not wear clothing in hot weather. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, armlets, anklets, and rings were common accessories.

Marriage & Family Life

Marriage was considered a sacred bond in ancient Egypt and children were considered a blessing. Polygamy (the practice of having multiple spouses) was not common in Egypt. Though the pharaohs, or kings, sometimes had several wives for the purpose of producing an heir to the throne, commoners typically only had one spouse. Egyptian girls were expected to marry at the child-bearing age of twelve or thirteen, and they were expected to have a child within the first year of marriage. Pregnancy was a celebrated condition in ancient Egypt, even if the pregnant woman was unmarried.

Women were in charge of household duties. In wealthier homes, servants were hired to help with day-to-day tasks. From the age of five, boys from wealthy families went to school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. Boys from poor families went to work with their fathers to learn their trade. Girls stayed home, where some learned how to read and write. From the age of four, girls were typically taught by their mothers to cook, sew, and manage other domestic duties.

Occupations

Agriculture was the center of the ancient Egyptian economy. Egyptian farmers cultivated a wide array of crops. The prosperity of ancient Egypt can be attributed to the bountiful food resources provided by the fertile soil of the Nile floodplain. The lower classes of ancient Egypt farmed, raised livestock, hunted, and engaged in other agrarian activities.

According to archaeological evidence, the Egyptians traded up and down the Nile River. Trade enabled the ancient Egyptian civilization to flourish. The early tribes that engaged in trade eventually united into chiefdoms for protection and strength. The pharaoh, or king, ruled over all of these chiefdoms.

During the pharaonic period of ancient Egypt, enormous monuments, pyramids, tombs, and temples were erected in ancient Egyptian cities in order to immortalize the pharaohs. A large workforce was required in order to build these structures. Farmers had to produce enough crops in order to feed the workers, and craftsmen, such as architects, scribes, and sculptors, contributed their skills to the building effort. Scribes, in particular, were considered important in ancient Egyptian society. They mastered over 700 hieroglyphs (ancient Egyptian letters and numbers) and served as record keepers, tax collectors, and sometimes as architects.

Ancient Egyptians were masters of stone carving and metalworking. They mined gold and copper, which they used to fashion jewelry, forge weapons and tools, and build statues and other objects. They also quarried various types of stone, such as limestone, granite, and calcite, which served as material for architectural projects. The ancient Egyptians were also known throughout the ancient world for their tin-glazed pottery and glass production.

Women in ancient Egypt were allowed to work outside of the home and even had the right to buy and sell property. Lower-class women worked as dancers and musicians at temples and religious festivals. They also worked as maidservants (nannies or maids) in homes of wealthy families. Some women operated businesses from home, such as perfume and linen manufacturing businesses. Professional women worked as physicians, midwives, overseers, and directors of performance troupes.

Religion

The ancient Egyptians were a religious people. As an agricultural society, the Egyptians depended on the cyclical nature of the Nile River’s flooding and the seasonal weather in order to produce their crops. Their dependence on nature likely influenced their religious beliefs; the earliest religious cults in ancient Egypt worshipped the sun and nature.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped multiple deities that represented different forces in nature. They prayed and provided offerings in order to appease or honor these deities. They buried the dead in the West Bank of the Nile River because they believed that the underworld was located in the west, where the sun went down.

—Cultural & Historical Impact—

Cities in Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian cities were centers of social development and culture, helping ancient Egypt to become one of the most advanced civilizations in the ancient world. In ancient Egyptian cities, monumental pyramids and temples were built, an effective system of medicine was developed, a lasting legacy of art and literature was created, and complex irrigation systems were constructed. Scholars believe that the first writing system was developed in ancient Egypt in order to record the rainfalls and harvests.

Impact on the Ancient World

The ancient Egyptians provided the ancient world with several important innovations and contributions. The ancient Greeks credited the ancient Egyptians with making groundbreaking discoveries in early science, philosophy, and art. The Greeks were influenced by the architecture and sculpture of Egypt as well. Medicine in ancient Egypt was also highly advanced for its time. Some of the earliest known medical texts relating to surgery, dentistry, and veterinary medicine came from ancient Egypt.

Impact on Modern Society

Egyptology, or the study of ancient Egypt, has become a major field of archaeology. As one of the most highly advanced and enduring civilizations in the ancient world, ancient Egypt has captured the attention of numerous scholars, who have devoted their lives to uncovering and interpreting evidence of the life and achievements of ancient Egyptians. Egyptologists have been able to piece together the myths and history of Egypt by studying pictograms, hieroglyphics, artifacts buried in tombs, and murals found in ancient monuments, all of which reveal a great deal about ancient Egyptian society.

Egyptian architecture has prominently influenced modern architecture. The Washington Monument was modeled after the ancient Egyptian obelisk, an architectural feature used in many temples. Other ancient Egyptian architectural features that have influenced the construction of modern buildings (such as office and government buildings and museums) include columns, the figured relief, and temple pylons.

———Interesting Facts———

  • In ancient Egypt, it was the responsibility of each household to dump its waste. Some homes had waste disposal areas but the majority of ancient Egyptians dumped their waste into irrigation canals, which served as community dumps. As a result, the irrigation canals became a breeding ground for bacteria and disease.

  • Female physicians in ancient Egypt typically worked as gynecologists. They were skilled enough to surgically remove cancerous breasts and perform cesarean sections.

  • The infant mortality rate in ancient Egypt was very high—estimated at about 60 to 70 percent. Children who managed to survive their first year of life were considered a blessing in ancient Egyptian culture.

  • In ancient Egypt, facial hair was considered a sign of poor hygiene. Exceptions to this were men’s thin moustaches and goatees.

  • Mathematical texts from ancient Egypt that have been unearthed reveal that the Egyptians understood advanced mathematics. Such knowledge enabled them to build pyramids and other complex structures.

  • Historians believe that as little as 1 percent of the ancient Egyptian population was literate. Nonetheless, writing was a very important aspect of ancient Egyptian culture. Egyptian hieroglyphs may have represented the first human attempt at writing.

————Bibliography————

1 

Kemp, Barry J. Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization. New York: Routledge, 2006. This fully illustrated book does not offer a historical overview, but rather it provides interesting historical information based on archaeological evidence and data.

2 

Mertz, Barbara. Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1990. This fun-to-read book offers unique glimpses into everyday ancient Egyptian life without verbose prose and academic writing.

3 

Silverman, David P. Ancient Egypt. Oxford, UK: Oxford UP, 1997. Silverman joined with twelve scholars to deliver this extensive overview of ancient Egyptian culture, which includes 200 color art pieces and photos of architecture and tombs.

4 

White, John Ewback Manchip. Ancient Egypt: Its Culture and History. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1970. White’s work is a comprehensive introduction to Egyptology that details the daily life, social and political structure, religion, medicine, and other important aspects of ancient Egyptian society.

5 

Wilson, John A. The Culture of Ancient Egypt. Chicago, IL: U of Chicago P, 1951. While outdated, the book is written in a flowing, easy style and provides an in-depth and accessible overview of ancient Egyptian culture.

—Kathleen O’Connor

————Works Cited————

6 

Silverman, David P. Ancient Egypt. Oxford, UK: Oxford UP, 1997.

7 

“Social Life.” Egypt throughout the Ages. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 21 Aug. 2000. Web. 27 Aug. 2016. <http://people.csail.mit.edu/hanna/Egypt/index18.html>.

8 

White, John Ewback Manchip. Ancient Egypt: Its Culture and History. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1970.

9 

Wilson, John A. The culture of Ancient Egypt. Chicago, IL: U of Chicago P, 1951.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
"City Life In Ancient Egypt." The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, edited by Shally-Jensen Michael, Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_1258.
APA 7th
City Life in Ancient Egypt. The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, In S. Michael (Ed.), Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_1258.
CMOS 17th
"City Life In Ancient Egypt." The Ancient World: Extraordinary People in Extraordinary Societies, Edited by Shally-Jensen Michael. Salem Press, 2016. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CWEP_1258.