Ancient Egyptian Lifestyle
Ancient Egyptian
Lifestyle
by Samahra, Gregory, and Kyrstin
Food
Beer was the most popular drink in
Egypt. It was made from bread. Milk was a prized beverage.
The Egyptians grew the following
fruits and vegetables: pomegrantes, onions, leeks, beans, garlic,
lentils, chick peas, and more.
Some of the meat the Egyptians ate
were fish, beef, antelope, and gazelle. They never ate pork
because they believed it wasn't clean. Meat was cooked over an
open fire.
The average Egyptian ate three
times a day, the Royal Egyptians ate five times a day.
Food was very important to
Egyptians, they believed the dead needed food just like humans.
Religion
Religion was very important to the
early Egyptians. They worshipped hundreds of gods. Most of the
gods were represented by animals. Because there were so many it
was difficult to tell who was who. Not only because there were so
many, but because some temples had different meanings for an
animal. For example, a baboon could stand for Thoth at one temple
and a moon god at another. Lots of Egyptians used religious magic
to ease their problems.
The early Egyptians wrote about
the heart. They said it speaks out from the back of the head and
also the hands.
The early Egyptians suffered a lot
of eye disorders and tumors, just like some people do today.
Animals
There were lots of animals in
Egypt such as birds, reptiles, fish, lions, hyenas, bulls,
camels, and antelope. You could see crocodiles and hippos on the
Nile.
Animal symbols were used for
hieroglyphics, which was their written form of communication.
The male hippo was believed to be
evil because he was associated with Set, the God of Violence.
The lion represented strength and
determination, the crocodile symbolizes the God Sobek, a ram with
curly horns could represent Amun-Re, the king of gods.
Gods
These are some of the Gods of
Ancient Egypt:
Re - The God of Sun
Amun - The God of Air / The God of
Thebes
Osiris - The God of All Dead
Anubis - Is a jackal headed God of
the Dead
Bast - Cat Goddess
Bes - A dwarf God with a lion's
face, he is God of the Home
Geb - The God of Earth
Set - The God of Violence. Set
killed his brother Osiris.
Hapy - Nile God shown with heavy
breasts.
Hathor - Cow headed God of
Happiness.
Transportation
The ancient Egyptians travelled
place to place mainly by water. The Nile River was the main
highway. They could get to almost any part of Egypt by the Nile.
Usually, short trips were made on foot of by donkeys. While
wealthy people were often carried around in special chairs.
Ships varied in size, shape, and
construction. Small boast were usually made of papyrus reeds tied
together in bundles. These were called canoes. These boats were
used for fishing and some short trips. Large boats were used for
trading expeditions and warfare. The large boats had hulls made
of timber. In the centre of the boat sat the oarsmen. They rowed
together in time to a flute, gong, or a rattle. some of the
larger boats needed forty of fifty oarsmen. Smaller boats needed
only two of three. The boats were steered by a rudder. Some boats
had sails. Boats travelling southward had the north wind to help
them.
In order to move freight large
rafts or barges were used. There were especially used during
floods.
Once a year the pharaoh would go
to his or her own barge and travel the Nile to check the entire
country. On land they would ride in a chair held on pole-bearers
shoulders. They did this because that is where they could see the
granaries, fisheries, and areas for farming.
Childhood
In ancient Egypt children were
blessed. They were blessed so much that a couple who could not
have children could adopt one.
The children of ancient Egypt
enjoyed their life. They loved games that are still played today
such as leapfrog, and tug-of-war. There were board games like
Snake, and game loved by early Egyptians called Senet. Toys
included balls, dolls, and toy animals made of wood.
It is said that ancient Egyptians
were great storytellers. They also kept their children amused by
popular tales of the imagination and enchantment. For example; in
one story a toy crocodile made of wax turns into a real one when
it is thrown in the water.
Balls were a favourite pastime for
the girls. The girls would throw them up in the air and catch
them. They would also play with them while standing or on piggy
back.
The ancient Egyptians made their
dolls from wood with clay beads attached to twine. Dolls may have
also been put in the tombs with the dead.
Many children played with a horse
on wheels, or a jaw moving wooden toy, such as a mouse.
Egyptians used horses when they
went on hunting trips. This came to be a favourite pastime by the
pharaohs. Because of this they made wooden toy horses. They
painted them and put wheels on them so that they could move. Many
toys had movable parts.
Housing and Furniture
Towns and villages wer located
near the Nile. Houses were crowded together to make room for
farmland. Houses were also back to back to save space.
Everyone lived in a house made of
mud. Rich and poor lived in mud houses. First, mud was carried in
leather buckets from the Nile to the ground where the house would
be built. They they placed straw and pebbles into the mud to
strengthen it. Next they poured the mud into wooden frames to
make bricks. After they put the bricks out and let them dry in
the sun. Once they were dry, they put together the walls of the
house. The beams of the house were made from strips of linen and
from mud. The roof was built of timber. Floors were made of mud
paster covered with a hard layer of gypsum. The floors were
raised to keep snakes out of the houses. Once the house was done
they put plaster on the outside of the walls and decorated it
with scenes of nature on the inside.
There were four different kinds of
houses. The house for poor families was a one room hut. The house
for the middle class has 1-2 stories with at least three rooms.
Commoners lived in a 2-3 storey
house. The first storey was for business and the second and third
stories were for living quarters.
Noblemen lived in a Villa. Some
Villas had up to seventy rooms. A Villa was split up in three
areas, a hall, a reception area, and a private area. A Villa was
surrounded by plain square walls that were whitewashed or painted
in light pastel colours. There was only one entrance to the
Villa.
No on had a lot of furniture in
their home. Most people had only a few stools and beds. They had
small boxes for jewellry and cosmetics and chests for clothing.
They used pottery jars and oil lamps. Each home was equipped with
at least one fly catcher.
Clothing, Jewellery, and
Cosmetics
Clothes were made from flax to
make a fine texture. The ancient Egyptian cared about appearance
a lot.
Children had three sets of
clothes. One for summer, one for winter, and one for special
occasions. For late spring, summer, and early fall children
usually ran around nude because it was so hot. In the winter,
early spring, and late fall the children usually wrapped in
cloaks and wraps to keep warm. On special occasions children wore
sandals, the girls wore dresses and the boys dressed in their
best clothes. Everyone wore makeup and jewellery.
Women had a few types of clothing.
For work, women wore short skirt dresses. During the New Kingdom
era women wore long pleated dresses with a shawl. Noblewomen
sometimes wore beaded dresses. Some Queens wore decorative
ceremonial clothing with feathers and sequins. Most people went
around barefoot. On special occasions women wore ankle length
dresses with a shawl or cloak.
Men had a lot of styles of
clothes. During the Old and Middle Kingdoms men wore kilts.
During the New Kingdom, noblemen sometimes wore a big robe over
their kilt. When doing hard work men wore loin cloths, shirts,
and pants. Kings wore elaborately decorated sandals and sometimes
gloves. Men dressed in tunic style shirts.
full source here
http://www.wsd1.org/earlgrey/ancient.htm
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