Daily Life Ancient Egypt

Of the Ancient Egyptians

By Jessica Bautista

Table of Contents• Family Life• Entertainment• Parties• Women• Children• Marriage• Divorce• Houses(Rich People)• Houses(Commoners)• Credits

Family Life

• They loved their children.• In lower class families the

mother raised the children.• In wealthy families, they had

slaves and servants that assisted them in taking care of the children.

• If a family could not have children, they would pray to the gods all the time.

• They would also use magic to try to get children

• They could also adopt if they wanted to.

Entertainment• Most of their relaxation happened at the Nile River.• Activities include: fishing, river boat outings, swimming, hunting crocodiles

and hippopotamuses• Also played boat games where two teams of men in boats had long poles,

and they would try to push the other one into the water.• Hunting in the deserts• Noblemen especially loved it.• They first hunted by foot.• Overtime they used horses and chariots. • Some of the animals the Ancient Egyptians hunted were the fox, hare, and

the hyena.

The Nile River

Parties

• The wealthy Egyptians held parties• Supplied plenty of food, beer and wine.• Singers, dancers, acrobats, and musicians were

hired to entertain.• Egyptians also played instruments such as the

lute, harp, and lyre.• Liked to play board games like Hounds &

Jackals, and Senet.• Children played with toys like carved ivory

animals, wooden horses on wheels, and balls.

Women• An Egyptian wife and mother were

respected in this ancient society.• Sometimes wives and mothers of

pharaohs were secretly the "real" ruling power in government

• Commoners did not know about it.• Were treated equally as men in

many ways.• Owned land, took part in business

deals• Punished the same ways as men

were• Queen Hatshepsut was the only

woman who stood out of the line when she announced herself pharaoh.

A statue of QueenHatshepsut. Displayed at the Metropolitian Museum of Art.

Children• Young boys learned to trade or craft

from their fathers.• Young girls worked and were trained

at home with their mothers.• Families that could afford sent their

sons (age 7) to school.• They would study religion, reading,

writing, and arithmetic there.• There is no evidence of schools for

girls• Some were home schooled.• Those who were could read and write.

Some even became doctors. • When parents were too old to take

care of themselves, the children were expected to take care of them.

• When parents died, the sons were given the land and daughters were given household goods (furniture and jewelry)

• If there were no sons in the family, the daughters would be able to tinherit everything.

• Sometimes the girls inherited homes.

Not everybody could afford expensive toys. Clay was formed into dolls, toy animals and other play things because it was available from nature.(This is a clay cat)

Marriage• Common girls married at twelve.• Boys were usually older.• Richer girls married when they

were older.• Some marriages were arranged,

some could chose who they wanted to marry.

• Average man had one wife.• Kings had many wives.• Before marriage ceremony couple

signed agreement papers. • Papers said that wife received an

allowance from her husband.• Also, the wife gets to keep

anything that she brought into the marriage(if the marriage ended for any reason.)

• Both could own land separate from each other.

• Wife usually let her husband manage both their lands.

Divorce• Divorce was optionial.• Wasn’t really common• Wife would go to her family for

help if a husband treated her badly.

• Wife's family would try to argue with the husband to treat her better.

• If behavior did not change, they divorced.

• Divorcing was simple• All they had to do was say that

they were divorcing infront of a witness.

• The wife was given custody of the children

• She could also remarry.

Houses (Commoners)• Lived in town houses usually 2-3 stories high.• First Floor : held for businesses• Second and Third Floors : the family living area.• Sometimes slept on the roof during the summer to keep cool.• Sewage had to be thrown out into pits, the river, or the streets.• Most all people had some furniture.• Things you find in a commoners house : A stool, small boxes for jewelry and

cosmetics, chests for clothing, pottery jars, and oil lamps. • Most of Egyptians did not have many belongings that had to be hidden so a chest

or basket would use plenty of their space.• Tables were rarely used. • Each home had a fly catcher.

Egyptians bringing in furniture.

Houses (Rich People)

• Made of bricks of sun dried mud called “adobe”• They only had little wood.• A nobleman's home was divided into three areas: a reception area, a

hall, and the private quarters. • The windows and doors on the house were covered with mats to keep

out the flies, dust, and heat.• The inside walls were decorated with wall hangings made of leather, and

the floors were covered with tile.• Sometimes there was a room on the roof with three walls where the

family slept on hot summer nights.

Building a house.

Credits• http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.2.

html• http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/timelines/topics/furni

ture.htm• http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt

/dailylife/beautyaids.html• http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/bride.htm