Society and Culture of Ancient Egypt

Clothing and Cosmetics

• Men wore makeup and perfume a much as or more than the women
• Women wore shoulder straps on their long, straight dress
• Women had colourful shawls and caps
• When it was very hot, farmers usually wore nothing

Homes

• Consisted of a main house surrounded by flower and vegetable gardens, fruit and shade trees
• Roofs were made up of wooden beams and walls were constructed of mud bricks
• Wet mats were placed on the floor to help with the heat
• Wheat bread , beer, fruit, vegetables, fish, milk, cheese was food for average people
• Wealthy ate beef, antelope, gazelle, fancy cakes and baked goods

Agriculture

• As payment for labour, people received a small portion of the crop (wheat or barley)
• The majority of the population took part in farming
• During the growing season, farmers had back breaking jobs of moving water from irrigation canals onto existing fields and developing new irrigation works for land further away

Industry

• Crafts people operated small shops in towns and cities
• Furniture makers used local wood to make chairs and beds
• In rural areas mining was important because there were rich supplies of minerals that were used to make pyramids

Trade

• Merchants crossed deserts by caravan to exchange goods
• Traveled the Nile by barge or boat
• Trading ventures brought the Egyptians into contact with other people
• Longer journeys became more common with the invention of sail

Writing

· Each picture was drawn to represent a word or idea

· Carved on stone monuments and painted on walls, coffins and tombs

· Writing hieroglyphics took considerable time and effort

Literature

• Included adventure stories, fairy tales, poems and love stories
• Non-religious collections were popular sayings on how to succeed in life
• One of the oldest books in the world was written in 250 BC

Architecture

• Built temples, great halls and shrines
• Each succeeding ruler added on the temples to demonstrate their wealth
• Famous for pyramids

Technology

· Many theories on how pyramids were built

· Historians have new advanced theories on how they were built

· Ancient Egyptians showcased their technological advancements best with the pyramids

Medicine

• Egyptians were the first to specialize in selected fields of medicine
• Physicians learned that injuries to the brain can affect motor control
• Pulse was somehow connected to the heart

Mathematics

• Ancient Egyptians had a numerical system like ours
• There were seven different symbols
• They understood geometry

Time

• Romans get their calendars from the Greeks
• Earliest calendar was 354 days, 10 lunar cycles (month)