Ancient Egypt’s Daily Life

Egyptian Social Hierarchy

Some Famous Egyptian Pharaohs Thutmose III B. C. E. Ramses II B. C. E. Tutankhamon B. C. E. Pharaoh means “Great House”

Egyptian Nobility & Officials ●They inherited their position from family members. ●The vizier had more power than anyone except the pharaoh.

Egyptian Priestly Class Priests were powerful and highly respected in Egyptian society. They all served under the pharaoh who was considered the highest ranking priest of them all. Priests had different jobs.

Egyptian Scribe Scribes were Egypt’s official writers and record keepers. Only men were allowed to be scribes and they attended scribe school. Schooling started around age five. Students typically spent 12 or more years learning hieroglyphs.

What were the legal traditions? Law was governed by religious principle of Ma’at GODDESS MA’AT represented truth, righteousness and justice= balance and order Laws were applied equally to all classes specifically protected the family (children and wives) Punishments could be quite severe- act as a deterrent or disgrace the guilty (Examples: minor crimes had 100 lashed; corrupt officials had their hands amputated; crimes that resulted in a death sentence could have choice= devoured by a crocodile, suicide, burning alive)

Artisans ● Egypt's artisans were some of the most skilled laborers who created some of the most magnificent statues, art carvings, furniture, and jewelry. ● Those jobs included metalworkers, painters, potters, sculptors, and stone carvers. ● Stone carvers played an important role because in tomb building wealthy Egyptians believed to honor the dead.

Peasants ● Peasants made up the lowest and largest class in Egypt’s social pyramid. ● Peasants grew the crops that supplied the everyone with food. ● They also supplied the labor to build monuments like the pyramids. ● Peasant life revolved around the Nile River. ● Its three seasons were the flooding season, the planting season, and the harvest season.

Social Roles Role of Women Well treated and had considerable legal rights compared to other civilizations Same legal rights as men (land, property, divorce) Left women to be economically independent Primary role was in domestic life Common title for a married women in ancient Egypt was “nebet per” meaning “the lady of the house” Bear and raise children Role of Men Head of the family Men could have numerous wives but economically men had only 1 wife Labourers, craftsmen Jobs were hereditary Jobs Labour required for construction projects and was mostly filled by poor, serfs Stability of Egypt thrived as skilled trades were passed from father to son Children always learned the trade from parents; seldom could choose occupation

Education

Contributed to stability and continuity of Egypt All children, regardless of social class, received some education Followed a moral and ethical guide “Instructions in Wisdom” Goal for education was to ensure youth exhibited self control and good manners At 14, young boys followed fathers in jobs, and girls learned from mothers in the household Children of priests were schooled more formally Literacy was stressed for government jobs Education respected for creating a well rounded individual

Papyrus → Paper Papyrus Plant Hieratic Scroll Piece

Egyptian Math & Draftsmenship ,000100,0001,000,000 What number is this?

Hieroglyphics

History of Writing: 1) pictograms (sun= sun) 2) ideograms (sun = sun, daylight, warmth, light) 3) phonograms: symbols that suggest a particular sound; related ideas and also sound (Sun = sun, son, Sunday) Each hieroglyph found in pyramids and tombs often symbolized more than one consonant. Not only that, but actual Egyptian hieroglyphs were a combination of sound-signs, pictograms, and ideograms. No wonder it was so hard to decode them!

New Kingdom= 700 hieroglyphs in common usage, while rest were phonograms 100 were strictly visual, while rest were phonograms Eventually scribes adapted hieroglyphic symbols By 700 BCE, script was refined to the demotic (or popular script) was used for secular matters such as letters, accounts and record keeping

Rosetta Stone What is the Rosetta Stone? The Rosetta Stone is a stone with writing on it in two languages (Egyptian and Greek), using three scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek). It was carved in 196 BCE. Why is it in three different scripts? The Rosetta Stone is written in three scripts (hieroglyphs for religious documents; demotic- common script of Egypt; Greek- language of the rulers of Egypt at that time) The Rosetta Stone was written in all three scripts so that the priests, government officials and rulers of Egypt could read what it said. When was the Rosetta Stone found? The Rosetta Stone was found in 1799 by French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in Egypt (in a small village in Delta called Rosetta (Rashid) What does the Rosetta Stone say? The Rosetta Stone is a text written by a group of priests in Egypt to honour the Egyptian pharaoh. It lists all of the things that the pharaoh had done that were good for the priests and the people of Egypt.

Champollion & the Rosetta Stone

Hieroglyphic “Cartouche”

Hieroglyphics “Alphabet” 24 “letters” phonetic symbols

Religion: How did it contribute to stability? The Egyptians were deeply religious people religious roots were in the worship of nature deities – their first gods were in animal forms Those responsible for creation were the most important gods (Atum is the creator God) They later developed national gods around the Middle Kingdom (Amon- local god of Thebes; gods of Dead: Osiris, Anubis, Horus and Thoth) Religion was instrumental to stability of Egypt (life, social structure, education, laws, rule of Pharaoh, economy, death, afterlife) Atum

Creation Story ATUM NUT GEB SHU TEFNUT Gods and Goddesses NUT ATUM ANUBIS MA’ATHORUS ISIS Website: Gods and GoddessesGods and Goddesses

Egyptian Creation Myth The Goddess Nut

Life and Death Life and death was measured in accordance to Ma’at: the goddess and symbol of equilibrium of the universe and the king had to rule according to her principles Death viewed as a new beginning Afterlife common to all, regardless of social status (preparation varied as well as goods stored in tombs) 2 Common Principles: 1) body preservation in a lifelike form 2) the deceased must have items necessary for life in the afterworld Personal belongings were usually placed in the tomb to make the Ka more at home and to assist the dead in their journey into the afterlife. Text was read from the 'Book of the Dead' which was a collection of spells, charms, passwords, numbers and magical formulas for the use of the deceased in the afterlife. MA’AT - symbol of the equilibrium of the universe

This scene depicts what occurs after a person has died, according to the ancient Egyptians. panel of 14 judges Ka (soul /spiritual duplicate), ba (personality) ankh (form mummy took in afterlife / the key of life) Weighing of the heart vs Ma’at Judgment of scale record of the outcome

Mummification Mummification focused on Egyptian belief of the importance of preserving the body Afterlife would be spent enjoying best of life experiences Body covered with natron and dried for up to 70 days Body wrapped in linen coated with resins and oils Middle Kingdom became customary to place a mask over the face Removal of organs (lungs, stomach, intestines, liver) in Canopic Jars were closed with stoppers fashioned in the shape of four heads -- human, baboon, falcon, and jackal - representing the four protective spirits called the Four Sons of Horus. brain was sucked out of the cranial cavity and thrown away because the Egyptian's thought it was useless.

Journey to the Underworld A boat for the journey is provided for a dead pharaoh in his tomb. The dead travel on the “Solar Bark.”

Egyptian Book of the Dead

The Final Judgement Anubis Horus Osiris

Shabtis: The Pharaoh’s Servants in the Afterlife

Preparations for the Underworld Priests protected your KA, or soul- spirit ANUBIS weighs the dead person’s heart against a feather.

Materials Used in Mummification 1. Linen 6. Natron 2. Sawdust 7. Onion 3. Lichen 8. Nile Mud 4. Beeswax 9. Linen Pads 5. Resin 10. Frankinsense

Preparation for the Afterlife

Egyptian Mummies Seti I B. C. E. Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep II B. C. E. Ramses II B. C. E.