Egypt’s Social Classes People usually belonged to the same social class as their parents All Egyptians from all social classes cherished family life Men were the heads of household Women typically managed the home Women could own land and run businesses Egyptians believed a class system created an orderly society

Government Officials The officials to the high class Their job was to assist the Pharaoh They led lives of luxury with great wealth, fine homes and lots of time to socialize The officials would often hold great banquets

At the banquet The host would serve roasted duck, geese, pigeons, quail, antelope, wild sheep and goats Dishes were piled high with figs, dates, grapes and coconuts Bread, cakes, honey and plenty of beer and wine completed the meal Guests dressed in fine linen Men and women wore perfume Women wore beads and lined their eyes with make-up Men and women would sit on opposite sides of the table to start the feast People ate with their fingers While the guests ate they were entertained with singing and dancing

Banquet Photos

Priests Priests had many different jobs A high priest would advise the Pharaoh Most priests would tend to temple duties Women were allowed to be priestesses A priest who tended to the temple would take care of the gods Gods were thought to of lived in the statues Statues were placed in room called sanctuary A priest would have to be purified to enter a sanctuary

A Priest in the Sanctuary A priest had many things to do in order to be prepared for the sanctuary He had to avoid certain foods, like fish, that were associated with the lower class He had to bathe 3 or 4 times a day in a holy pool He had to shave off his body hair He had to wear all linen clothes because any animal products in the sanctuary were forbidden

Burial Practices Priests also had a special role in burial practices Egyptians thought they needed their bodies in the afterlife They preserved their bodies from decay by embalming Priests had to embalm bodies

Embalming The embalming practice had many steps First the organs were removed, such as the brains, lungs and liver They used hooks to pull the brain through the nostrils Only the heart was left in the body Egyptians believed the heart was used by the gods to judge the soul The organs were packed in jars The organs and body were dried out for about 760 days using a salt called natron After drying the embalmers washed and oiled the bodies Then they wrapped the body in linen Often they would place a mask over the head Finally they spread a black gooey gum over the body and wrapped it a final time r.shtml r.shtml

Mummies When the body was ready for burial it was placed in a wooden box Because Egyptians believed the afterlife was like this world, they sent food, drink, furniture, statues, gold, jewelry, clothes, games and mirrors along with the dead gallery.shtml gallery.shtml Only wealthy Egyptians could afford the embalming process Poor Egyptians would bury their dead with beer, bread and any other items they thought they would need for the afterlife

Scribes Scribes were a level below priests on the social pyramid Scribes were official writers and record keepers Only men could be scribes and most worked for the government Becoming a scribe was one of the few ways a person could move up in their social class Boys who wanted to become scribes would go to school It usually took a boy 12 years to learn hieroglyphs Students had to memorize over 700 hieroglyphs to pass They practiced on wood or clay but when they got good enough they could use Papyrus, which was a paper like material Scribe school was very strict and students were often beaten for not paying attention

The Work of Scribes Ancient Egyptians made all kinds of records Scribes kept records of food supply, court cases, military records and more Scribes also worked on the census which counted the people living in Egypt Scribes used papyrus paper on wood tablets and red and back ink phs/introduction.html phs/introduction.html

Artisan Artisans were highly skilled laborers who created some of the most beautiful art in the ancient world They rarely got the respect they deserved Artisans included carpenters, jewelers, metal workers, painters and weavers. The most skilled artisan was the stone carver because they carved tomb stones and this was very important to wealthy Egyptians brary3.html brary3.html

Artisans continued Artisans and their families lived in modest homes Their homes were about 10 yards long and had 3 rooms The first room was a work room or animal house The second room was the living room The final room was the kitchen and bathroom The roof was sometimes used for work or sleep Artisans usually worked side by side in huge workshops They worked for food They worked about 10 days in a row before taking a break Many times Pharaohs would call on hundreds of them at a time to work on royal projects tml tml

Peasants Peasants were the lowest class in Egypt but also the largest class Peasants grew the crops and provided all Egyptians with food Their lives revolved around the Nile River and the three seasons The flooding season The planting season The harvest season

Peasant Living Conditions The peasants lived in small homes made of mud brick Their furniture was woven mats Their diet consisted of fish, bread, vegetables, beer and water In times of famine they would have to boil the tough papyrus plant for food Peasants worked most of the time but had holidays before planting and after the harvest Peasants paid taxes in the form of food, if he could not pay, he was severely beaten