1. Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
6th Grade Social Studies
Chapter 4 Lesson 4

2. The Big Picture
Farmers planted and harvested crops between the yearly Nile floods.
Most people worked on huge farms owned by government leaders, army officers, or scribes.

3. A Social Pyramid
A person’s position in society depended on what he or she did for a living.
The farmers and captured people made up the largest part of society.

4. A Social Pyramid- Slavery in Egypt
Slaves were the lowest level of the social pyramid.
Most of the slaves in ancient Egypt were Syrians.
However, enslaved people did have basic rights in Egypt.
They had the right to be treated fairly under the law and even to own property.
Look at the diagram on the next slide:
The pharaoh is at the top of the Egyptian Social Pyramid and the slaves are at the bottom.

5. A Social Pyramid Pharaoh Government Officials Soldiers Scribes
Merchants
Artisans
Farmers
Slaves

6. Farms and Cities
Both in cities and on farms, people enjoyed simple pleasures, such as:
Celebrating holidays
Playing games

7. Farms and Cities- Farm Life
Most Egyptians live on big farms.
The farmers were run by local scribes.
Farmers grew and harvested crops.
The farmers gave half of the products to the pharaoh as taxes.

8. Farms and Cities- Planting and Harvesting
To bring water to the fields, farmers dug irrigation canals and hauled water using shadoufs.
At harvest time women, men, and children headed out to the fields to cut, stack, and carry grain.
The shares taken by the pharaoh were measured by the scribes

9. Farms and Cities- Cities in Egypt
Most craft workers and artists lived in small mud-brick homes.

10. Farms and Cities- A Busy Neighborhood
The typical Egyptian neighborhood characteristics:
Entrance room served as workshop.
Small living rooms.
Stairway would lead up to the flat roof.
There were everyday chores.
Women would go to the local canal to get water.

11. Children in Egypt
Children in Egypt loved to spin tops, make cloth dolls, wrestle, run and play games.
Farmer’s children had little time to play since they were needed to help in the fields.
Carrying water and feeding the farm animals were the children’s daily chores.

12. Children in Egypt
Children of craft workers began working at the age of 5.
At about the age of 12 girls studied to become weavers.
Sons of government leaders became assistants to their fathers.

13. Why it Matters?
Around the end of the New Kingdom the Egyptian Empire went through great changes.
Around 1100 BC a united Egypt collapsed.
The “Gift of the Nile” continued to affect people everywhere.

14. Main Ideas
While Egypt become a mighty empire, ordinary people continued to work in much the same ways as they had for thousands of years.
Enslaved Syrians and Nubians became key workers in Egypt’s empire.
They worked along side farmers and craft workers to produce needed crops and goods.

15. Main Ideas
Most farmers worked on large farms owned by powerful families.
Most people in Egypt’s towns and cities lived in crowded neighborhoods and crafted goods for a living.

16. Think About It
How did Egypt’s social pyramid shape life in the New Kingdom?
The pharaoh, government officials and soldiers were at the top.
The scribes, merchants and artisans were at the center.
The farmers and the slaves were at the bottom.

17. Think About It
How did the growth of Egypt’s empire play a role in the growth of slavery along the Nile? And how did the enslaved people add to the economy?
Building an empire leads to war since they are destroying and conquering to build larger empires.
War meant capture and enslavement of people, whose labor was demanded.

18. Think About It. What was everyday life like of the New Kingdom?
Farmers and their children had little extra time because they were needed in the fields.
Their lives were busy, work filled, and they lived in modest houses.
They had everyday chores, but they had free time for things such as board games.