The Culture of Ancient Egyptians

Chapter 3, Section 4

Everyday Life of Ancient Egyptians

• Much of what we know about everyday life of the Egyptians was learned through paintings and written records

Social Classes

• Egyptian society resembled a pyramid

• Top pharaoh• Nobles, priests, members

of the court• Merchants and skilled

workers• Peasants and workers• Slaves formed a separate

class who could inherit land from their owners

Lives of the Peasants

• Most peasants worked the land of wealthier people

• When the waters left the land, farming began

• Men, women and children all helped in the harvest

• A time of feasts

Egyptian Women

• Egyptian women were looked upon as a living model of Isis

• Women could own property, run businesses, enter into legal contracts

• Supervised farm work• Nobel women in charge

of temples, acted as regents

Achievements of the Egyptians

• Known as a land of learning

• Hieroglyphs was their system of writing

• Papyrus was an early paper made from reeds from the delta

• In 1799, the Rosetta Stone was found and the key to understanding hieroglyphs was known

Keeping Track of Time

• Egyptians had to be able to predict when the Nile would flood

• Scientists called astronomers studied the stars to track when the Nile would flood

• Egyptians discovered that the year has 365 days

Medicine

• Ancient Egyptians knew about the human body

• They learned to perform surgery and could set broken bones

• Egyptians practiced herbalism; medicine from plants