Egyptian Society CHW 3 M Economy Agriculture agriculture

Egyptian Society CHW 3 M

Economy - Agriculture -agriculture was the most important economic activity in Egypt -majority of population took part in farming -farmers worked as labourers on large estates owned by the royal family, the temples, or wealthy landowners -as payment, labourers received a small portion of the crop, usually wheat or barley -they used this to feed their families or, as Egypt had no monetary system, as payments of grain to trade or barter for other goods or services -tax assessor would estimate the potential crop yield and calculate the amount of taxes the landowner owned -other crops grown were lettuce, beans, onions, figs, dates, grapes, melons and cucumbers -papyrus plant grown to make paper, mats, baskets, footwear and rope

Making wine, fishing, killing fowl

Economy - Industry -craftspeople operated small shops in the towns and cities -they produced most of the manufactured goods for the home and export markets -furniture makers made chairs and beds -weavers used local flax to make linen -potters made bowls, vases, plates -brickmakers used mud to mould bricks -other craftspeople included carpenters, stonemasons, silversmiths, goldsmiths, boat-builders, jewellers -mining an important industry – limestone, sandstone, and granite, copper, gold, tin, gems such as turquoises and amethysts

Economy - Trade -merchants working for pharaohs or rich nobles crossed deserts by caravan and sailing to lands bordering the Mediterranean and Red seas -their purpose was to exchange Egyptian goods for those of their neighbours -they traded barley, wheat, wines, papyrus sheets, gold and other minerals for silver, iron, horses, cedar logs, ivory, leopard skins, copper, cattle and spices -trade allowed for more than just an exchange of goods – allowed for exchange of ideas and sharing of cultures

Social Organization -pharaoh at top of social pyramid -nobles and military leaders held highest positions in bureaucracy or administrative departments -a bureaucrat might oversee the property and storehouses of a god, serve as a steward to the pharaoh, or supervise engineering and construction works for the government -priests and scribes were educated class of Egypt (priests needed because Pharaoh could not be everywhere) -scribes highly respected because ability to read and write, collected taxes, kept records, wrote reports, educated the young -craftspeople included weavers, sandal-makers, mat-makers, incense moulders, potters, brick-makers, jewellers, carpenters, stonemasons, silversmiths and goldsmiths (produced goods that traders carried into foreign territory)

Social Structure -peasant farmers were the common folk -made of majority of population -most were illiterate -slaves on botton rung of social ladder -slaves were prisoners of war brought back by the armies during Middle Kingdom and later -female and child slaves did household work for wealthy -male slaves put to work as soldiers, farmers or maintenance labourers around household -slaves could own property or rent land could be set free if their master chose to do so

Social Structure SOCIAL MOBILITY • Hierarchical structure, but some social mobility possible • If talented, lower-class people could rise in society (eg. , Joseph)

Role of Women -generally well treated and had considerable legal rights compared to other ancient civilizations -right to own and dispose of land property -economically independent -right to seek divorce -women’s primary social role in domestic life -did not hold important titles, had little political power, were usually illiterate, barred from intellectual and government life -manage the household and raise children -baking of bread, brewing of beer -main function to bear and raise children

Role of Men -husband head of family -passed inheritance onto children -marriage property determined by marriage settlement, did not follow pattern -not restricted in number of wives they could have -labourer, craftsperson, or official -passed on occupation to sons -change in occupation not encouraged as this involved risk

Education -played crucial role in stability and continuity of ancient Egypt -all children, regardless of social class, received at least some education -goal of education was to ensure youth learn self -control and good manner and be contributing members of society -age 14, children streamed into careers of parents -boys join fathers in fields or workshops -girls learn to run household from mothers

Education of Upper Classes -sons of priests, Pharaohs, and administrative families educated in a more formal manner -still passed on the father’s position -teaching children to read and write a priority -children of priests and administrators began attending scribal school at about age 5 -mathematics also received attention

Clothing -labourer wore as little as possible in fields – a pleated or knotted loincloth made of very light material or, perhaps, nothing at all -workers may have worn wigs to protect heads from the sun -children and servant girls often wore only an amulet around their neck or a string of beads around their waist -

Clothing -elegant dress limited to upper class -women wore long straight dresses with shoulder straps, made of very fine material, and often added colourful shawls and capes -men wore skirts that were drawn tight in the back and pleated in the front -some also wore shirts, coats, or capes and many completed their attire with coloured, shoulder-lenth headdresses -both sexes wore necklaces, rings and bracelets

Cosmetics -discoveries of combs, mirrors, razors reveal that personal grooming was important to all classes -people washed at least twice a day because of hot, dry, and dusty conditions -women wore red lip powder, painted their finger nails, outlining their eyes and coloured their eyebrows with grey, black or green paint -men often wore as much make-up as women, and both sexes used perfume

The Arts -some of the most significant information we have about life in ancient Egypt comes form the arts -paintings, sculpture, architecture, and translations of writings offer a facinating picture of daily life and beliefs -virtually all art produced for religious purposes -Pharaoh was chief subject -Egyptian art followed certain conventions established in Old Kingdom that remained unchanged for thousands of years -Egyptian art was not innovative

Paintings and Carved Relief -created for tombs and temples -to convey to the gods the character of deceased or to illustrate the activities to be enjoyed in afterlife -carved reliefs are pictures that are cut into stone -paintings considered second best, usually done in tombs where poor rock surfaces made relief work difficult -paintings less costly and time consuming

Techniques -not concerned with perspective -produced paintings and reliefs that conveyed information -realism not artist’s concern representations of people, scenes, and objects in paintings aimed to reflect balance, harmony, and the ideal -images of old age, sickness, or imperfection rarely appeared -people always portrayed in profile with the hips at a three-quarter turn and shoulders shown at full width -Egyptian artists idealized the proportions of the body -men shown with broad shoulders, slim bodies and muscular arms and legs -women have small waists, flat stomachs and rounded busts

Sculpture -tended to depict subjects such as religious festivals, military victories or important people and gods -ranged in size from small statues to colossal monuments -small sculptures or figurines created from wood, ivory, alabaster, bronze, gold, and turquoise -a favourite subject was cats, considered sacred and valued for protecting grain supplies from mice -large sculptures, such as stone sphinxes, made of limestone -most sculptures seem rather rigid because figures look straight ahead and are seldom involved in any activity -artists intended to capture grandeur and ideal character of subject for eternity – not to portray the person in a life-like way, no emotion

Architecture -pyramids -Egyptians also built limestone temples used for religious rites and funeral ceremonies -temples typically had 3 main sections: a small shrine, a great hall, and an open courtyard with a monumental gateway -large hall often had columns carved to look like palm trees or papyrus reeds

Temple at Karnak -one of most magnificent temples is the temple at Karnak on north edge of Thebes, dedicated to god Amon -pharaohs Seti I and Ramses II built the temple in New Kingdom -succeeding rulers added to structure -Ramses II enlarged the temple to demonstrate his vast wealth and had a sacred lake built beside it to supply holy water

Columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak

A panoramic view of the great hypostyle hall in the Precinct of Amun Re

Statues of Ramses II as Osiris in Karnak Temple