5-2 Notes: Life in Ancient Egypt

Work and Family Life• As farmers grew more

food and cities expanded, the Egyptian economy expanded and people learned jobs other than agriculture

• People began to have specialized jobs, such as scribes who wrote and kept records

Specialized Jobs• Some artisans became

builders who made temples, houses from brick

• Other artisans made pottery, incense, mats, furniture, linen clothing, sandals, and jewelry

• Egyptians also began trading scrolls, linen, gold, and jewelry with other African nations along the Nile - these traders brought back exotic woods, animal skins, and live beasts

Egyptian Social Classes• Egyptians created a government that divided

the empire into 42 provinces, appointed officials to lead the provinces, and created an army to defend itself and conquer new territories

• Priests had a powerful position - they (along with rulers) performed rituals to please the gods, cared for temples (cleaned, changed clothes of, and even fed sacred statues)

• Slaves were at the bottom of Egyptian society - they often became slaves for owing a debt, committing a crime, or being captured in war

• Slaves were often freed after a period of time• Women and men had fairly equal rights

(women could own and manage property)• Most women focused on caring for children

and their homes (some did other jobs like weaving cloth, working in the fields, workshops, and even government positions)

• Children played with toys such as dolls, animal figures, board games, and marbles - their parents made toys from wood or clay

• Boys and girls also played rough physical games with balls made of leather, reeds

• Boys and girls from wealthy families went to schools run by scribes or priests while most children learned their parents’ jobs - nearly all married in their teens

Expanding Knowledge• Many advancements came from

attempts by priests to please the gods or practical discoveries

• Egyptian priests studied the sky as part of their religion - about 5,000 years ago they noticed a star called Sirius that appeared before the Nile flooded (star returned every 365 days, which helped Egyptians create the world’s first practical calendar)

• Egyptians developed some of the first geometry too - Surveyors measured land boundaries by using ropes knotted at intervals to help keep accurate records despite the Nile’s flooding

• Egyptians studied anatomy as a result of preparing mummies for burial - performed some of the world’s first surgeries - they were also excellent at using herbs such as chamomile to cure upset stomachs

• Some mistakes though too (they thought the heart controlled thought and that the brain circulated blood!)

• First to set bones, use meat to control bruising/swelling, stitch cuts etc.

Hieroglyphics• Around 3000 BCE, Egyptians

developed a writing system called hieroglyphics

• Hieroglyphs are pictures that stand for different words or sounds

• Their system developed from 700 to over 6,000 symbols

• Egyptians developed a paper-like material called papyrus from a reed of the same name

• Egyptians cut the stems into strips, pressed them, and dried them into sheets that could be rolled into scrolls, which were light and easy to carry

• Egyptians created some of the first books

Beliefs and Religion• Egyptians, unlike Sumerians, had a

relatively more positive view of life due to the abundance created by the Nile River

• Egyptians believed that prosperity could follow them with a happy afterlife, a life believed to follow after death

• Egyptians believed in polytheism, the belief in many gods (most gods represented the afterlife and parts of nature)

• Some important gods included Re (ray) - the sun god (also called Amon-Re), Osiris (a god who judged them after death), Isis (Osiris’ wife and fertiliy goddess), and Anubis (god of death), Horus (god of the sky)

• Egyptians believed in embalming (preserving bodies after death) because they believed they needed them

• They made mummies (mummy), a body that’s been dried so it won’t decay

• Mummies were placed in coffins in tombs that held everyday objects, furniture, and food - scenes from the person’s life were painted on the walls