Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

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

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.