Egyptian Life
A nobleman's family
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One bright morning in ancient Egypt, a
nobleman woke up in a bed covered in
fine linen sheets.
He opened his eyes and looked around
his bedroom.
Staff Room
He saw the cabinet where his
clothes were kept, his
wife's cosmetic box,
and a lamp for lighting
the room in the evening.
His thoughts were disturbed by
the servant who entered the
room. The servant helped him to
wash and shave.
Then, the nobleman dressed in a kilt
made of fine linen and sandals made of
leather.
Meanwhile, the nobleman's wife got up.
She washed and dressed with
the help of another servant. The
nobleman's wife wore a dress
made of fine linen and jewellery
made of glass.
She applied some kohl
to her eyelids and went
downstairs.
A farmer's family
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One bright morning in
ancient Egypt, a farmer
woke up in a bed covered
in a coarse linen sheet
that had been woven by his wife.
He opened his eyes and looked
around his bedroom.
He saw the shelf where
his clothes were kept and
a basket.
The farmer got out of bed and
washed and shaved.
Then, he dressed in a kilt
made of coarse linen and
sandals made of reeds.
The farmer's wife was already
awake. She had washed and
dressed in the early morning light.
Then she had gone into the next
room to wake the children and
begin her daily chores.
She wore a dress made of
coarse linen. Around her
neck was an amulet of the
goddess Tawaret on a
piece of papyrus string.
The nobleman and his wife had
a small meal of bread and fruit.
They sat on cushions and ate
from a low table.
The farmer, his wife and
their children sat down to
a small meal of bread and
fruit. They sat on a bench
and ate on reed mats.
Then, the nobleman left the house for an
appointment with the overseer of his
Then, the farmer got up and went
to work in the fields near his house.
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Egyptian Life
lands.
The nobleman's wife supervised the
preparations for the banquet they were
hosting that evening. Her children were
dressed and fed, then brought to her by a
servant.
The overseer of the nobleman's fields told
the nobleman what the harvest would be
like for the year.
He also told the nobleman how
many cattle and geese had been
counted in the fields the day
before.
The nobleman was pleased.
They shared a meal of bread,
meat and beer.
In the early afternoon the
nobleman's wife went out into
the garden to escape the heat of
the day.
She enjoyed the shade
of the trees while she
watched her children
play with their toys.
Later in the afternoon the
nobleman's wife began
preparing for the evening
banquet. Her servant brushed
and curled her favourite wig.
His wife lit the cooking fire
and began grinding the
wheat to make bread.
It had been a good year
for the farmer and there
was a large harvest.
Today he would have to take a part
of his harvest to the temple to pay
for the use of the temple land.
He filled several baskets
with his harvest, loaded
them onto two donkeys
and set out for the temple
with his two field workers.
The farmer and his workers left the
baskets at the temple where they
were counted and their contents
were added to the storeroom.
On the way back to the
fields they shared a midday meal of bread, meat
and beer.
The farmer's wife spent
the day grinding wheat
and baking bread. In the
afternoon she walked to
the river with her children to collect
water.
She took out her most
beautiful clothing and
her jewellery made of
gold and semi-precious
stones.
The nobleman returned to the house and
got ready for the banquet. Then he and
his wife began greeting their guests as
they arrived.
Their guests were offered cones
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In the evening, she prepared a
small dinner of bread, meat and
beer for her family.
Egyptian Life
of perfumed wax and lotus
flowers by servant girls. They ate
the finest meats, breads, cakes,
wine, figs and dates. They were
entertained by musicians and dancing
girls.
At the end of the evening, they said
goodnight to their guests and went to
bed.
As it grew dark outside,
the farmer lit the small oil
lamp. The farmer and his
wife put their children to
bed, blew out the lamp and went to
sleep.
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Egyptian Life
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