Egyptian Life; a comparison
between a nobleman’s family and a
farmer’s family.
A nobleman’s family:
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. 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 The
nobleman and his wife had a small meal of bread and fruit. They sat
on cushions and ate from a low table. Then, the nobleman left the
house for an appointment with the overseer of his 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.
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 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.
A farmer’s family:
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 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 farmer got
up and went to work in the fields near his house. 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 mid-day 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. In the evening, she prepared a small dinner of bread, meat
and beer for her family.
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.
VOCABULARY
nobleman
n.
ขุนนาง, ผูดี
linen
n.
ผาลินิน
cosmetic
n.
เครื่องสําอาง
kilt
n.
กระโปรงสั้นพับจีบลายสกอต
kohl
n.
ผงทาขอบตา
banquet
n.
งานเลี้ยง
lotus
n.
ดอกบัว
coarse
adj. หยาบ
reed
n.
ตนไมจําพวกออหรือกก
amulet
n.
เครื่องราง
Answer Key:
1.
T
2.
T
3.
F
4.
T
5.
F
6.
T
7.
F
8.
F
9.
F
10.
T
Cross Word
row
1. person of noble birth or rank
2. pleated knee length skirt of tartan wool
3. elaborate formal meal
4. consisting of large particles : not fine
5
2
8
5. cloth made of flax
6. cosmetic powder used in the East to darken the eyelids.
7. type of tropical water-lily
8. substance for putting on the body
9. piece of jewellery, etc worn as a charm
6
1
7
3
column
9
4
Answer
2
6
1
K
N
5
K
I
7
B
L
O
H
O
L
T
E
M
3
row
A
8
L
T
C
I
O
N
S
E
9
B
A
U
M
S
U
L
E
T
1. person of noble birth or rank…………………………………….nobleman
2. pleated knee length skirt of tartan wool……………...………..kilt
3. elaborate formal meal…………………………………….....………banquet
4. consisting of large particles : not fine………………...………..coarse
N
column
5. cloth made of flax………………………………………......…………linen
6. cosmetic powder used in the East to darken the eyelidskohl
7. type of tropical water-lily………………………………………….....lotus
8. substance for putting on the body………………………...cosmetic
9. piece of jewellery, etc worn as a charm………………..……..amulet
M
Q
U
E
T
T
I
4
C
O
A
R
S
E