Download Religion, Writing and Daily Life The Egyptians were very religious

Religion, Writing and Daily Life
The Egyptians were very religious people. They believed in over 2,000 gods, a type of
polytheism much like the Mesopotamians. However, many of the Egyptian gods had the head of an
animal and the body of a human. The Egyptians loved and worshipped their gods. There are many
stories of the Egyptian gods that reflect the Egyptian culture and their beliefs. Some of the major gods
and goddesses were:
This developed civilization was extremely advanced and relied on a complex writing system to
make it run efficiently. The Egyptians used a writing system called hieroglyphics which was made up of
pictures to represent words or sounds. Hieroglyphics can be found carved into tombs or monuments,
but most writing was done on papyrus by scribes. Papyrus is a plant found on the banks of the Nile River
that the Egyptians used as paper. Scribes were highly respected in society because they were needed to
keep tax records, trade information and any written records needed for the pharaoh to run the country.
Only wealthy boys could become scribes. Hieroglyphics is a very complex and confusing system that
changed many times over the years. It has over 700 different signs, and can be read in any directions.
Hieroglyphics were considered an art form so the scribe would write in ways to make his work pleasing
to the eye. In order to determine which direction to read, you had to look to see which way the animals
were facing and read into their faces. The pharaoh’s had their names written in a cartouche which was
to protect them from evil spirits.
For thousands of years, no one could understand the hieroglyphics because it was an ancient
language that became extinct once Egypt was conquered. We knew very little of Egyptian culture
because we could not read their records! In 1799, a French soldier under Napoleon, discovered a huge
black stone in the village of Rosetta. It contained three languages, hieroglyphics, demotic ( a later form
of hieroglyphics and Greek. Since the Greek language could be read, the Rosetta Stone could be
deciphered. It took Jean Champollion twenty years to decode the hieroglyphic system, but once it was
done scholars were able to unlock the mysteries of ancient Egypt by reading all the scrolls and tablets.
Many historians believe the Rosetta Stone was one of the most important archaeological discoveries
ever.
The daily lives of the Egyptians were full of hard work, but they worked together and also found
time to enjoy themselves. Egyptian social structure is shaped like a pyramid. The pharaoh was at the
top with his government officials, viziers and priests. The middle class was made up of soldiers,
merchants and artisans while the bottom layer was the largest. This consisted of farmers, laborers and
servants. Few jobs existed for women, but they were allowed to work. Egyptian society treated women
much better than other ancient civilizations. Egyptian towns were not set up like the Mesopotamians.
They did not differentiate by class. Often an upper class family would live right next door to a lower
class family. What did differ, however, was the style of the house. The lower class homes usually had
one room and a flat roof that was used for sleeping in the hot, dry weather. Wealthy homes often had
several rooms and even a pleasure garden where the family would relax and entertain guests. The walls
were often painted and the homes had pillars to hold up the ceiling. Although the homes were different
in style, they were both made out of sun dried mud bricks. Stone was only used for temples and
monuments.
The most common food in Egypt was bread and the most common drink was beer. Only the
wealthy could afford wine and meat. Granaries were kept to prevent famine and strict records were
kept on their contents. The Egyptians would barter for goods in the marketplace. This was a lively area
with a lot of action. Thieves were a problem so merchants would train baboons to protect their goods
from theft. Egyptians found many things to do in their free time. They were fond of board games and
storytelling. Musicians and dancers would entertain at wealthy banquets and sometimes even
professional wrestlers would be hired to entertain the guests. In addition to providing food, hunting
was a favorite pastime. Sometimes the entire family, including the cat, would go hunting together.
Children that did not go to school played often. They had dolls, wooden animals and pets. They would
play game like tug of war and leap frog. Egyptians wore the same basic style for centuries. Men wore
kilts or loin cloths and women wore straight sleeveless dresses to the ankles. All clothes were made of
linen that came from the flax plant because it light and plentiful. Children rarely wore any clothes until
the age of ten! Sandals were made from papyrus and worn to protect the feet from the hot sand. Both
men and women wore make up to make themselves more attractive and to prevent eye disease. They
would often wear wigs to protect their heads from the harsh sun. Young boys would shave their heads
except for a lock of hair called the lock of youth or sidelock. Women often attached fragrance cones
made of animal fat to their heads so they could smell good. Jewelry was worn by both men and women
who could afford it for both decoration and protection.