Download Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around the River Nile and the

Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around the River Nile and the
fertile land along its banks. The yearly flooding of the Nile enriched
soil, brought good harvests and wealth to the land. Most ancient
Egyptians worked as field hands, farmers, craftsmen and scribes.
A small group of people were nobles. Together, these different
groups of people made up the population of ancient Egypt.
Sandals
Comb
Corinthian Perfume Jar
Cleopatra Coin
King of Upper and Lower Egypt
Ushabtis
Storage Jar
Mummy and Sarcophagus
Papyri
Mirror
Glossary
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
Ancient Egyptian people often went barefoot but wore sandals on
special occasions. Sandals were normally made of palm leaves,
braided papyrus or leather and were held on to the foot by plaited
or woven thongs between the first two toes.
Sandals were a luxury item used only by rich Egyptians whilst
slaves and poor people went barefoot. Sandals would have
protected the feet from the hot desert sand and sand flies. They
may have been painted or covered with decorations such as
beads.
When the tomb of King Tutankhamen was found one of the first
items brought out from the tomb was a box containing sandals and
slippers for him to use in the afterlife. Describe these sandals and
compare them to shoes we would wear today.
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
Combs have been found in the earliest tombs in ancient Egypt,
they are usually single or double-sided and made from wood or
bone. The hot dry atmosphere in Egypt helps to preserve wood
that was normally imported from other countries.
Most children in ancient Egypt would not have used a comb, as
they would have had their hair shaved off. Even after thousands of
years our combs still look like this one. Describe this comb and
consider what colour it would have been originally.
Describe what you used to comb your hair with today, and
compare it to the one in the picture. Why do you think that wood is
scarce in Egypt? Craftsmen using special tools would have made
combs; can you describe tools they may have used to make them?
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
This small perfume jar was made in Corinth, Greece in the 6th
century BC. It is made from clay and has a painted geometric
design. Jars such as these were used to hold rare expensive
exported Greek perfume.
The Corinthians manufactured small painted pots that were
suitable for shipment in large quantities. This beautifully decorated
pottery was highly valued abroad and was sold across the
Mediterranean. The tiny pots were used to hold oil, perfume or
ointments.
Items of value such as this small jar were used for trading with
other countries, therefore pottery is important in archaeology. It
can tell us much about the people who made and used it and the
area where it was found.
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
This is a coin of Cleopatra who ruled jointly with her brother
Ptolemy XIII from 51 BC. However, she became sole ruler with the
help of her ally Julius Caesar. When Caesar was assassinated in
44 BC she returned to Egypt.
In 41 BC Cleopatra met and fell in love with Mark Antony, who in
31 BC was defeated by his rival Octavian (later known as
Augustus). The lovers committed suicide - Cleopatra choosing
death by snake bite.
Coins bearing Cleopatra’s portrait provide some of the few
surviving authentic images of her. The Glasgow coin is famous as
being the very best surviving coin and it depicts a striking portrait
of one of the world’s most powerful women.
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
This is a plaster cast of a wall from a temple in Aswan, Egypt
which was built in the years 180-145 BC. The scene shows the
pharaoh Ptolemy VI Philometor and his wife Cleopatra II bringing
gifts to three gods.
This plaster cast has hieroglyphics, symbols and images on it.
Hieroglyphics, which are a form of picture writing, were used by
the ancient Egyptians to tell stories. Could you learn to write your
name using hieroglyphics in class? Consider who would have
visited the temple?
Although this is a plaster cast, the original temple in Egypt would
have been carved from stone or marble. Most Egyptian temples
and tombs were painted with bright colours similar to those that
you can see on the sarcophagus of the mummy Shep en Hor.
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
These are also known as shabtis or answerers and many are often
found in ancient tombs across Egypt. The ancient Egyptians
believed that these mummiform figures would come alive in the
afterlife and work for them as gardeners helping to grow crops for
them.
Ushabtis are small figures that can be made from stone, wood or
faience. Faience is a form of pottery, decorated with colourful
opaque glazes, usually blue in colour. Most ushabtis have their
arms crossed and some have hieroglyphs painted on them.
Most ushabtis have striking faces, especially the females who
appear to wear lots of make-up. These figures were extremely
important in ancient Egyptian culture as agriculture and the yearly
floods sustained life. Describe why the river was important in
Egypt. Discover the name of the great Egyptian river.
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
This storage jar is from El Amarna in Egypt. It has a blue painted
floral motif and dates from the New Kingdom period, 1550 - 1070
BC. This city, on the banks of the River Nile, was occupied for less
than 20 years.
Most pottery from El Amarna was made of red clay from the River
Nile. The potters would spread it with their feet to smooth any
lumps, shape it on a potter’s wheel, paint it and then fire it in a kiln.
Both men and children from most families would be involved in
pottery making, with the children helping to gather clay from the
banks of the River Nile. Describe the jar and consider how it would
stand and what might have been stored in it.
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
In this sarcophagus lies the mummified body of Lady Shep en Hor.
It is from Thebes in Egypt and dates back to 600 BC. Can you
work out how old the mummy is? The sarcophagus is made from
painted wood and is decorated with pictures and hieroglyphics.
In ancient Egyptian times, rich people were often mummified and
buried in special coffins called a sarcophagus. Parts of their bodies
were often removed and stored in special jars. They would need
these later when they entered the afterlife. Look up the name of
these special jars and describe what they were used for.
This mummy and sarcophagus have survived so long due to the
very hot dry climate in Egypt that has helped to preserve the Lady
Shep en Hor. Consider other famous Egyptian mummies, and
where they were found in Egypt.
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
Papyrus is an early form of paper made from the papyrus plant,
Cyperus papyrus. The plant can grow to 5 metres high and was
once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt. Papyrus is first known to
have been used by ancient Egyptians.
A sheet of papyri is made from the stem of the plant. The stem is
cut lengthwise into thin strips of about 40cm long, and the strips
are then laid over each other at right angles and water is added.
While still moist, the layers are pressed together, mashing the
different layers into a single sheet. After drying, the sheet of papyri
is polished with a rounded object, possibly a stone. Consider the
different processes in making papyrus. How long do you think it
took to make papyrus?
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Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery Education Resource
People in the Past – Spring 2006
This mirror is made of bronze, highly polished to allow people to
see their reflection. It was made and used by ancient Egyptians
between 1550 – 1070 BC; this period is also known as the New
Kingdom.
Although this mirror has a modern wooden replica handle, the
handles of ancient Egyptian mirrors were often highly decorative
and carved. Images of papyrus plants were common motifs, as
were female forms, which appeared on handles from the New
Kingdom period onwards.
Both men and women wore make-up in ancient Egyptian times.
This mirror would have been expensive and would need polishing
regularly. Consider who would have polished the mirror and what
would they have used to maintain the reflective surface.
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