Download Egypt`s Social Classes

Egypt’s Social Classes
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People usually belonged to the same social
class as their parents
All Egyptians from all social classes cherished
family life
Men were the heads of household
Women typically managed the home
Women could own land and run businesses
Egyptians believed a class system created an
orderly society
Government Officials
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The officials to the high class
Their job was to assist the Pharaoh
They led lives of luxury with great wealth,
fine homes and lots of time to socialize
The officials would often hold great
banquets
At the banquet
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The host would serve roasted duck, geese, pigeons, quail,
antelope, wild sheep and goats
Dishes were piled high with figs, dates, grapes and coconuts
Bread, cakes, honey and plenty of beer and wine completed the
meal
Guests dressed in fine linen
Men and women wore perfume
Women wore beads and lined their eyes with make-up
Men and women would sit on opposite sides of the table to start the
feast
People ate with their fingers
While the guests ate they were entertained with singing and
dancing
Banquet Photos
Priests
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Priests had many different jobs
A high priest would advise the Pharaoh
Most priests would tend to temple duties
Women were allowed to be priestesses
A priest who tended to the temple would take care
of the gods
Gods were thought to of lived in the statues
Statues were placed in room called sanctuary
A priest would have to be purified to enter a
sanctuary
A Priest in the Sanctuary
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A priest had many things to do in order to be
prepared for the sanctuary
He had to avoid certain foods, like fish, that were
associated with the lower class
He had to bathe 3 or 4 times a day in a holy pool
He had to shave off his body hair
He had to wear all linen clothes because any
animal products in the sanctuary were forbidden
Burial Practices
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Priests also had a special role in burial
practices
Egyptians thought they needed their bodies
in the afterlife
They preserved their bodies from decay by
embalming
Priests had to embalm bodies
Embalming
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The embalming practice had many steps
First the organs were removed, such as the brains, lungs and liver
They used hooks to pull the brain through the nostrils
Only the heart was left in the body
Egyptians believed the heart was used by the gods to judge the soul
The organs were packed in jars
The organs and body were dried out for about 760 days using a salt called
natron
After drying the embalmers washed and oiled the bodies
Then they wrapped the body in linen
Often they would place a mask over the head
Finally they spread a black gooey gum over the body and wrapped it a final
time
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/launch_gms_mummy_make
r.shtml
Mummies
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When the body was ready for burial it was placed in a
wooden box
Because Egyptians believed the afterlife was like this world,
they sent food, drink, furniture, statues, gold, jewelry, clothes,
games and mirrors along with the dead
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/tutankhamun_
gallery.shtml
Only wealthy Egyptians could afford the embalming process
Poor Egyptians would bury their dead with beer, bread and
any other items they thought they would need for the afterlife
Scribes
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Scribes were a level below priests on the social pyramid
Scribes were official writers and record keepers
Only men could be scribes and most worked for the government
Becoming a scribe was one of the few ways a person could move
up in their social class
Boys who wanted to become scribes would go to school
It usually took a boy 12 years to learn hieroglyphs
Students had to memorize over 700 hieroglyphs to pass
They practiced on wood or clay but when they got good enough
they could use Papyrus, which was a paper like material
Scribe school was very strict and students were often beaten for not
paying attention
The Work of Scribes
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Ancient Egyptians made all kinds of records
Scribes kept records of food supply, court cases,
military records and more
Scribes also worked on the census which counted
the people living in Egypt
Scribes used papyrus paper on wood tablets and
red and back ink
http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/special/hierogly
phs/introduction.html
Artisan
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Artisans were highly skilled laborers who created
some of the most beautiful art in the ancient world
They rarely got the respect they deserved
Artisans included carpenters, jewelers, metal
workers, painters and weavers.
The most skilled artisan was the stone carver
because they carved tomb stones and this was
very important to wealthy Egyptians
http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/special/virtual_li
brary3.html
Artisans continued
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Artisans and their families lived in modest homes
Their homes were about 10 yards long and had 3 rooms
The first room was a work room or animal house
The second room was the living room
The final room was the kitchen and bathroom
The roof was sometimes used for work or sleep
Artisans usually worked side by side in huge workshops
They worked for food
They worked about 10 days in a row before taking a break
Many times Pharaohs would call on hundreds of them at a time to
work on royal projects
http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/special/popup/deir_work_house.h
tml
Peasants
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Peasants were the lowest class in Egypt but also
the largest class
Peasants grew the crops and provided all
Egyptians with food
Their lives revolved around the Nile River and the
three seasons
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The flooding season
The planting season
The harvest season
Peasant Living Conditions
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The peasants lived in small homes made of mud brick
Their furniture was woven mats
Their diet consisted of fish, bread, vegetables, beer and
water
In times of famine they would have to boil the tough papyrus
plant for food
Peasants worked most of the time but had holidays before
planting and after the harvest
Peasants paid taxes in the form of food, if he could not pay,
he was severely beaten