Ancient Egyptian daily life was not very complicated for most people. Families lived in small sun baked mud homes with a couple of windows and minimal furniture.
The houses had flat roofs where people would sleep during the hot summer months. The inside of most homes in ancient Egypt were painted with nature scenes on the wall or a series of colorful patterns.
Ancient Egyptians dressed very well. Poorer people bathed daily in the Nile River and richer families had a soaking tub in their home.
Women would wear dresses that flowed to their ankles and men would wear kilts or a small skirt. The main color for clothing was white due to the heat of the desert climate. Linen made from flax was the main textile used for making clothes.
Servants and slaves tended to wear fabric made from colorful patterns to distinguish themselves from family members.
Jewelry was worn by all ancient Egyptians every day. Rich men and women enjoyed wearing jewelry made of gold and silver with numerous gem stones.
Poorer ancient Egyptians wore jewelry made from inexpensive metals like copper.
Ancient Egyptians liked to wear makeup. Both men and women wore makeup on a daily basis. Individuals carried around makeup cases in order to refresh their makeup in the hot desert climate.
Eye paint was the most used makeup in ancient Egypt. It was not uncommon for people to wear facial makeup to help with the desert heat.
Ancient Egyptian daily life included plenty of food and drink. Poorer residents ate lots of bread. The ingredients within the bread were ground poorly and ancient Egyptian’s teeth suffered from decay.
Other daily foods included vegetables such as cucumbers, fruits like dates and several types of meat from lambs to goats to ducks to ostrich. Beef was expensive. Only the richer people in ancient Egypt consumed beef. Beer was the most consumed drink. Beer was made from barley and was thick like a milkshake.
Ancient Egyptians were family oriented. Children played an important role in ancient Egyptian daily life. When couples could not have children, they often adopted a child.
Children were raised to be good people. Children cared for elder members in the family, respected parents, were honest and helped with family business when needed.
Ancient Egyptian daily life included praying to numerous gods for good fortune. Each home had several temples to gods that represented the sun, underworld, water and more.
Ancient Egyptians knew that not all of their prayers could be answered by the gods. Sometimes ancient Egyptians would scold their gods when their prayers were not answered.
Ancient Egyptians had several different occupations. The number one job in ancient Egypt was farming. Farmers tended to crops that ranged from cucumbers to wheat to barley and flax for making clothing.
Craftspeople depended on their skills to rise in society. Craftspeople included potters, carpenters, jewelers, weavers and leather workers. Soldiers could find themselves rising in society easier.
The ancient Egyptian army was a defined hierarchy. Foot soldiers were used during times of peace to construct government projects such as canals.
Another important job in ancient Egypt was being a scribe. These individuals were the only people that could read and write.
Scribes came from richer families and studied the complex hieroglyphic system for many years.
Priests and priestesses presented religious ceremonies for the people of ancient Egypt as well as care for the temples of the gods.
Facts about ancient Egyptian daily life
- Ancient Egyptians were very clean people and liked jewelry.
- Farming was the most common job.
- Homes were small and made from sun baked mud bricks.
- Ancient Egyptian men wore kilts or small skirts.
- Rich families had a soaking bath tub in their home.
- Scribes were taught to read and write hieroglyphics.
- Makeup was worn by both men and women.
- Ancient Egyptians prayed to numerous gods every day.
Questions
- What was the most common type of food eaten by poorer ancient Egyptian families?
Bread - Who were the only people who knew how to read and write Egyptian hieroglyphics?
Scribes - What type of material was used to construct a typical ancient Egyptian home?
Sun baked bricks - Where did most people of ancient Egypt bath?
Nile River
- Back to – Ancient Egypt