Ancient Egypt was a long-lasting and at times powerful civilization. Though there were groupings of Egyptians before and after Ancient Egypt, it is generally thought to span the period from circa 3050 BC to circa 332 BC. Describing daily life across approximately 3,000 years would be practically impossible, so the period during the reign of Ramses II, around 1280 BC, is chosen.
Classes and Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
There were basically five classes in Ancient Egypt, excluding slaves and the Pharaoh: farmers, who made up the majority of society and are the most like "Blue Collar" America; artisans and craftsmen, who were a little higher in the social order; nobles, who were basically landowners; priests, physicians, and engineers, who were the second highest class; scribes, religious leaders, and administrators, who were the highest class. Some aspects of Ancient Egyptian life crossed class lines; for example, Egyptians were polytheistic, believing in many gods who handled various aspects of life and death and therefore should be carefully worshiped so life, death and the afterlife would all run as smoothly as possible. Since the major gods and goddesses lived in temples, there were many temples, which owned their own farmlands and were maintained by temple priests and the pharaoh.
The bulk of an Egyptian's daily life depended on the class to which he belonged. A farmer's daily life in Ancient...
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