The Culture of Ancient Egyptians Chapter 3, Section 4

Everyday Life of Ancient Egyptians Much of what we know about everyday life of the Egyptians was learned through paintings and written records

Social Classes Egyptian society resembled a pyramid Top pharaoh Nobles, priests, members of the court Merchants and skilled workers Peasants and workers Slaves formed a separate class who could inherit land from their owners

Lives of the Peasants Most peasants worked the land of wealthier people When the waters left the land, farming began Men, women and children all helped in the harvest A time of feasts

Egyptian Women Egyptian women were looked upon as a living model of Isis Women could own property, run businesses, enter into legal contracts Supervised farm work Nobel women in charge of temples, acted as regents

Achievements of the Egyptians Known as a land of learning Hieroglyphs was their system of writing Papyrus was an early paper made from reeds from the delta In 1799, the Rosetta Stone was found and the key to understanding hieroglyphs was known

Keeping Track of Time Egyptians had to be able to predict when the Nile would flood Scientists called astronomers studied the stars to track when the Nile would flood Egyptians discovered that the year has 365 days

Medicine Ancient Egyptians knew about the human body They learned to perform surgery and could set broken bones Egyptians practiced herbalism; medicine from plants