1. Daily Life
Religion: They believed in an afterlife and prepared for this by filling their tombs with statutes of loved ones, and with other items to help them have a good time in their afterlife.
Working on their tombs and their many possessions was a big part of daily life. They spent a great deal of their daily life in the temples, honoring their many gods.

2. Daily Life
Children: Children were the heart of the family. If a couple could not have a child, they adopted a child.
Education: Followed in parents footsteps. There was no law that said they couldn’t change.
If parents couldn’t afford to send children to temple for school, taught them at home.

3. Daily Life Food: Everyone ate!
Grain was stored centrally so that all could share.
Bread and beer were the staples. They used honey to sweeten food. They fished the Nile and gathered eggs.

4. Daily Life Dining: People ate food with their fingers.
People rinsed their hands between courses and as needed.

5. Daily Life Clothes: The upper class wore white linen robes.
The lower class wore robes of dark material or woven reed.
Jewelry: Everyone wore jewelry. Wide collars were popular, as were rings, earrings, and bracelets.
Teacher Notes:
The upper class wore jewelry of gold, silver, lapis, and other gemstones. Lower-class Egyptians wore jewelry made of copper and colorful stones.

6. Daily Life
Makeup: Everyone wore makeup. They outlined their eyes with black kohl, made of
powered stone. Kohl protected their eyes from the glare of the sun. Women also tinted their nails and rouged their cheeks, as did some men.

7. Daily Life
Pastimes: Sports included archery, wrestling, swimming, boating, running, and playing ball. Girls played with dolls. Board games like Senet were popular. They played harps, flutes, bells, and percussion instruments. Festivals were held frequently.

8. Daily Life
Slaves: Ancient Egyptians kept slaves. They were captured enemies or criminals. Slaves were probably treated kindly. The Egyptians believed that bad masters had heavy hearts.

9. Daily Life Questions What were two staple foods?
Who wore jewelry and makeup?
Who could be educated?
Teacher Notes:
Answers to Daily Life questions:
Bread and beer
Flax and cotton
Everyone
Anyone

10. Homes
The ancient Egyptians built homes of sun-dried bricks. Homes had flat roofs. People often sat outside on their roof in the evening to watch the sunset and catch the evening breeze.
The rich: Nobles lived in huge room villas along the Nile. Some were fronted with white limestone, which made the walls sparkle.

11. Homes
House cats: The ancient Egyptians believed that cats had magical powers. They believed cats protected their homes and children from danger. All houses had a house cat. Hurting a cat was one of the few crimes that was punishable by death

12. Egyptian Women
Ancient Egyptian women were the most liberated females of their time. A woman’s first duty was
to be a good wife and mother. But Egyptian women could own their own business, own and sell property, and get a paid job outside the home.
Teacher Notes:
Some of the jobs women held included artists, musicians, bakers, and dancers. Noble women could work in the temples.

13. Egyptian Women
Girls married young, usually between the age of 12 and 14. A woman had one husband. A man, except for the pharaoh, had one wife.
Most were love matches. Women did not have to marry anyone unless they chose to do so. They could say no.

14. Egyptian Women
If a woman agreed to marry someone, the man had to sign a marriage agreement that said anything his wife brought to the marriage was hers to keep forever. The Egyptians were very practical.
A woman could divorce her husband. Both parties were then free to remarry.
Teacher Note:
A woman could inherit land from her parents. The marriage agreement often stated that the woman could keep any land she inherited, not only from before the marriage, but also any land inherited during the marriage.

15. Egyptian Women
A divorced woman gained back everything she had brought into the marriage. If the couple had children, she received custody of the children along with one-third of her husband’s property to help her care for her children.
Teacher Notes:
Men also could divorce their wives, but they had to have a good reason. Men lost a great deal in the divorce settlement if the couple had children. If they did not have children, divorce was simple; they each took what they brought to the marriage. It was a practical approach, and effective.
There were not that many divorces recorded in the royal archives, but divorce was an option. Women were treated with great respect. In ancient Egypt, women who broke the law faced the same penalties as men and were expected to defend themselves in court just like men. Egyptian women truly were the most liberated of all females in ancient times.

16. Egyptian Women Questions
Why do we say ancient Egyptian women were liberated?
Why do you think Egyptian girls married so young?
Teacher Notes:
Answers to Egyptian Women questions:
Women had many of the same rights as men. They could inherit from their parents; they could own land; they had the right of divorce; they could defend themselves in court; they could refuse to marry someone; they could work at a paid job outside the home; they could learn to read and write.
Egyptian girls married young because that was the social custom. In ancient Egypt, women were eager to begin building their own home and family.

17. Achievements & Inventions
Obelisks
Cartouche
Flat-roofed homes
Pyramids
Mummification
Unique gods and goddesses
Written laws
Courts and justice system
Solar calendar   

18. Temples
Temples were built to honor the gods, as schools, hotels and they were the heart of the community.
Everyday offerings of food were brought to the temples.
They were also used as safety deposit boxes, banks, and schools.

19. Government
The pharaoh’s palace was his home. It was also the seat of government. Some officials
had offices in the palace. Others had offices in the provinces.