Transcript Daily life-social classes - egypt

Ancient Egypt
Daily life: social classes
Ancient Egypt society
In the Egyptian society there were big diferences betwen the rich and
the poor:
 Women had similar
 The majority of the
population could not read
legal rights to men.
nor write.
They could have
Only the rich and powerful
lands, work and get
or scribes received an
divorced, but they
education.
didn’t go to school.

The traditional family was
the fundamental social unit
of ancient Egypt. The
father was responsible for
the economy of the family.
The mother supervised the
household and cared for
the children.
Ancient Egypt society
Ancient Egyptians entertained themselves in different ways:

They liked listening to and playing music
on instruments such as the harp.

Rich Egyptians had parties with
entertainment, food and drink.

Children had different toys including
balls and model animals.

The Nile was also good for
entertainment. People took trips in
boats, fished, swam and even hunted
crocodiles and hippopotamuses.
Ancient Egypt society

Ancient Egypt society
consisted of some
social groups.

The class structure in
Egypt was extremely
rigid: everyone knew
where they stood in
society and accepted
their position.
The pharaoh

The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the pharaoh.

The pharaoh was the political and religious leader
of the Egyptian people:


Political: As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the
pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt.
He owned all of the land, made laws, collected
taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.

Religious: As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the
pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He
performed rituals and built temples to honour the
gods.
He also helped maintain 'Maat' - the divine order in
the world. Without the pharaoh, The Egyptians
believed that the world would descend into chaos.
Priests

Priests enjoyed great power and richness in
Egyptian society. They passed down their
positions from father to son.

There were some different kinds of priests:

The high priests were the most important
ones. They were the 'First Prophet of the
God‘. High priests did sacred rituals at
temples.

Other priests were in charge of funerals,
and some other specialized in astrology,
architecture or medicine.
Priests

Whatever their position all priests had to obey a number of strict
rules:

They could not eat fish, because it was seen
as peasant food

They could not wear wool, because most
animal products were viewed as unclean.

Many priests took three or four baths a day
in sacred pools in order to keep themselves
pure.

They had to shave their heads to ensure
cleanliness.
Nobles

Nobles were rich people with high social
position

The noble class of Ancient Egypt typically
worked for the pharaoh or the pharaoh’s
family in some way.

Their job was to collect taxes for the pharaoh.

They also supervised the preparation of the
pharaoh's tomb.
Traders

Egypt was one of the richest countries in the ancient world.

Egyptian traders carried products such as gold, papyrus, linen
cloth, and jewelry to other countries.

In exchange, they brought back wood
and animals such as lions for the
temples or palaces.
Artisans

The Egyptian objects that we see in museums today were created
by anonymous artists working for the pharaoh, the government, or
temples.
jewelry
pottery
wall painting
carpentry

some of the objects they created
were: carpentry, jewelry, pottery,
sculpture, wall painting and glass
making.
sculpture
glass making
Scribes

Scribes had a high status in Egyptian society.

They studied for many
years to learn to read
and write hieroglyphics.

Scribes had great opportunities as
accountants, priests, doctors, and
government officials.
Farmers

Farmers worked on the lands that were property of the pharaoh, the
government, a temple, or a rich landowner.

They got very little money for their job.

In addition to working in the land,
they maintained the irrigation
canals that every year brought
water to their fields and to the
place where the pharaoh's tomb
was constructed.
Servants and slaves

Servants and slaves were the lowest
class of Egyptian society

They worked in the household or in the
fields.

These workers were often foreigners.

Servants recieved a very little pay and
they were free.

Slaves could be bought and sold like
property. People could also sell
themselves into slavery and buy
themselves out of it.
Thank you for your attention, I hope you liked it…
…And now
we are going to do
an activity about
Ancient Egypt society!