# data[].attributes.body
During the ancient times egyptians lived in houses made of mud bricks. The annual floods bring alot of mud which made the conscruction easier. The bricks makers molded mud into square shapes. When they put the mud together they waited till the mud dried for the house.

# data[].attributes.body
How did Egyptians hunt?
Egyptians hunted by using spears, traps, nets and a boomerang look a like weapon to take down birds.

What did Egyptians hunt?
they most likely hunted birds, deer, bull, rabbits, gazelles, antelopes, elephants and lions.

# data[].attributes.body
On land people would use camels, donkeys, wagons and walk. On water transportation people would use skiffs with the sails and ropes made with papyrus reeds and wood. for bigger ships it would take more than one person to paddle.

What did people use them for? people used them to transport images of gods from temple to temple. they also used them to transport the royals and nobles mummified bodies to their tombs.

# data[].attributes.body
The use of common materials for building the houses of people in Egypt meant that the design of most houses in ancient Egypt displayed little variation. The houses in ancient Egypt were not long-lasting and in just a few years they usually began deteriorating and crumbling.

https://www.ask-aladdin.com/all-destinations/egypt/category/history/page/ancient-egypt-houses

# data[].attributes.body
Normal class people in ancent egypt would live in one-two story housing made out of mud bricks. both the walls and roof would be covered in plaster and would be painted.

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl03e.html#:~:text=Craftworkers%20lived%20in%20one%2D%20or,food%20and%20beverages%20were%20stored.

# data[].attributes.body
Houses in ancient Egypt were built of Mudbrick, with palm logs used to support their roofs and ceilings

https://www.google.com/search?q=ancient+egypt+housing&rlz=1CAYJSI_enCA1052&oq=ancient+egypt+housing&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l8j46i512.2227j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on

# data[].attributes.body
The Nile River was was the highway for the Ancient Egyptians that joined the country together.
Wooden ships and boats were the main use of transporting people.
Meanwhile people also walked, travelled by wagon, and rode donkeys. Wagons and donkeys were mostly used for travelling with heavier loads.
The most common boat was called the skiff made out of papyrus reeds that were tied together, Skiffs were used for hunting and fishing and also travelling short distance.

# data[].attributes.body
Ancient Egyptians are famously known for the pyramids. And to achieve such amazing status they would need to mine for these resources for the construction of the pyramids.
And because Egypt has a lot of mountain ranges they used them for resources; limestone, sandstones, red and gray granite for the interior, diorite, etc. The mountain that was known for these is

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mines and Quarries of Ancient Egypt: An Introduction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Egypt: Mines and Quarries of Ancient Egypt: An Introduction

# data[].attributes.body
The tools Egyptian farmers used are not too different from the tools used today. They used a hand plough, or a bigger plough pulled by a cow. Using a plough meant the earth was moved up, which circulated the nutrients, and seeds could be easily planted into the open furrows.

Ancient Egyptian farming | tools | history wiki - Twinkl

Twinkl

https://www.twinkl.ca › teaching-wiki › ancient-egypti...

# data[].attributes.body
Those who were rich in Ancient Egypt had large houses with many rooms. Most of the time these houses were painted with nice colors. These kind of houses had high walls to keep intruders out and guards would often protect the area. People who were richer also had furniture that others most likely didn't have.

# data[].attributes.body
the main trades in ancient Egypt included carpenters,sculptors,bead making,potters,merchants and mistresses of the house. skilled carpenters would build roofing beams and statues. sculptors had strict policies about how sculptures could look. bead makers would make a variety of different types of beads and jewelry.

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl05e.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Trades and crafts

Stone and clay pots comprise one of the most important categories of Egyptian artifacts. They help us understand the evolution of the culture from the Predynastic Period to the end of the pharaonic era. The banks of the Nile provided the mud and clay used to make ceramic ware. Food was cooked in clay pots, which also served as containers for grains, water, wine, beer, flour and oils. Baskets were the other type of container found in the home. They were made from reeds and the leaves of date palms that grew along the Nile.

Skilled artisans were considered socially superior to common labourers. They learned their art from a master who ensured stylistic continuity in the beautiful objects they created for the living and the dead. Women engaged in weaving, perfume making, baking and needlework. Very few artistic creations were signed, and exceptional ability was rewarded through increased social status.

Carpenters

Skilled carpenters manufactured a wide range of products, from roofing beams to furniture and statues. Their tools included saws, axes, chisels, adzes, wooden mallets, stone polishers and bow drills. Since wood suitable for building was scarce in ancient Egypt, it was imported from countries such as Lebanon.

"The carpenter who wields an adze,
He is wearier than a field-labourer;
His field is the timber, his hoe the adze.
There is no end to his labour,
He does more than his arms can do (...)"
From Satire of the Trades, a Middle Kingdom text reproduced in Ancient Egyptian Literature, by Miriam Lichtheim

Drawing: John Ide

Stonemasons and Sculptors

Sculptors had to adhere to very strict stylistic rules. The stone was first shaped and smoothed by masons using stone hammers. For bas-reliefs, draftsmen outlined images on the stone before a team of sculptors began carving them with copper chisels. A fine abrasive powder was used to polish the stone before the images were painted.

In this illustration, craftsmen from the Temple of Karnak polish and paint a red-granite statue of Thutmosis III, on which they carve an inscription.
"I'll describe to you also the mason:
His loins give him pain;
Though he is out in the wind,
He works without a cloak;
His loincloth is a twisted rope
And a string in the rear."

From Satire of the Trades, a Middle Kingdom text reproduced in Ancient Egyptian Literature, by Miriam Lichtheim

Drawing: John Ide

The ancient Egyptians produced numerous monumental and life-size stone statues of pharaohs, nobles, gods and goddesses. They presented themselves as proud self-confident people capable of ruling their land and defying their enemies.

Stone vessels were made by shaping the stone and smoothing its exterior with abrasives such as quartz sand. A crank-shaped drill was used to hollow out the interior.

Bead Making

Various types of semi-precious stones were used in jewellery. To makebeads, artisans broke stones and rolled them between other stones to shape them. A bow drill was used to drill a hole through the beads, which were then rolled in a recessed receptacle containing an abrasive to refine their shape.

Brickmakers and potters

The word iqdou (Nile mud) was used to designate the profession of the brickmaker and the potter, who used mud from the Nile to make their products.

The brickmaker had one of the more menial occupations in ancient Egypt. To make bricks, Nile mud was mixed with sand, straw and water, slapped into wooden moulds and then slapped out onto the ground to dry in the sun. Bricks were used extensively in ancient Egypt for building everything from peasants' homes to the pharaoh's palaces.

Potters produced vast quantities of utilitarian vessels. Cow dung, water and straw were mixed with mud to produce clay ready for the potter's wheel. The exterior surface of pots was often covered with a reddish slip and/or decorated using a stylus or comb before the pots were fired in kilns.

From His clothes are stiff with clay,
His girdle is in shreds;
If air enters his nose,
It comes straight from the fire.

Satire of the Trades, a Middle Kingdom text reproduced inAncient Egyptian Literature, by Miriam Lichtheim
Drawing: John Ide

Merchants and Trade

In a good year, the quantity of grain harvested in Egypt far exceeded the needs of the country. The grain exported to neighbouring countries provided a rich source of revenue for the Egyptian Treasury. Egypt's economy functioned on a barter system. In the marketplace, stone weights were used to determine the value of grain and other rations.

Egyptian merchants developed an extensive trade network for procuring goods from other countries. Gold from the mines of eastern Nubia, for example, was traded for raw materials or manufactured goods.

Mistress of the House

Women of all classes could earn wages, own property and employ workers, but their main role was within the family. The title most women had was "mistress of the house". They were considered equal with men before the law, and could sue for damages and divorce.

Musical scenes on murals seem to indicate a predominance of female musicians during the New Kingdom. Music served both secular and religious purposes, with many high-status New Kingdom women holding the position of "chantress" to a local god. Harps, lutes, flutes, oboes, tambourines and sistra (rattles) were the main instruments used.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Trades and crafts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Trades and crafts Stone and clay pots comprise one of the most important categories of Egyptian artifacts. They help us understand the evolution of the culture from the Predynastic Period to the end of the pharaonic era. The banks of the Nile provided the mud and clay used to make ceramic ware.

# data[].attributes.body
"Changed what might have been a geological curiosity, a version of the Grand Canyon, into a dejected populated agricultural country,"  Barry J. Kemp explains.

According to the UN's food and Agriculture Organization Ancient Egyptian farmers were one of the groups to practice agriculture

https://www.history.com/news/ancient-egypt-nile-river

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When the Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the ancient Egyptians' land was "given them by the river," he was referring to the Nile, whose waters were essential to the rise of one of the world's earliest great civilizations.

The Nile, which flows northward for 4,160 miles from east-central Africa to the Mediterranean, provided ancient Egypt with fertile soil and water for irrigation, as well as a means of transporting materials for building projects. Its vital waters enabled cities to sprout in the midst of a desert.

In order to benefit from the Nile, people who lived along its banks had to figure out how to cope with the river's annual flooding. They also developed new skills and technology, from agriculture to boat and ship building. The Nile even played a role in the construction of the pyramids, the massive marvels that are among the most recognizable reminders of their civilization. Beyond practical matters, the vast river had a profound influence upon the ancient Egyptians' view of themselves and their world, and shaped their religion and culture.

The Nile was "a critical lifeline that literally brought life to the desert," as Lisa Saladino Haney, assistant curator of Egypt at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, writes on the museum's website. "Without the Nile, there would be no Egypt," writes Egyptologist in his 2012 book, .

The Nile Was a Source of Rich Farmland

The Nile's modern name comes from the Nelios, the Greek word for river valley. But the ancient Egyptians called it meaning "black," a reference to the rich, dark sediment that the Nile's waters carried from the Horn of Africa northward and deposited in Egypt as the river flooded its banks each year in late summer. That surge of water and nutrients turned the Nile Valley into productive farmland, and made it possible for Egyptian civilization to develop in the midst of a desert.

The Nile Valley's thick layer of silt "transformed what might have been a geological curiosity, a version of the Grand Canyon, into a densely populated agricultural country," explains Barry J. Kemp in Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization.

The Nile was such a focal point to the ancient Egyptians that their calendar began the year with the first month of the flooding. The Egyptian religion even venerated a deity of flooding and fertility, Hapy, who was depicted as a chubby man with blue or green skin.

According to the UN's Food And Agriculture Organization, ancient Egyptian farmers were one of the first groups to practice agriculture on a large scale, growing food crops such as wheat and barley, as well as industrial crops such as flax for making clothing. To get the most out of the Nile's waters, ancient Egyptian farmers developed a system called basin irrigation. They constructed networks of earthen banks to form basins, and dug channels to direct floodwater water into the basins, where it would sit for a month until the soil was saturated and ready for planting.

"It is obviously challenging if the land on which you have built your home and grow your food gets flooded by a river every August and September, as the Nile used to do before the Aswan High Dam," explains Arthur Goldschmidt, Jr., a retired Penn State University professor of Middle East history and the author of A Brief History of Egypt. "Creating dikes, channels and basins to move and store some of the Nile waters required ingenuity and probably much trial-and-error experimentation for the ancient Egyptians."

To predict whether they faced dangerous floods or low waters that could result in a poor harvest, the ancient Egyptians built nilometers -stone columns with markings that would indicate the water level.

The River Served as a Vital Transportation Route

In addition to nurturing agriculture, the Nile provided ancient Egyptians with a vital transportation route. As a result, they became skilled boat and ship builders who created both large wooden craft with sails and oars, capable of traveling longer distances, and smaller skiffs made of papyrus reeds attached to wooden frames.

Artwork from the Old Kingdom, which existed from 2686 to 2181 B.C., depicts boats transporting cattle, vegetables, fish, bread and wood. Boats were so important to the Egyptians that they buried deceased kings and dignitaries with boats that sometimes were so well-constructed that they could have been used for actual travel on the Nile.

The Nile Valley as Part of Identity

The Nile influenced how Egyptians thought of the land in which they lived, according to Haney. They divided their world into Kemet, the "black land" of the Nile Valley, where there was enough water and food for cities to thrive. In contrast, the hot, dry desert areas were Deshret, the "red land." They linked the Nile Valley and oases in the desert areas with life and abundance, while the deserts were associated with death and chaos.

The Nile also played an important role in the creation of the monumental tombs such as the Great Pyramid of Giza. An ancient papyrus diary of an official involved in the construction of the Great Pyramid describes how workers transported massive blocks of limestone on wooden boats along the Nile, and then routed the blocks through a canal system to the site where the pyramid was being constructed.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why the Nile River Was So Important to Ancient Egypt | HISTORY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From nourishing agricultural soil to serving as a transportation route, the Nile was vital to ancient Egypt's civilization.

# data[].attributes.body
Egyptians are one of the first groups of people to practice agriculture on a large scale. This was possible because of the cleverness of the Egyptians as they developed irrigation. Their farming practices allowed them to grow staple food crops.

fao.org

https://www.fao.org › country-showcase › item-detailAncient Egyptian Agriculture

# data[].attributes.body
Egyptians probably had a better diet than others in the  Ancient world. A larger amount of vegetables were grown in Egypt such as: lettuce, onion, garlic, cucumbers, cabbage, beans, leeks, lentils, peas, and radishes. They also grew fruits that include: grapes, dates, figs, pomegranates, and melons. Honey was used as a sweetener for desserts. The Noble class were given wine that was processed by grapes, although beer was still a favourite of many. The diet of the Egyptians was fish, fowl and meat, but the peasants most likely only got these good on special occasions. Goats, pigs, and sheep were domesticated to be eaten.

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl02e.html

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Food

Agriculture

Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average. If it rose 2.5 metres (8 feet) higher or lower, disaster struck. When it rose too high, villages were flooded, causing extensive damage and loss of life. When it did not rise high enough, the fields did not receive sufficient nutrients and moisture to support the crops, which resulted in famine.

Under normal conditions, the flood plains supported a rich variety of plants and animals that provided food for the ancient Egyptians. The vast majority of the people were involved in farming. When the flood waters began to recede in mid-September, farmers blocked canals to retain the water for irrigation. Still used today, theshaduf is a mechanical irrigation device used to conduct water from the canals to the fields. One person can operate it by swinging the bucket of water from the canal to the field.

Livestock was important to the Egyptian economy, supplying meat, milk, hides, and dung for cooking fuel. Draft animals such as oxen increased agricultural productivity. Herdsmen and shepherds lived a semi-nomadic life, pasturing their animals in the marshes of the Nile.

(left) Breaking the ground with plough and hoe.
(centre) Reaping. Scattering the seed.
(right) Separating the grain from the chaff.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

Although the land was worked by the peasants, it was owned by the king, his officials and the temples. Farmers had to meet grain quotas, which were handed over to the owners as a form of taxation. They were allowed to keep a portion of the crops for their own benefit. If they did not produce the quantity expected, however, they were severely punished.

Food staples

The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to make beer and bread, the main staples of the Egyptian diet. Grains were harvested and stored in granaries until ready to be processed. The quantities harvested each season far exceeded the needs of the country, so much was exported to neighbouring countries, providing a rich source of income for the Egyptian treasury.

(left) A baker.
(centre) (top) Slab for grinding grain. (bottom) Bread.
(right) Fig gatherers.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

A large variety of vegetables were grown, including onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes, and honey was produced for sweetening desserts. The Egyptian diet was supplemented by fish, fowl and meat, although peasants probably enjoyed meat only on special occasions. Domesticated animals raised for food included pigs, sheep and goats. Grapes were processed into wine for the noble class, but beer was the favourite drink of the common people. Food was served in pottery bowls, but no utensils were used for eating.

Bread- and beer-making
Model from the tomb of Mentuhotep II
(Valley of the Kings)
Plaster and wood
Royal Ontario Museum 907.18 series

Hunting and fishing

Pharaohs and nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling expeditions, a means of recreation that had ritualistic and religious significance. Hunting scenes often depicted on temple walls and tombs reinforce the prowess of kings and nobles. Rabbits, deer, gazelles, bulls, oryx, antelopes, hippopotamuses, elephants and lions were among the wild animals hunted for their meat and skins.

Assisted by his wife, Tutankhamun hunts birds in the marshes along the Nile. In accordance with artistic convention, the end of the bow string and the butt of the arrow are concealed behind his head. His left arm is protected by an archer's leather brace, and he sits on a folding stool, accompanied by his tame lion. The vulture hovering above the king's head indicates that this is a ritual hunting scene, and the birds symbolize enemies in the land of the gods.

Fishing allowed the working class to add variety to its diet. The poor substituted fish for meat, which they could not afford. The Nile, the marshes of the delta and the Mediterranean Sea offered them a rich variety of species. Fishing methods included the use of a hook and line, harpoons, traps and nets. Birds, including geese and ducks, were also hunted in the marshes and papyrus thickets along the Nile. Small fishing boats (skiffs) were made from papyrus reeds, which are naturally filled with air pockets, making them particularly buoyant. Skiffs were also used for hunting game in the Nile marshes.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Food

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Food Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average.

# data[].attributes.body
In the Ancient Egypt civilization people got food by hunting,fishing, and farming. The way people were able to farm and grow crops was because of The Nile River. According to historymusem.ca that The Nile River was able to grow crops because a month starting summer the Nile river would flood and swollen by the monsoon rain,It deposited layer of black soil a that is rich in nutrients to needed to plant crops such as onions,garlic,leeks,beans etc.

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl02e.html#:~:text=Fishing%20methods%20included%20the%20use,pockets%2C%20making%20them%20particularly%20buoyant.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Food

Agriculture

Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average. If it rose 2.5 metres (8 feet) higher or lower, disaster struck. When it rose too high, villages were flooded, causing extensive damage and loss of life. When it did not rise high enough, the fields did not receive sufficient nutrients and moisture to support the crops, which resulted in famine.

Under normal conditions, the flood plains supported a rich variety of plants and animals that provided food for the ancient Egyptians. The vast majority of the people were involved in farming. When the flood waters began to recede in mid-September, farmers blocked canals to retain the water for irrigation. Still used today, theshaduf is a mechanical irrigation device used to conduct water from the canals to the fields. One person can operate it by swinging the bucket of water from the canal to the field.

Livestock was important to the Egyptian economy, supplying meat, milk, hides, and dung for cooking fuel. Draft animals such as oxen increased agricultural productivity. Herdsmen and shepherds lived a semi-nomadic life, pasturing their animals in the marshes of the Nile.

(left) Breaking the ground with plough and hoe.
(centre) Reaping. Scattering the seed.
(right) Separating the grain from the chaff.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

Although the land was worked by the peasants, it was owned by the king, his officials and the temples. Farmers had to meet grain quotas, which were handed over to the owners as a form of taxation. They were allowed to keep a portion of the crops for their own benefit. If they did not produce the quantity expected, however, they were severely punished.

Food staples

The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to make beer and bread, the main staples of the Egyptian diet. Grains were harvested and stored in granaries until ready to be processed. The quantities harvested each season far exceeded the needs of the country, so much was exported to neighbouring countries, providing a rich source of income for the Egyptian treasury.

(left) A baker.
(centre) (top) Slab for grinding grain. (bottom) Bread.
(right) Fig gatherers.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

A large variety of vegetables were grown, including onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes, and honey was produced for sweetening desserts. The Egyptian diet was supplemented by fish, fowl and meat, although peasants probably enjoyed meat only on special occasions. Domesticated animals raised for food included pigs, sheep and goats. Grapes were processed into wine for the noble class, but beer was the favourite drink of the common people. Food was served in pottery bowls, but no utensils were used for eating.

Bread- and beer-making
Model from the tomb of Mentuhotep II
(Valley of the Kings)
Plaster and wood
Royal Ontario Museum 907.18 series

Hunting and fishing

Pharaohs and nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling expeditions, a means of recreation that had ritualistic and religious significance. Hunting scenes often depicted on temple walls and tombs reinforce the prowess of kings and nobles. Rabbits, deer, gazelles, bulls, oryx, antelopes, hippopotamuses, elephants and lions were among the wild animals hunted for their meat and skins.

Assisted by his wife, Tutankhamun hunts birds in the marshes along the Nile. In accordance with artistic convention, the end of the bow string and the butt of the arrow are concealed behind his head. His left arm is protected by an archer's leather brace, and he sits on a folding stool, accompanied by his tame lion. The vulture hovering above the king's head indicates that this is a ritual hunting scene, and the birds symbolize enemies in the land of the gods.

Fishing allowed the working class to add variety to its diet. The poor substituted fish for meat, which they could not afford. The Nile, the marshes of the delta and the Mediterranean Sea offered them a rich variety of species. Fishing methods included the use of a hook and line, harpoons, traps and nets. Birds, including geese and ducks, were also hunted in the marshes and papyrus thickets along the Nile. Small fishing boats (skiffs) were made from papyrus reeds, which are naturally filled with air pockets, making them particularly buoyant. Skiffs were also used for hunting game in the Nile marshes.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Food

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Food Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average.

# data[].attributes.body
During Ancient Egypt there were annual floods that brought a lot of mud, allowing people to make houses out of mud bricks because it was easier, and efficient but not long lasting because of the annual floods that comes every year.
Making the mud houses temporarily sustainable.

Mud houses, were mostly known for having a flat roof, and had a central room which was commonly used room in the house, alongside the kitchen.

# data[].attributes.body
Gold mining in Upper Egypt was also a thing. The earliest map was created in 1160BCE. The map showed all the gold mining routs. Who were the people who mined the gold? Pretty often, slaves of war were the people mining all the gold and if they refused to work hard enough, they would get beaten up.  Shallow underground gold mining veins were created in 1300BCE.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_industry_of_Egypt#Modern_technology_and_gold_exploration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Toggle the table of contents

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mining in Egypt has had a long history that dates back to predynastic times. Active mining began in Egypt around 3000 BCE. Egypt has substantial mineral resources, including 48 million tons of tantalite (fourth largest in the world), 50 million tons of coal, and an estimated 6.7 million ounces of gold in the Eastern Desert.[1] The total real value of minerals mined was about LE 102 million ( US$18.7 million) in 1986, up from LE 60 million (US$11 million) in 1981.[2] The chief minerals in terms of volume output were iron ore, phosphates, and salt. The quantities produced in 1986 were estimated at 2,048, 1,310, and 1,233 tons, respectively, compared with 2,139, 691, and 883 tons in 1981. In addition, minor amounts of asbestos (313 tons) and quartz (19 tons) were mined in 1986.[2] Preliminary exploration in Sinai indicated the presence of zinc, tin, lead, and copper deposits.[2] Private sector exploration and exploitation activities so far have been limited.[1] Only recently, AngloGold Ashanti with its joint Venture Partner Thani Dubai and a Canadian listed exploration company, Alexander Nubia International have been undertaking exploration in Egypt's Eastern Desert with some success. Centamin Ltd., a mineral exploration company founded in Australia, started a massive mining project in Sukari Hill.[3]

Gold mining in Upper Egypt can be traced back to predynastic times,[4] and the earliest map known in the world from the Ramesside Period dating to about 1160 BCE, shows the route to the gold mines in the Wadi Hammamat, Eastern Desert.[5] The mines in Ancient Egypt were worked by slaves who were made to work under astonishingly difficult conditions and were often beaten if they did not work hard enough.[6] Gold mining started with alluvial workings in Egypt and was followed by shallow underground vein mining in Nubia about 1300 BCE, during the New Kingdom period.[7] The methods of working included fire-setting to weaken rocks by thermal shock, a method described by Diodorus Siculus in his Bibliotheca historica written about 60 BCE.

The technique of quarrying granite and limestone was an advanced technology by the time the pyramids were being built.[8] Marble, alabaster and diorite were used for making statues, basalt for making sarcophagi, and dolomite for hammers to work hard stones. A staggering amount of gold was found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, the only ancient Egyptian royal burial site to have been found in a relatively intact state.[9] Ancient texts report the vast quantities of statutory gold, silver and bronze that was used in Egyptian temple ritual, but of these, only a single gold statue of the body of Amun, minus his arms, is known to have survived.[10]

Precious and semi-precious stones that were extensively mined and worked as well included turquoise, beryl, amethyst, lapis lazuli and malachite. Hathor was the miner's patron goddess, and her temples, statues or inscriptions were found in many rediscovered mining locations.[8] A major temple to Hathor constructed by Seti II was found at the copper mines in Timna valley; another temple was discovered in Serabit el-Khadim, where turquoise was mined in antiquity, in an expedition led by Sir Flinders Petrie.

Egypt became a major gold-producer during the Old Kingdom and remained so for the next 1,500 years, with interruptions when the kingdom broke down.[11] During the New Kingdom, the production of gold steadily increased, and mining became more intensive as new fields were developed.[11] British historian Paul Johnson stated that it was gold rather than military power which sustained the Egyptian empire and made it the world power throughout the third quarter of the second millennium BCE.[12] Most gold mines in Egypt today were exploited for high-grade gold (15 g/t gold or greater) by the ancient Egyptians;[8] however, there has been limited exploration that applies modern day techniques where deposits can be viable based on gold grades as low as 0.5 g/t (provided there is sufficient tonnage and readily available infrastructure).

The earliest known beryl mine in the world is located in the mountain valley of Wadi Sikait, Eastern Desert. Its mining started during the Ptolemaic period, although most of mining activities date to the Roman and Byzantine periods.[13] All the other beryl mining sites such as Gebel Zabara, Wadi Umm Debaa and Wadi Gimal are Roman-Byzantine or Islamic (mid-6th century onward) in date. Beryl mining ceased in Egypt when the Spanish Empire discovered superior-quality emeralds in Colombia in the 16th century.[13]

Alteration zones are considered the most promising areas for mineral exploration in the Central Eastern Desert (CED). Ancient gold miners in Egypt only targeted the smoky quartz veins that contain large amounts of gold; however, they left the alteration areas untouched. Remote sensing and geophysical techniques can provide cost-effective tools that can give valuable information about the new mineralization sites. Mapping of the potential mineralized alteration zones is a critical task to enhance mineral exploration in the CED. Previously, such mapping had utilized standard remote-sensing techniques such as image rationing, principal component analysis, and image classifications. Recent study implemented the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classification, surface structure, aeromagnetic data, and the Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to aid for better mapping results of the prospective mineralized alterations in CED.[14] For instances, Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classification is one of the powerful classification techniques that can be integrated with aeromagnetic data to map the potential gold sites associated within the alteration zone in CED. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) spectral signature data for alteration minerals can be used as an end-member for the SAM classification. To aid in better mapping, the SAM result can be constrained by the structural elements that restrict the mapping to the actual alteration sites. The surface lineation layer from digital remote sensing data and the geophysical information such as total magnetic intensities can be deployed to understand the tectonic regimes in the CED and to detect the structural patterns that control the existence of the gold deposits. For more details please see [15]

1. ^ "Mining in Egypt - Unexplored Territory" (PDF). International Finance Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2011.

2. ^ "A Country Study: Egypt". US Library of Congress, Federal Research Division. December 1993. This article incorporates text from the source, which is in the public domain.

3. ^ fer, Cache (August 2006). "A Gold Mine Worth LE 23 Billion (and counting)". Egypt Today. Archived from the original on 2008-01-17.

4. ^

5. ^

6. ^ Klemm, Dietrich; Klemm, Rosemarie; Murr, Andreas (2001-01-01). "Gold of the Pharaohs - 6000 years of gold mining in Egypt and Nubia". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 33 (3-4): 643-659. Bibcode:2001JAfES..33..643K. doi:10.1016/S0899-5362(01)00094-X. ISSN 1464-343X.

7. ^ Marsden, John (2006). The Chemistry of Gold Extraction. Society of Mining Metallurgy and Exploration. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-87335-240-6.

8. ^ "Spotlights on the Exploitation and Use of Minerals and Rocks through the Egyptian Civilization". Egypt State Information Service. 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20.

9. ^ www.metmuseum.org https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/egold/hd_egold.htm.

10. ^ www.metmuseum.org https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/egold/hd_egold.htm.

11. ^

12. ^

13. ^ Harell, James A. (June 2004). "Archaeological geology of the world's first emerald mine". Geoscience Canada.

14. ^ Hasan, E.; Fagin, T.; El Alfy, Z.; Hong, Y. (2016). "Spectral Angle Mapper and aeromagnetic data integration for gold-associated alteration zone mapping: a case study for the Central Eastern Desert Egypt". International Journal of Remote Sensing. 37 (8): 1762-1776. Bibcode:2016IJRS...37.1762H. doi:10.1080/01431161.2016.1165887. S2CID 130031797.

15. ^ Hasan, E.; Fagin, T.; El Alfy, Z.; Hong, Y. (2016). "Spectral Angle Mapper and aeromagnetic data integration for gold-associated alteration zone mapping: a case study for the Central Eastern Desert Egypt". International Journal of Remote Sensing. 37 (8): 1762-1776. Bibcode:2016IJRS...37.1762H. doi:10.1080/01431161.2016.1165887. S2CID 130031797.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Toggle the table of contents From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mining in Egypt has had a long history that dates back to predynastic times. Active mining began in Egypt around 3000 BCE.

# data[].attributes.body
Ancient Egypt houses are made out of mudbricks  and palm longs. palm logs support the ceiling and roofs. mudbricks are also known as adobe and it is cheap and  easy to get. mudbricks are used today in Egypt. in Egypt it is common for all houses to be covered in plaster  there is a living room a bed room and a cellar room were you store food and water
http://teachinghistory100.org/objects/about_the_object/ancient_egyptian_house#:~:text=Egyptian%20homes,were%20free%20and%20readily%20available.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A home for the afterlife

Unlike Egypt's elite, ordinary Egyptians could not afford mummification, tombs or elaborate funerary offerings. Nonetheless, they wanted to provide for the afterlife as best they could. Their simple burials, usually directly into the desert sand, were accompanied by so-called 'soul houses' like this. These simple pottery models were intended to provide the essentials for the next life: food, drink, a home. Such models typically show a modest rural dwelling, its courtyard filled with offerings of bread, beer, meat, fruit and vegetables. Soul houses provide useful information about the homes of ordinary people in ancient Egypt.

Egyptian homes

As in villages throughout Egypt today, ancient Egyptian houses were built of mudbrick, with palm logs used to support their roofs and ceilings. Mudbrick, also known as adobe, is a cheap and practical material. It was easy to build with and the materials were free and readily available. Bricks were made by mixing mud with chopped-up straw and water, then pressing the mixture into a wooden mould. Once the sun had dried them, they were ready to use.

As a precaution against earthquakes and high Nile floods, the walls of houses were often thicker at the bottom and sloped up, making them stronger and more stable. As rain was rare, the roofs were flat, providing a useful outdoor living and storage area. Screened by reed mats for privacy, the family could also sleep here in hot weather.

Keeping cool

In Egypt's hot climate, keeping cool was a prority. Mudbrick was a good insulator, and helped keep the inside of the house cool in summer. The exterior walls were plastered and whitewashed to reflect the sun and tiny windows helped keep houses cool and ventilated. Some homes even had vents on the roof to allow cool breezes to circulate through the house, a form of natural air conditioning.

Town and country

In towns, houses were built close together, with two or more storeys, but in the countryside single-storey homes were more usual and there was room for people to have gardens. This allowed country dwellers to supplement their diet with home-grown fruit and vegetables and to keep poultry for eggs and meat. Wealthy homeowners even had flower beds, vine arbours and ponds full of waterlilies where fish and ducks swam.

Rich and poor

There were huge differences between the homes of the rich and the poor. Set in great country estates, the enormous villas of the rich had many rooms. The walls and ceilings were plastered and painted with patterns in bright colours or hung with coloured textiles. Separate buildings accommodated stables, storerooms, workshops and kitchens. Most houses just had a small kitchen yard at the back with a clay oven and a grindstone. In humble homes the floor was of beaten earth covered with reed mats, while palaces had tiled floors. Wealthy homes even had bathrooms and toilets, while ordinary people had to wash in the river and use a chamber pot or toilet stool.

Whatever their size, most houses had the same kind of layout. At the front was a reception area, sometimes with a porch. Behind were the private rooms, where members of the family ate and slept. The largest of these was a common living area, with a raised ceiling supported on wooden columns. Here you might find a shrine to the household gods, or busts of deceased ancestors.

Security

Whatever the status of the homeowner, security was a concern - another reason that windows were so small was to deter burglars, who were known to strip naked and smear their bodies in oil in order to wriggle through tiny openings. For this reason, windows were often fitted with stone grilles. Most houses also had cellars where things were stored for safety and some homeowners kept guard dogs.

Furnishings

The ancient Egyptians did not use nearly as much furniture as we do today. Although the rich had beds with wooden frames, most people slept on built-in mud benches covered in mats. Instead of pillows there were head rests made of ivory, wood or pottery. In wealthy homes there were chairs and feather-filled cushions to sit on, while in poorer homes the sleeping benches doubled by day as seating.There were no cupboards or wardrobes - clothes and household goods were kept in wooden chests and boxes of various shapes and sizes, while foodstuffs like oil and grain were stored in pots and baskets. Instead of tables, tall stands were used to hold trays of food or jars of drink. At night, light was provided by pottery oil lamps set on stands or in wall niches.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching History with 100 Objects - Egyptian model of a house

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Models like this are typically found in the burials of poorer Egyptians. Their purpose was to provide the deceased with a home for the afterlife, since it was believed that a model could act as a substitute in the next world.

# data[].attributes.body
The earliest boats used oars to move around, a tool still used to this day. Ever since 3000 BCE, the Egyptians used boats made out of wood, but before that, they used bundles of papyrus reeds tied tightly together.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

# data[].attributes.body
The Nile river floods yearly leaving rich soil behind for the Egyptians to grow crops, and farm. The river's predictability and fertile soil allowed the Egyptians to build an empire on the great agricultural wealth.

Ancient Egyptian Agriculture

fao.org

https://www.fao.org › country-showcase › item-detail

# data[].attributes.body
What did the egyptions do with the minerals they mined?

The mines they made were used as the main source for many buildings, like temples and pyramids. They made mastaba tombs for the comfort of the dead, the pyramids were made for the purpose of housing the tombs for the dead. They also made for metals and gemstones. The gemstones were used for accsessories like jewlery and the golden masks for the dead.

https://www.fpv.umb.sk

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/age2.html#:~:text=Pyramids%20today%20stand%20as%20a,journey%20to%20the%20other%20world.

# data[].attributes.body
In ancient Egypt they begain mining in predynastic times The predynastic times was around 3000 BC . During that time they mined for limestone, gold, copper, and sandstone.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Whether you have questions about the universe or a molecule compound or what biome you live in, Sciencing.com is your go-to source for all things science.

# data[].attributes.body
The diferent fishing methods used in Ancient Egypt was a hook and line, traps and nets and harpoons. They used small fishing boats called skiffs that were made from papyrus seeds that are naturally filed with air pockes. These boats allowed them to catch a variety of different species on the Nile.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Food

Agriculture

Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average. If it rose 2.5 metres (8 feet) higher or lower, disaster struck. When it rose too high, villages were flooded, causing extensive damage and loss of life. When it did not rise high enough, the fields did not receive sufficient nutrients and moisture to support the crops, which resulted in famine.

Under normal conditions, the flood plains supported a rich variety of plants and animals that provided food for the ancient Egyptians. The vast majority of the people were involved in farming. When the flood waters began to recede in mid-September, farmers blocked canals to retain the water for irrigation. Still used today, theshaduf is a mechanical irrigation device used to conduct water from the canals to the fields. One person can operate it by swinging the bucket of water from the canal to the field.

Livestock was important to the Egyptian economy, supplying meat, milk, hides, and dung for cooking fuel. Draft animals such as oxen increased agricultural productivity. Herdsmen and shepherds lived a semi-nomadic life, pasturing their animals in the marshes of the Nile.

(left) Breaking the ground with plough and hoe.
(centre) Reaping. Scattering the seed.
(right) Separating the grain from the chaff.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

Although the land was worked by the peasants, it was owned by the king, his officials and the temples. Farmers had to meet grain quotas, which were handed over to the owners as a form of taxation. They were allowed to keep a portion of the crops for their own benefit. If they did not produce the quantity expected, however, they were severely punished.

Food staples

The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to make beer and bread, the main staples of the Egyptian diet. Grains were harvested and stored in granaries until ready to be processed. The quantities harvested each season far exceeded the needs of the country, so much was exported to neighbouring countries, providing a rich source of income for the Egyptian treasury.

(left) A baker.
(centre) (top) Slab for grinding grain. (bottom) Bread.
(right) Fig gatherers.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

A large variety of vegetables were grown, including onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes, and honey was produced for sweetening desserts. The Egyptian diet was supplemented by fish, fowl and meat, although peasants probably enjoyed meat only on special occasions. Domesticated animals raised for food included pigs, sheep and goats. Grapes were processed into wine for the noble class, but beer was the favourite drink of the common people. Food was served in pottery bowls, but no utensils were used for eating.

Bread- and beer-making
Model from the tomb of Mentuhotep II
(Valley of the Kings)
Plaster and wood
Royal Ontario Museum 907.18 series

Hunting and fishing

Pharaohs and nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling expeditions, a means of recreation that had ritualistic and religious significance. Hunting scenes often depicted on temple walls and tombs reinforce the prowess of kings and nobles. Rabbits, deer, gazelles, bulls, oryx, antelopes, hippopotamuses, elephants and lions were among the wild animals hunted for their meat and skins.

Assisted by his wife, Tutankhamun hunts birds in the marshes along the Nile. In accordance with artistic convention, the end of the bow string and the butt of the arrow are concealed behind his head. His left arm is protected by an archer's leather brace, and he sits on a folding stool, accompanied by his tame lion. The vulture hovering above the king's head indicates that this is a ritual hunting scene, and the birds symbolize enemies in the land of the gods.

Fishing allowed the working class to add variety to its diet. The poor substituted fish for meat, which they could not afford. The Nile, the marshes of the delta and the Mediterranean Sea offered them a rich variety of species. Fishing methods included the use of a hook and line, harpoons, traps and nets. Birds, including geese and ducks, were also hunted in the marshes and papyrus thickets along the Nile. Small fishing boats (skiffs) were made from papyrus reeds, which are naturally filled with air pockets, making them particularly buoyant. Skiffs were also used for hunting game in the Nile marshes.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Food

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Food Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average.

# data[].attributes.body
In Ancient Egypt, the River Nile was the main use for transporting goods and people—boats known as Barges were used to transport everything from cattle to food and even building blocks.
PS. Don't mind the image

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

# data[].attributes.body
Lisa  Saladino Haney says that there would be no Egypt without the Nile river. The name "Nile" comes from the Greek word for river valley "Nelios."  Ancient Egyptians called the Nile river Ar or Aur, meaining "black" a reference to the rich, dark grounds that the Nile's water carried from the top of Africa and dumped in Egypt as the river flooded its perimeter each year in late summer.

A stream of water and nutrients turned the Nile Valley into productive farmland, and made it possible for Egyptian civilization to develop in the midst of a desert.

https://www.history.com/news/ancient-egypt-nile-river

# data[].attributes.body
Egyptians had started a mining industry in 3000BCE. They had mined estimated 6.7 million ounces of gold, 50 million tons of coal, and 48 million tons of tantalite.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_industry_of_Egypt#Modern_technology_and_gold_exploration

# data[].attributes.body
Egyptians made houses out of brick, they got the provided materials from the Nile river.
Bricks were made with mud, straw, and water and then left out in the sun to dry.
Although the mud bricks were not that strong and would start to crumble after a few years.
Most houses had at least 3 rooms and all houses had flat roofs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Loading...

Ancient Egyptian houses and their architectural styles were influenced by the environment, the wealth of their inhabitants, and the size of their household.

There are no forests in Egypt so wood is scarce and is not used for house building. The earliest inhabitants of Egypt lived in huts made from papyrus reeds. However, it was soon discovered that the mud left behind after the annual flooding of the Nile (inundation) could be made into bricks which could be used for building. Bricks were made by mixing mud and straw and leaving them to dry in the sun.

Loading...

Loading...

The ancient Egyptian houses of the poorest people used one row of bricks while those that were not so poor used two or three rows. Although mud brick houses were relatively cheap to make, they were not very strong and began to crumble after a few years.

The ancient Egyptian houses of the richest people were stronger because they could afford to build their home from stone.

Most houses had at least three rooms and all houses had flat roofs which formed part of the living area.

The farmhouse (above) has two floors. The upper floor is used for living space while the lower floor is used to store crops. A reed canopy has been made on the roof to provide shade.

Small windows can be seen at the top of the upper rooms. Windows and doors were covered with reed mats to keep out dust, flies and heat.

Loading...

Loading...

The ancient Egyptian houses of the rich were often built around a central courtyard where flowers, fruit and vegetables were grown.

Some rich people's houses had bathrooms and indoor toilets. Sewerage from rich and poor was disposed of by digging cess pits, throwing it in the river or in the streets.

From the time of the New Kingdom onwards, the rich generally had their own private well for fresh drinking water. Poorer people could use public wells that were constructed in various areas, however, many used water from the Nile or canals.

Ancient Egyptian Houses: Furniture

The Ancient Egyptians did not have much furniture. The most common item of furniture was a low stool, although many people, especially the poor sat on the floor. Rich people had beds and mattresses, while poorer people slept on a straw mattress or rug on the floor. The Ancient Egyptians did not have cupboards but stored things in reed baskets.
This article is part of our larger selection of posts about Egypt in the ancient world. To learn more, click here for our comprehensive guide to Ancient Egypt.
Cite This Article

"Ancient Egyptian Houses: Domiciles From Pharaohs to Farmers" History on the Net
© 2000-2020, Salem Media.
January 14, 2020 <https://www.historyonthenet.com/ancient-egyptian-houses>
More Citation Information.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ancient Egyptian Houses: Domiciles From Pharaohs to Farmers - History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Loading... Ancient Egyptian houses and their architectural styles were influenced by the environment, the wealth of their inhabitants, and the size of their household. There are no forests in Egypt so wood is scarce and is not used for house building. The earliest inhabitants of Egypt lived in huts made from papyrus reeds.

# data[].attributes.body
Early houses in Ancient Egypt were made out of brick/mud. Ancient Egyptians relied on floods to create mud which they used to make brick for their houses. This helped them make different designs for different houses. Those who didn't have much lived in single wall houses, while others who were rich lived in double wall houses and painted the exterior.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A house is regarded as a home, it is the place we seek for in order to get shelter, and it ranges from different types depending on the area we live in, it also ranges from hut to the more improvised one like the fixed structures of wood, brick, concrete, or other materials containing plumbing, ventilation, and electrical systems. Ancient Egyptians were among the first set of people in the world to enjoy early civilization and this was exemplified in the evolution of their housing system we will explain in this article What Kind of Houses Did Ancient Egyptians Live in?

The History

When we consider the happenings of the ancient times, one may be intrigued by some of the events, occurrences and even buildings that existed then. Such is the type of houses ancient Egyptians lived in. Egypt is one of the few countries of the world regarded as the bedrock of modern civilization, because of the level of innovation, constructions and accomplishments exemplified by those who lived in ancient Egypt. Although, none of the great achievements of the past can rival what we have in our age now, some of them are still the foundation for many of the styles and designs we see around today - some great examples are the houses in ancient Egypt. Egyptians evolved with time in terms of the houses they lived in. They moved from living in vulnerable huts to large stone houses. However, it wasn't really a favorable period for Egyptians in terms of housing and shelter.

Early Houses in Ancient Egypt

Early houses in ancient Egypt suffered from natural disasters such as flood from the River Nile which lasted for about three months and this occurs at a certain time every year. This problem of flooding affects them in such a way that it washes their huts away and this prompted the decision of the ancient Egyptians to start using mud to make bricks for stronger building materials.

The Houses Ancient Egyptian

During the old times, ancient Egyptians lived in bricks and mud made houses. Are you wondering where they got enough mud to build houses to accommodate everyone in ancient Egypt back then? Well, ancient Egyptians had to rely on annual floods which brought a lot of mud for them to use in their house constructions. This made the whole house construction process easier for the ancient Egyptians. They were able to craft these houses in different designs and styles, even though the houses lacked strength. Those who molded the bricks used in these constructions are known as brick makers and they mould the mud into desired shapes (mostly square-shapes) with the aid of wooden molds. Upon molding, these bricks are set in the sun and allowed to become hardened. However, poor Egyptians lived in single walls houses which were one brick thick, while the rich Egyptians of ancient times lived in double walls and they paint the outer part of their houses white to keep it cool.

Types of Houses in Ancient Egypt

Reed Huts

The first type of houses in ancient Egypt that ancient Egyptians lived in is the Reed Huts, these type of hut is made from papyrus reed a type of plant which is grass-like, found in Egypt and these plants can also be used to make paper. This hut is used by the poor, and it can only be used for small house with small family but can be easily demolished by winds, sandstorm and heavy rain. So, houses in ancient Egypt were a means of classifying people. One could easily tell what class of the economy someone belonged to, just by looking at their houses.

Mud Brick House

This first type of ancient Egyptians houses then later got improved by mixing the reed, mud and the sand together to form stronger materials which can withstand some unfavorable weather condition. The mixture is then poured into brick molds then dried. This is also uses by the poor but can be used for a bigger house than the reed hut house and can also be used to make a second floor too. The windows in this type of house is always very small to allow some ventilation and to prevent sun, this house is referred to as the Mud Brick house.

Merchant Homes and Stone Mansions

The mud brick was later extended and uses to make houses with more than two stories, these are the typical Ancient Egyptian houses in which only the rich ancient Egyptians live in and they also use it as a building for business activities. The mud bricks here are doubled and larger in sizes and such types are build closed to each other to shield themselves from the sun. This is referred to as the Merchant homes and some poor could still afford it while the wealthiest ancient Egyptians live in a house called the large stone mansions. This is best type of ancient Egyptian houses in which every houses in ancient Egypt would love to look like, they are specially decorated with gardens and some have pool and the wealthiest ancient Egyptians were able to afford bed sheets to sleep on and the walls of the building were higher to prevent trespassers from getting into their compound. Although furniture was not available due to the scarcity of wood because Egypt is a desert area, and the people need a fertile land for growing crops. So, there were not many trees for building houses and they were left with mud, reed, bricks and whatever means they have for their building.

Rich Ancient Egyptian Houses vs. Poor Ancient Egyptian Houses

The difference in the ancient Egyptian houses between the rich and the poor was that the poor houses had no toilet, no kitchen, weak walls while the houses that the rich ancient Egyptians lived in was well constructed with courtyard, kitchen, toilet, pool although there was no running water but slaves and kids were made to fetch water from wells which will then be used for their cooking, bathing, washing and drinking. Although, the rich have their private wells while the poor are made to fetch from public wells and some poor use water from canals or Nile. The homes of the rich ancient Egypt were built in areas which contained fruits, flowers and vegetables which make them more attractive than the poor ancient Egyptian houses. The rich have more items than the poor in their homes which include; pots, beds, clothes, cosmetics and more. Since there was no enough furniture, there was nothing like cupboard or wardrobe, they store their things in reed baskets.

Challenges of Ancient Egyptian Houses

In the absence of modernized innovations, ancient Egypt houses lacked many basic amenities. Even the houses of the affluent also lacked some of these features. Ancient Egyptians evolved with time but the houses in ancient Egypt suffered from these challenges:

Little or no furniture supplies. So, they had to keep items in their flat roofs in the absence of tables, shelves etc

Relied solely on the River Nile for the supply of mud

Without the sun, they cannot produce their mud-bricks.

The best kind of houses are the stone mansion houses

This is the description of the houses in ancient Egypt compared to the Egyptian houses of today, there have been vast changes now because Egypt is now more civilized and a beautiful country with advanced buildings and constructions and it is a safe and peaceful place to live nowadays without the fear of the natural disaster which affects them a lot during the ancient times.

If you need to order a 3 hours paper writing service about Ancient Egyptians Houses then you should definitely try Essay4you.net experts.

Read more

SAMI ZAYN, THE SYRIAN MUSLIM CHANGING HOW ARABS ARE PORTRAYED IN PRO WRESTLING
10 INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN EGYPT
QUESTION OF THE DAY: IS EGYPT REALLY SAFE?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Kind of Houses Did Ancient Egyptians Live in? | Studio Arabiya in Egypt

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A house is regarded as a home, it is the place we seek for in order to get shelter, and it ranges from different types depending on the area we live in, it also ranges from hut to the more improvised one like the fixed structures of wood, brick, concrete,

# data[].attributes.body
Sheppard's in ancient Egypt would typically live a semi nomadic lifestyle to take care of livestock. in the summers the nile would typically rise 27 feet, if it were to rise any more or any lower crops would be mal nourished.

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl02e.html#:~:text=Fishing%20methods%20included%20the%20use,pockets%2C%20making%20them%20particularly%20buoyant.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Food

Agriculture

Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average. If it rose 2.5 metres (8 feet) higher or lower, disaster struck. When it rose too high, villages were flooded, causing extensive damage and loss of life. When it did not rise high enough, the fields did not receive sufficient nutrients and moisture to support the crops, which resulted in famine.

Under normal conditions, the flood plains supported a rich variety of plants and animals that provided food for the ancient Egyptians. The vast majority of the people were involved in farming. When the flood waters began to recede in mid-September, farmers blocked canals to retain the water for irrigation. Still used today, theshaduf is a mechanical irrigation device used to conduct water from the canals to the fields. One person can operate it by swinging the bucket of water from the canal to the field.

Livestock was important to the Egyptian economy, supplying meat, milk, hides, and dung for cooking fuel. Draft animals such as oxen increased agricultural productivity. Herdsmen and shepherds lived a semi-nomadic life, pasturing their animals in the marshes of the Nile.

(left) Breaking the ground with plough and hoe.
(centre) Reaping. Scattering the seed.
(right) Separating the grain from the chaff.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

Although the land was worked by the peasants, it was owned by the king, his officials and the temples. Farmers had to meet grain quotas, which were handed over to the owners as a form of taxation. They were allowed to keep a portion of the crops for their own benefit. If they did not produce the quantity expected, however, they were severely punished.

Food staples

The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to make beer and bread, the main staples of the Egyptian diet. Grains were harvested and stored in granaries until ready to be processed. The quantities harvested each season far exceeded the needs of the country, so much was exported to neighbouring countries, providing a rich source of income for the Egyptian treasury.

(left) A baker.
(centre) (top) Slab for grinding grain. (bottom) Bread.
(right) Fig gatherers.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

A large variety of vegetables were grown, including onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes, and honey was produced for sweetening desserts. The Egyptian diet was supplemented by fish, fowl and meat, although peasants probably enjoyed meat only on special occasions. Domesticated animals raised for food included pigs, sheep and goats. Grapes were processed into wine for the noble class, but beer was the favourite drink of the common people. Food was served in pottery bowls, but no utensils were used for eating.

Bread- and beer-making
Model from the tomb of Mentuhotep II
(Valley of the Kings)
Plaster and wood
Royal Ontario Museum 907.18 series

Hunting and fishing

Pharaohs and nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling expeditions, a means of recreation that had ritualistic and religious significance. Hunting scenes often depicted on temple walls and tombs reinforce the prowess of kings and nobles. Rabbits, deer, gazelles, bulls, oryx, antelopes, hippopotamuses, elephants and lions were among the wild animals hunted for their meat and skins.

Assisted by his wife, Tutankhamun hunts birds in the marshes along the Nile. In accordance with artistic convention, the end of the bow string and the butt of the arrow are concealed behind his head. His left arm is protected by an archer's leather brace, and he sits on a folding stool, accompanied by his tame lion. The vulture hovering above the king's head indicates that this is a ritual hunting scene, and the birds symbolize enemies in the land of the gods.

Fishing allowed the working class to add variety to its diet. The poor substituted fish for meat, which they could not afford. The Nile, the marshes of the delta and the Mediterranean Sea offered them a rich variety of species. Fishing methods included the use of a hook and line, harpoons, traps and nets. Birds, including geese and ducks, were also hunted in the marshes and papyrus thickets along the Nile. Small fishing boats (skiffs) were made from papyrus reeds, which are naturally filled with air pockets, making them particularly buoyant. Skiffs were also used for hunting game in the Nile marshes.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Food

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Food Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average.

# data[].attributes.body
The ancient Egyptions built houses out of mudbricks which was a great insulator and a good use of materials around them. It kept them cool in the summer which was a big thing that they needed. They built the outside to reflect the sun and tiny window were used for ventilation. some houses had vents on their roofs. In towns, the houses were close together but with 2 or more floors.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A home for the afterlife

Unlike Egypt's elite, ordinary Egyptians could not afford mummification, tombs or elaborate funerary offerings. Nonetheless, they wanted to provide for the afterlife as best they could. Their simple burials, usually directly into the desert sand, were accompanied by so-called 'soul houses' like this. These simple pottery models were intended to provide the essentials for the next life: food, drink, a home. Such models typically show a modest rural dwelling, its courtyard filled with offerings of bread, beer, meat, fruit and vegetables. Soul houses provide useful information about the homes of ordinary people in ancient Egypt.

Egyptian homes

As in villages throughout Egypt today, ancient Egyptian houses were built of mudbrick, with palm logs used to support their roofs and ceilings. Mudbrick, also known as adobe, is a cheap and practical material. It was easy to build with and the materials were free and readily available. Bricks were made by mixing mud with chopped-up straw and water, then pressing the mixture into a wooden mould. Once the sun had dried them, they were ready to use.

As a precaution against earthquakes and high Nile floods, the walls of houses were often thicker at the bottom and sloped up, making them stronger and more stable. As rain was rare, the roofs were flat, providing a useful outdoor living and storage area. Screened by reed mats for privacy, the family could also sleep here in hot weather.

Keeping cool

In Egypt's hot climate, keeping cool was a prority. Mudbrick was a good insulator, and helped keep the inside of the house cool in summer. The exterior walls were plastered and whitewashed to reflect the sun and tiny windows helped keep houses cool and ventilated. Some homes even had vents on the roof to allow cool breezes to circulate through the house, a form of natural air conditioning.

Town and country

In towns, houses were built close together, with two or more storeys, but in the countryside single-storey homes were more usual and there was room for people to have gardens. This allowed country dwellers to supplement their diet with home-grown fruit and vegetables and to keep poultry for eggs and meat. Wealthy homeowners even had flower beds, vine arbours and ponds full of waterlilies where fish and ducks swam.

Rich and poor

There were huge differences between the homes of the rich and the poor. Set in great country estates, the enormous villas of the rich had many rooms. The walls and ceilings were plastered and painted with patterns in bright colours or hung with coloured textiles. Separate buildings accommodated stables, storerooms, workshops and kitchens. Most houses just had a small kitchen yard at the back with a clay oven and a grindstone. In humble homes the floor was of beaten earth covered with reed mats, while palaces had tiled floors. Wealthy homes even had bathrooms and toilets, while ordinary people had to wash in the river and use a chamber pot or toilet stool.

Whatever their size, most houses had the same kind of layout. At the front was a reception area, sometimes with a porch. Behind were the private rooms, where members of the family ate and slept. The largest of these was a common living area, with a raised ceiling supported on wooden columns. Here you might find a shrine to the household gods, or busts of deceased ancestors.

Security

Whatever the status of the homeowner, security was a concern - another reason that windows were so small was to deter burglars, who were known to strip naked and smear their bodies in oil in order to wriggle through tiny openings. For this reason, windows were often fitted with stone grilles. Most houses also had cellars where things were stored for safety and some homeowners kept guard dogs.

Furnishings

The ancient Egyptians did not use nearly as much furniture as we do today. Although the rich had beds with wooden frames, most people slept on built-in mud benches covered in mats. Instead of pillows there were head rests made of ivory, wood or pottery. In wealthy homes there were chairs and feather-filled cushions to sit on, while in poorer homes the sleeping benches doubled by day as seating.There were no cupboards or wardrobes - clothes and household goods were kept in wooden chests and boxes of various shapes and sizes, while foodstuffs like oil and grain were stored in pots and baskets. Instead of tables, tall stands were used to hold trays of food or jars of drink. At night, light was provided by pottery oil lamps set on stands or in wall niches.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching History with 100 Objects - Egyptian model of a house

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Models like this are typically found in the burials of poorer Egyptians. Their purpose was to provide the deceased with a home for the afterlife, since it was believed that a model could act as a substitute in the next world.

# data[].attributes.body
Mining began around 3000 BCE in Egypt, Egyptians would use hammerstone for the toughest of tough stone and chisels, slaves would break rock with handheld or hafted stone mauls.

# data[].attributes.body
Egyptians grew grains, vegetables, and fruit. However, their diets revolved around several staple crops, but mostly cereals and barley. and they would use other grains to make bread like einkorn wheat, and Emmer wheat.

fao.org

https://www.fao.org › country-showcase › item-detail

# data[].attributes.body
For the richer people in Ancient Egypt they had a larger and more fancier house than others. They had a more spacious living area and had an open garden in their homes. The richer had larger private rooms with their own bathrooms, and the walls would be painted as well as the ceiling. These Egyptians would have high quality furniture including, beds, chairs, tables, ect. In nobles homes, you would find a lot of painted clay pottery and other dishes.  The kitchens would outside of the all houses and the food would be cooked on a mud-stove.

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl03e.html#:~:text=Craftworkers%20lived%20in%20one%2D%20or,food%20and%20beverages%20were%20stored

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Shelter

Most houses were made of brick. The banks of the Nile provided the mud used to make bricks . Brick makers collected mud, added straw and water to it as needed, and stomped it with their feet until it reached the right consistency. The mixture was then placed in a mould. Once shaped, the bricks were removed from the mould and left on the ground to dry in the sun.

Egyptian peasants would have lived in simple mud-brick homes containing only a few pieces of furniture: beds, stools, boxes and low tables.

Cross-section of a typical house in the workers' village at Deir el-Medina. The workers who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings lived in this village.
Drawing: Catherine Fitzpatrick.

Craftworkers lived in one- or two-storey flat-roofed dwellings made of mud bricks. The walls and roof would have been covered with plaster and painted. Inside, there was a reception room, a living room, bedrooms and a cellar in which food and beverages were stored. Food was prepared in an outdoor kitchen equipped with a mud-brick oven. Stairs on the exterior of the house led to a roof-top terrace.

The homes of the wealthy were larger and more luxurious. Spacious reception and living rooms opened onto a central garden courtyard with a fish pond and flowering plants. Each bedroom had a private bathroom, and the walls, columns and ceilings were painted with beautiful designs inspired by nature. Elaborate and highly decorated furniture included beds, chairs, boxes and tables. Painted clay pots and vessels, as well as alabaster bowls and jars, were also found in the homes of the nobles.

House in a garden with pools.
Painting: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

Royal palaces, frequently cities in themselves, included separate residences, a temple and a workers' village.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Shelter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Shelter Most houses were made of brick. The banks of the Nile provided the mud used to make bricks . Brick makers collected mud, added straw and water to it as needed, and stomped it with their feet until it reached the right consistency. The mixture was then placed in a mould.

# data[].attributes.body
In Ancient Egypt people used to used skiffs, papyrus reeds that were tied together to sail down the nile river for fishing, trading, and transportation.

Land transportation were mostly composed of camals, horses, and donkeys because they were commonly found in the desert.

# data[].attributes.body
In Ancient Egypt they traded gold coins as a form of currency, these were called shats.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Money has been part of history for the last 3 000 years. Before money, bartering - direct trading of goods and services - was used. The invention of money simplified business transactions greatly. However, have you ever thought of how it all began? Do you know the origin of the word cash? And who invented the banknotes? Let us take you on a journey through the history of money.

Egyptians used gold currency

The earliest money that we know about was made of pure gold and dates back to the 3rd millennium BC in Egypt. The gold had standardised weights and values. The smaller amounts, called deben, had the shape of golden rings. The unit used for measuring the currency was called shat and was the equivalent of 7,5 grammes of gold. One deben was worth 12 shat and was the same as 90 grammes.
Historians believe that the Biblical reference to money in Deuteronomy 14:25 is a reference to the ancient Egyptian ring system.

Turkey began minting coins

Lydia, the Iron Age Kingdom in today's Turkey, minted the first official currency in 600 BC. The coins were made from Electrum - a mixture of silver and gold that occurs naturally - and stamped with striking motives that acted as denominations. The first coin ever minted featured a roaring lion. The coins had irregular sizes and shapes and had inscriptions only on one side. They came in standardised weights from 0.15 grammes to 14 grammes.
A century later the Lydian king Croesus, who is still famous for his enormous wealth, started to mint coins in pure gold and silver. The stamps on the coins showed the heads of a lion and a bull.

Minting was spread over the world

The techniques of minting coins were quickly copied and further refined by the Greek, Persian, Macedonian, and later the Roman empires. These coins were made from different metals such as silver, bronze, and gold, and had different values.
Independently from Lydia, China also started to use coins, based on miniaturised metallic reproductions of tools and agricultural symbols. Later, the Chinese also adopted rounded coins with inscriptions of Chinese characters. The word cash was initially used to describe this type of round, bronze coins with square holes, called kai-yuans.

China created the first paper money

As it became inconvenient to carry a large number of metal coins from place to place, the Chinese started to use money made of leather. These one-foot-square pieces of white deerskin with colourful borders could be considered the first documented type of banknote.
Around the 9th Century AD, the first official paper currency was introduced in China. The authorities suggested that the merchants should exchange their metallic coins at the government treasury for paper notes. These paper notes became known as fei kian; flying money, due to its tendency to be blown away by the wind. A few decades later the use of paper money was fully developed.
Over this 500-year period of early Chinese paper money, the production of paper notes grew so much that inflation soared. This forced the Ming Empire to abolish the paper currency.
What is the importance of digitisation for the retail sector and what obstacles can arise for those who own or run a store? Learn about it .
Marco Polo took paper money to Europe

The Venetian traveller Marco Polo became familiar with the fascinating world of paper money when he visited China in 1200 AD. By that time the emperor had an efficient paper money operation and Marco Polo said that "the emperor of China makes so many notes each year that he could buy the whole treasure of the world, though it costs him nothing."
Once back home, Marco Polo was met with disbelief when he reported about the Chinese paper money, and it took nearly another thousand years before paper money came into use in Europe.

Swedish banker sentenced to death
Interested to learn more about the actual implementation of cash management? Download our guide "Let's manage cash - it's good business ".
In 1661, the Stockholm Banco introduced Europe's earliest modern-style banknotes where each note was worth a fixed sum. It was such a success that the bank overextended itself and went bankrupt. Johan Palmstruch, the general manager of the bank, was at first charged with the death penalty due to irresponsible book-keeping, but the government lowered the sentence to prison and expulsion.
Despite this bad example, other European countries soon followed the Swedish lead. In conjunction with the establishment of the Bank of England 1694, the era of modern banking emerged.

Cash is king in retail

The shift to paper money increased the ability of international trade. Today both banknotes and coins continue to change and develop. Even though there are plenty of new ways of paying, for instance with credit cards and electronic transactions, cash is still king when it comes to retail. Cash is the most commonly used form of payment in retail, particularly for smaller purchases of €20 or less.

Research sources and places to read more about the history of money:

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/07/roots_of_money.asp
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/history-money.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/money/11174013/The-history-of-money-from-barter-to-bitcoin.html
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab14
http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/innovation/a-brief-history-of-money
http://www.fxcm.com/insights/the-history-of-currency/
http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-money
http://www.bcb.gov.br/ingles/origevoli.asp
http://inventors.about.com/od/mstartinventions/a/money.htm
http://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/scpwps/ecbwp1685.pdf
http://www.frbsf.org/cash/publications/fed-notes/2014/april/cash-consumer-spending-payment-diary
http://thefinancialbrand.com/39408/consumer-cash-usage-banking-payment-research/
http://www.retailingtoday.com/article/sorry-mobile-cash-still-king-retail

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Money has been part of history for the last 3 000 years. Before money, bartering - direct trading of goods and services - was used. The invention of money simplified business transactions greatly. However, have you ever thought of how it all began? Do you know the origin of the word cash?

# data[].attributes.body
What kinds of minerals did ancient egyptions mine?

they used slaves to mine sandstone, limestone, red and gray granite,diorite, marble, serpentine, imperial porphyry, basalt and dolomite.

# data[].attributes.body
The fishing methods used to catch different animals were lines, nets, and traps. They cought the prey for food.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Food

Agriculture

Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average. If it rose 2.5 metres (8 feet) higher or lower, disaster struck. When it rose too high, villages were flooded, causing extensive damage and loss of life. When it did not rise high enough, the fields did not receive sufficient nutrients and moisture to support the crops, which resulted in famine.

Under normal conditions, the flood plains supported a rich variety of plants and animals that provided food for the ancient Egyptians. The vast majority of the people were involved in farming. When the flood waters began to recede in mid-September, farmers blocked canals to retain the water for irrigation. Still used today, theshaduf is a mechanical irrigation device used to conduct water from the canals to the fields. One person can operate it by swinging the bucket of water from the canal to the field.

Livestock was important to the Egyptian economy, supplying meat, milk, hides, and dung for cooking fuel. Draft animals such as oxen increased agricultural productivity. Herdsmen and shepherds lived a semi-nomadic life, pasturing their animals in the marshes of the Nile.

(left) Breaking the ground with plough and hoe.
(centre) Reaping. Scattering the seed.
(right) Separating the grain from the chaff.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

Although the land was worked by the peasants, it was owned by the king, his officials and the temples. Farmers had to meet grain quotas, which were handed over to the owners as a form of taxation. They were allowed to keep a portion of the crops for their own benefit. If they did not produce the quantity expected, however, they were severely punished.

Food staples

The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to make beer and bread, the main staples of the Egyptian diet. Grains were harvested and stored in granaries until ready to be processed. The quantities harvested each season far exceeded the needs of the country, so much was exported to neighbouring countries, providing a rich source of income for the Egyptian treasury.

(left) A baker.
(centre) (top) Slab for grinding grain. (bottom) Bread.
(right) Fig gatherers.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

A large variety of vegetables were grown, including onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes, and honey was produced for sweetening desserts. The Egyptian diet was supplemented by fish, fowl and meat, although peasants probably enjoyed meat only on special occasions. Domesticated animals raised for food included pigs, sheep and goats. Grapes were processed into wine for the noble class, but beer was the favourite drink of the common people. Food was served in pottery bowls, but no utensils were used for eating.

Bread- and beer-making
Model from the tomb of Mentuhotep II
(Valley of the Kings)
Plaster and wood
Royal Ontario Museum 907.18 series

Hunting and fishing

Pharaohs and nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling expeditions, a means of recreation that had ritualistic and religious significance. Hunting scenes often depicted on temple walls and tombs reinforce the prowess of kings and nobles. Rabbits, deer, gazelles, bulls, oryx, antelopes, hippopotamuses, elephants and lions were among the wild animals hunted for their meat and skins.

Assisted by his wife, Tutankhamun hunts birds in the marshes along the Nile. In accordance with artistic convention, the end of the bow string and the butt of the arrow are concealed behind his head. His left arm is protected by an archer's leather brace, and he sits on a folding stool, accompanied by his tame lion. The vulture hovering above the king's head indicates that this is a ritual hunting scene, and the birds symbolize enemies in the land of the gods.

Fishing allowed the working class to add variety to its diet. The poor substituted fish for meat, which they could not afford. The Nile, the marshes of the delta and the Mediterranean Sea offered them a rich variety of species. Fishing methods included the use of a hook and line, harpoons, traps and nets. Birds, including geese and ducks, were also hunted in the marshes and papyrus thickets along the Nile. Small fishing boats (skiffs) were made from papyrus reeds, which are naturally filled with air pockets, making them particularly buoyant. Skiffs were also used for hunting game in the Nile marshes.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Food

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Food Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average.

# data[].attributes.body
The Nile River was an Important part of farming, Egypt is in Africa.
In order to benefit from the Nile, Ancient Egyptian's lived along the banks of the Nile River and had to figure out how to cope with the river’s annual flooding. They also developed new skills and technology, from agriculture to boat and ship building. The Nile even played a role in the construction of the pyramids, the massive marvels that are among the most recognizable reminders of their civilization.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When the Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the ancient Egyptians' land was "given them by the river," he was referring to the Nile, whose waters were essential to the rise of one of the world's earliest great civilizations.

The Nile, which flows northward for 4,160 miles from east-central Africa to the Mediterranean, provided ancient Egypt with fertile soil and water for irrigation, as well as a means of transporting materials for building projects. Its vital waters enabled cities to sprout in the midst of a desert.

In order to benefit from the Nile, people who lived along its banks had to figure out how to cope with the river's annual flooding. They also developed new skills and technology, from agriculture to boat and ship building. The Nile even played a role in the construction of the pyramids, the massive marvels that are among the most recognizable reminders of their civilization. Beyond practical matters, the vast river had a profound influence upon the ancient Egyptians' view of themselves and their world, and shaped their religion and culture.

The Nile was "a critical lifeline that literally brought life to the desert," as Lisa Saladino Haney, assistant curator of Egypt at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, writes on the museum's website. "Without the Nile, there would be no Egypt," writes Egyptologist in his 2012 book, .

The Nile Was a Source of Rich Farmland

The Nile's modern name comes from the Nelios, the Greek word for river valley. But the ancient Egyptians called it meaning "black," a reference to the rich, dark sediment that the Nile's waters carried from the Horn of Africa northward and deposited in Egypt as the river flooded its banks each year in late summer. That surge of water and nutrients turned the Nile Valley into productive farmland, and made it possible for Egyptian civilization to develop in the midst of a desert.

The Nile Valley's thick layer of silt "transformed what might have been a geological curiosity, a version of the Grand Canyon, into a densely populated agricultural country," explains Barry J. Kemp in Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization.

The Nile was such a focal point to the ancient Egyptians that their calendar began the year with the first month of the flooding. The Egyptian religion even venerated a deity of flooding and fertility, Hapy, who was depicted as a chubby man with blue or green skin.

According to the UN's Food And Agriculture Organization, ancient Egyptian farmers were one of the first groups to practice agriculture on a large scale, growing food crops such as wheat and barley, as well as industrial crops such as flax for making clothing. To get the most out of the Nile's waters, ancient Egyptian farmers developed a system called basin irrigation. They constructed networks of earthen banks to form basins, and dug channels to direct floodwater water into the basins, where it would sit for a month until the soil was saturated and ready for planting.

"It is obviously challenging if the land on which you have built your home and grow your food gets flooded by a river every August and September, as the Nile used to do before the Aswan High Dam," explains Arthur Goldschmidt, Jr., a retired Penn State University professor of Middle East history and the author of A Brief History of Egypt. "Creating dikes, channels and basins to move and store some of the Nile waters required ingenuity and probably much trial-and-error experimentation for the ancient Egyptians."

To predict whether they faced dangerous floods or low waters that could result in a poor harvest, the ancient Egyptians built nilometers -stone columns with markings that would indicate the water level.

The River Served as a Vital Transportation Route

In addition to nurturing agriculture, the Nile provided ancient Egyptians with a vital transportation route. As a result, they became skilled boat and ship builders who created both large wooden craft with sails and oars, capable of traveling longer distances, and smaller skiffs made of papyrus reeds attached to wooden frames.

Artwork from the Old Kingdom, which existed from 2686 to 2181 B.C., depicts boats transporting cattle, vegetables, fish, bread and wood. Boats were so important to the Egyptians that they buried deceased kings and dignitaries with boats that sometimes were so well-constructed that they could have been used for actual travel on the Nile.

The Nile Valley as Part of Identity

The Nile influenced how Egyptians thought of the land in which they lived, according to Haney. They divided their world into Kemet, the "black land" of the Nile Valley, where there was enough water and food for cities to thrive. In contrast, the hot, dry desert areas were Deshret, the "red land." They linked the Nile Valley and oases in the desert areas with life and abundance, while the deserts were associated with death and chaos.

The Nile also played an important role in the creation of the monumental tombs such as the Great Pyramid of Giza. An ancient papyrus diary of an official involved in the construction of the Great Pyramid describes how workers transported massive blocks of limestone on wooden boats along the Nile, and then routed the blocks through a canal system to the site where the pyramid was being constructed.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why the Nile River Was So Important to Ancient Egypt | HISTORY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From nourishing agricultural soil to serving as a transportation route, the Nile was vital to ancient Egypt's civilization.

# data[].attributes.body
Hunting and fishing was done by most people, even nobles and sometimes pharaohs. They used hooks, nets and harpoons to catch the fish. They hunted a lot of birds such as geese and ducks. Hunting scenes were carved into pillars on temples.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Food

Agriculture

Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average. If it rose 2.5 metres (8 feet) higher or lower, disaster struck. When it rose too high, villages were flooded, causing extensive damage and loss of life. When it did not rise high enough, the fields did not receive sufficient nutrients and moisture to support the crops, which resulted in famine.

Under normal conditions, the flood plains supported a rich variety of plants and animals that provided food for the ancient Egyptians. The vast majority of the people were involved in farming. When the flood waters began to recede in mid-September, farmers blocked canals to retain the water for irrigation. Still used today, theshaduf is a mechanical irrigation device used to conduct water from the canals to the fields. One person can operate it by swinging the bucket of water from the canal to the field.

Livestock was important to the Egyptian economy, supplying meat, milk, hides, and dung for cooking fuel. Draft animals such as oxen increased agricultural productivity. Herdsmen and shepherds lived a semi-nomadic life, pasturing their animals in the marshes of the Nile.

(left) Breaking the ground with plough and hoe.
(centre) Reaping. Scattering the seed.
(right) Separating the grain from the chaff.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

Although the land was worked by the peasants, it was owned by the king, his officials and the temples. Farmers had to meet grain quotas, which were handed over to the owners as a form of taxation. They were allowed to keep a portion of the crops for their own benefit. If they did not produce the quantity expected, however, they were severely punished.

Food staples

The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to make beer and bread, the main staples of the Egyptian diet. Grains were harvested and stored in granaries until ready to be processed. The quantities harvested each season far exceeded the needs of the country, so much was exported to neighbouring countries, providing a rich source of income for the Egyptian treasury.

(left) A baker.
(centre) (top) Slab for grinding grain. (bottom) Bread.
(right) Fig gatherers.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

A large variety of vegetables were grown, including onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes, and honey was produced for sweetening desserts. The Egyptian diet was supplemented by fish, fowl and meat, although peasants probably enjoyed meat only on special occasions. Domesticated animals raised for food included pigs, sheep and goats. Grapes were processed into wine for the noble class, but beer was the favourite drink of the common people. Food was served in pottery bowls, but no utensils were used for eating.

Bread- and beer-making
Model from the tomb of Mentuhotep II
(Valley of the Kings)
Plaster and wood
Royal Ontario Museum 907.18 series

Hunting and fishing

Pharaohs and nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling expeditions, a means of recreation that had ritualistic and religious significance. Hunting scenes often depicted on temple walls and tombs reinforce the prowess of kings and nobles. Rabbits, deer, gazelles, bulls, oryx, antelopes, hippopotamuses, elephants and lions were among the wild animals hunted for their meat and skins.

Assisted by his wife, Tutankhamun hunts birds in the marshes along the Nile. In accordance with artistic convention, the end of the bow string and the butt of the arrow are concealed behind his head. His left arm is protected by an archer's leather brace, and he sits on a folding stool, accompanied by his tame lion. The vulture hovering above the king's head indicates that this is a ritual hunting scene, and the birds symbolize enemies in the land of the gods.

Fishing allowed the working class to add variety to its diet. The poor substituted fish for meat, which they could not afford. The Nile, the marshes of the delta and the Mediterranean Sea offered them a rich variety of species. Fishing methods included the use of a hook and line, harpoons, traps and nets. Birds, including geese and ducks, were also hunted in the marshes and papyrus thickets along the Nile. Small fishing boats (skiffs) were made from papyrus reeds, which are naturally filled with air pockets, making them particularly buoyant. Skiffs were also used for hunting game in the Nile marshes.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Food

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Food Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl02e.html#:~:text=Fishing%20methods%20included%20the%20use,pockets%2C%20making%20them%20particularly%20buoyant.

fishing methods in ancient Egypt included hook, net and sharp spear like fishing. fishing boats where made from papyrus reeds. the boats where called skiffs. they used papyrus reed because they had natural air pockets making them buoyant.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Food

Agriculture

Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average. If it rose 2.5 metres (8 feet) higher or lower, disaster struck. When it rose too high, villages were flooded, causing extensive damage and loss of life. When it did not rise high enough, the fields did not receive sufficient nutrients and moisture to support the crops, which resulted in famine.

Under normal conditions, the flood plains supported a rich variety of plants and animals that provided food for the ancient Egyptians. The vast majority of the people were involved in farming. When the flood waters began to recede in mid-September, farmers blocked canals to retain the water for irrigation. Still used today, theshaduf is a mechanical irrigation device used to conduct water from the canals to the fields. One person can operate it by swinging the bucket of water from the canal to the field.

Livestock was important to the Egyptian economy, supplying meat, milk, hides, and dung for cooking fuel. Draft animals such as oxen increased agricultural productivity. Herdsmen and shepherds lived a semi-nomadic life, pasturing their animals in the marshes of the Nile.

(left) Breaking the ground with plough and hoe.
(centre) Reaping. Scattering the seed.
(right) Separating the grain from the chaff.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

Although the land was worked by the peasants, it was owned by the king, his officials and the temples. Farmers had to meet grain quotas, which were handed over to the owners as a form of taxation. They were allowed to keep a portion of the crops for their own benefit. If they did not produce the quantity expected, however, they were severely punished.

Food staples

The principal food crops, barley and emmer, were used to make beer and bread, the main staples of the Egyptian diet. Grains were harvested and stored in granaries until ready to be processed. The quantities harvested each season far exceeded the needs of the country, so much was exported to neighbouring countries, providing a rich source of income for the Egyptian treasury.

(left) A baker.
(centre) (top) Slab for grinding grain. (bottom) Bread.
(right) Fig gatherers.
Paintings: Winnifred Neeler, Royal Ontario Museum

A large variety of vegetables were grown, including onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, peas, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and lettuce. There were also fruits, such as dates, figs, pomegranates, melons and grapes, and honey was produced for sweetening desserts. The Egyptian diet was supplemented by fish, fowl and meat, although peasants probably enjoyed meat only on special occasions. Domesticated animals raised for food included pigs, sheep and goats. Grapes were processed into wine for the noble class, but beer was the favourite drink of the common people. Food was served in pottery bowls, but no utensils were used for eating.

Bread- and beer-making
Model from the tomb of Mentuhotep II
(Valley of the Kings)
Plaster and wood
Royal Ontario Museum 907.18 series

Hunting and fishing

Pharaohs and nobles participated in hunting, fishing and fowling expeditions, a means of recreation that had ritualistic and religious significance. Hunting scenes often depicted on temple walls and tombs reinforce the prowess of kings and nobles. Rabbits, deer, gazelles, bulls, oryx, antelopes, hippopotamuses, elephants and lions were among the wild animals hunted for their meat and skins.

Assisted by his wife, Tutankhamun hunts birds in the marshes along the Nile. In accordance with artistic convention, the end of the bow string and the butt of the arrow are concealed behind his head. His left arm is protected by an archer's leather brace, and he sits on a folding stool, accompanied by his tame lion. The vulture hovering above the king's head indicates that this is a ritual hunting scene, and the birds symbolize enemies in the land of the gods.

Fishing allowed the working class to add variety to its diet. The poor substituted fish for meat, which they could not afford. The Nile, the marshes of the delta and the Mediterranean Sea offered them a rich variety of species. Fishing methods included the use of a hook and line, harpoons, traps and nets. Birds, including geese and ducks, were also hunted in the marshes and papyrus thickets along the Nile. Small fishing boats (skiffs) were made from papyrus reeds, which are naturally filled with air pockets, making them particularly buoyant. Skiffs were also used for hunting game in the Nile marshes.

main menu | civilization | daily life

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Egyptian civilization - Daily life - Food

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Food Each summer, starting in July, the Nile River rose, flooding the low-lying plains on either side. Swollen by the monsoon rains of Ethiopia, it deposited a layer of black soil over the land, rich in nutrients needed for growing crops. The river rose about 8 metres (27 feet) on average.

# data[].attributes.body
People lived in flat-roofed dwellings made out of mud bricks and were one to two storeys. The walls and roof were covered in plaster and were painted. In their houses, there was a reception room, living room, and a bedroom. They also had a cellar in their homes. All of the housing in Egypt were squares and rectangles.

https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcl03e.html#:~:text=Craftworkers%20lived%20in%20one%2D%20or,food%20and%20beverages%20were%20stored.