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Brainstorming

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HTML5 Crossword Generator: "Ancient Egypt"

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Authentic text n. 1 (no didactisation)

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Egyptian Slaves

We might be shocked to think of slavery today, but in the time of ancient Egypt is was a common practice in many cultures and countries. Some of the slaves in Egypt were the poor of Egypt who had to sell their children into slavery. Other slaves were brought in from other countries when they won battles and wars or were the result of being sold into slavery by the people from other countries.

When we look at all of the incredible buildings and temples in Egypt, we have to realize that many of them were built using slave labor. Slaves were very important in ancient Egypt as a big part of the labor force, but they were also used for many other purposes. Many slaves were house servants, gardeners, farm labor, musicians and dancers of excellent talent, scribes (those that kept written documents), and accountants.

Records show that early Egypt was influenced by other civilizations in the area. The most advanced civilization was Mesopotamia, and their culture included the use and acceptance of slavery as a part of their lives.

It is thought that almost eighty percent of the Egyptian slaves were peasants. Every year, Egypt has a 'rainy season' that causes the Nile River to flood. The flooding brings in rich soil from the Nile and helps to fertilize the crops. During that three month time, it is impossible to work the fields, so many of the slaves were moved to new jobs and worked in the construction buildings. Egyptologists (the people that study Egypt) haven't found any evidence that slaves were used to build the pyramids. The information they have found doesn't show that there were large numbers of slaves during the 'Old Kingdom' when the pyramids were built.

There is not a lot of information that can be found on the topic of slaves. The Egyptians used a style of writing in pictures called hieroglyphs and each picture or 'cartouche' could mean one word or many words. There isn't a cartouche that represents slaves, so Egyptologists have to do a lot of guessing based on pictures of slaves.

The children of slaves also became the property of the 'owner', and the owner was responsible for taking care of his slaves. It is thought that slaves actually lived a life that was more comfortable than the common peasants, because they were cared for, fed and didn't have to pay taxes.

Slaves of the royal families were held in high regard. Many of the slaves were more educated and used for their knowledge of accounting and writing. Slaves that were servants cared for every aspect of the royal families, from taking care of the children, cooking, dressing them and cleaning for them. It is believed that these slaves were treated almost as well as the higher ranking Egyptians.

When Egypt won a war against another country, there is evidence that they brought all of the people from that country back to Egypt to become slaves. Egyptian society was mostly based on passing information from generation to generation and when slaves were added to the social structure, they adopted the same culture. The information that has been translated seems to show the largest growth in slavery during the New Kingdom era. This is when Egypt had a large number of military campaigns and wars and brought slaves back with them.

It appears to be common practice of the pharaohs to give slaves away to higher ranking officials and nobles in Egypt. These might have been as payment or a reward for excellent service. From the few records that are available, it also seems that slave owners preferred foreign slaves instead of native Egyptian slaves. Foreigners were often better educated and had more talents. Native Egyptian slaves included criminals and commoners.

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We might be shocked to think of slavery today, but in the time of ancient Egypt is was a common practice in many cultures and countries. Some of the slaves in Egypt were the poor of Egypt who had to sell their children into slavery.

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Authentic text n. 1 (with didactisation)

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Authentic text n. 1 (with didactisation)

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Drag and drop activity for domino on authentic text

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Drag and drop activity for domino on authentic text

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Task 1

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Simply input your items here, one per line, and click 'submit' to create a quick and easy drag-and-drop exercise [sample ]. TIP: Split items with an asterisk to create a quiz with a fixed left-hand column, as in: July 1916 * Battle of the Somme begins

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Egyptian Hierarchy

Ancient Egypt had three main social classes: Upper, Middle, and Lower.

Prisoners captured in foreign wars became slaves and formed a separate class.

Ancient Egypt had a flexible class system. Slaves had rights, too, like owning personal stuff, getting married, inheriting land, and becoming free.

Egyptian Social Pyramid

Egyptian society was structured like a pyramid, with the pharaoh at the top. There were several layers of social classes, with the lowest classes having fewer people but lower status.

The Pharaoh

Under the pharaoh and the other gods, there was a chain of command to help the pharaoh accomplish all of his duties.

The Vizier

There was a chief minister called a 'vizier' that watched over tax collection and monitored the government records that were kept by the scribes.

The Nobles

Along with the vizier were the various nobles that held government jobs and the priests of the temples.

The nobles became wealthy as they kept a part of the tax normally given to the pharaoh as well as some of the tributes that were given by the people to the gods.

The Scribes and Craftsmen

The next level down contained the scribes, craftsmen, artisans, and traders.

The soldiers fought in the armies during wartime, but in peacetime, many supervised the peasants, slaves, and farmers and were also part of the building process of palaces, pyramids, and other structures.

The craftsman, artisans, traders, and even physicians were considered the middle class of ancient Egypt. Storekeepers and merchants were also included in this class.

The farmers and Slaves

The bottom of the social structure contained the farmers and, beneath them, the slaves.

Farmers took care of the fields and crops, cared for the animals, maintained the water canals and reservoirs, did stone quarry work, and built monuments to the pharaoh.

They paid high taxes to the pharaoh, sometimes as much as sixty percent of what they grew. Slaves were people that may have been war prisoners or criminals.

Slavery became a major part of the ancient Egyptian community, and they were forced to do whatever labor was needed by the nobles and the pharaoh.

Ancient Egyptian Society

Ancient Egypt was a successful culture for over 3,000 years. In the early years, there were two' kingdoms' that operated like two different countries. Each had a ruler and its own religious beliefs and ways of doing things.

After the two kingdoms were united, they became a lot more organized and, over the years, developed a system of what is called a 'hierarchy.'

This was a class system, and each person living in ancient Egypt knew where they existed in the system and had specific rights of that class.

Egyptian Social Classes

The Egyptian Hierarchy was a lot like the pyramids that they built.

At the very top of this social structure were the pharaoh and their gods.

Since the pharaoh was thought to be a god, he took his place next to all of the others.

The gods were thought to be in control of the flooding of the Nile each year, as well as death and famine.

The pharaoh was also in charge of the armies, and any laws that were decided upon were the responsibility of the pharaoh.

All farmers paid taxes every year. Instead of money, they paid in amounts of grain that was stored in warehouses that belonged to the pharaoh.

In case of drought and famine, this was the grain that would be used to feed everyone.

Ancient Egypt Social Structure

In Egypt, the nobility provided jobs and food for the lower classes to live a comfortable life, and the king received goods and services through taxation.

The king gave his vizier responsibility, who then chose the best people for the job.

Doctors, dentists, astrologers, and exorcists dealt directly with clients and their needs, while priests looked after the temple and gods' statues.

A deben was a universally accepted unit of value for goods. A quart of beer could be traded for a woven mat for the same value.

The Egyptians felt pride in their work and were willing to work hard to make a living.

Everyone in Egypt understood their place and the rules to follow for success. This structure worked well throughout most of Egypt's history, but it began to break down at the end of the New Kingdom.

Egyptian culture Moving up in the Hierarchy

A son or daughter took on the social class or 'hierarchy' of their parents. There were slight possibilities of moving into the next higher class.

Some farmers and peasants saved money to send their children to the trade and village schools for better education and to learn a specific trade.

The schools were run by artisans and priests. If a boy did well in school, he could be raised into the scribe class and possibly go on to better government jobs.

It was not a common practice to send the girls to school, but some that attended did well and even became physicians.

Moving into the next class up meant an increase in money, and they could help themselves and their families.

The social structure of ancient Egypt may not have sounded fair when we think of our lives today, but during those days, it was a requirement for survival and the success of society.

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Ancient Egypt had three main social classes: Upper, Middle, and Lower. Prisoners captured in foreign wars became slaves and formed a separate class. Ancient Egypt had a flexible class system. Slaves had rights, too, like owning personal stuff, getting married, inheriting land, and becoming free.

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In ancient Egypt, for the most part, whatever job your father had, you had. If he was a farmer, mostly probably, when you grew up, you would become a farmer. If he was a soldier, most probably, that was your future as well. In ancient Egypt, jobs were inherited.

Farmers divided planned their time around 3 seasons - the flooding season, the growing season, and the harvest season.

The Flooding Season: Each spring, snow on the mountains would melt. The Nile River would flood. This was a very good thing. When the flood waters receded, they left behind fertile soil. Crops could easily be grown in this black, rich soil. The ancient Egyptians called this soil the " The Gift of the Nile".

The Growing Season: Farmers planted wheat, barley, vegetables, figs, melons, pomegranates, corn, and flax (which they used to make into linen.)

The Harvest Season: Once the crops were harvested, what could be dried or stored was stored. The Egyptians were very practical people. They knew they had to save what food they could in case the Nile did not flood! After the harvest, farmers repaired the canals that led water from the Nile to their crops, to get ready for the next flooding season.

Farming was not as easy as it might sound in ancient Egypt. Tools were simple. Cattle needed care to be useful. Snakes and jackals roamed the fields. Farmers had to barter a great many of their harvested crops for the things and animals they needed to plant more crops. There was little chance of life improvement. With only rare exceptions, once a farmer, always a farmer. That's how things were done in ancient Egypt.

Story: Compare a farmer's family to a nobleman's family - daily life in Ancient Egypt
A Day in the Life of a Farmer in Ancient Egypt
The Nile File (interactive, help a farmer grow his crops)
The Farmer and His Tools
Farming in Ancient Egypt (powerpoint)
Shadoofs, Nilometers, Irrigation Food in Ancient Egypt Grain Banks Return to Ancient Egypt Daily Life

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Ancient Egypt for Kids - Farming & Farmers - Ancient Egypt for Kids

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report this ad In ancient Egypt, for the most part, whatever job your father had, you had. If he was a farmer, mostly probably, when you grew up, you would become a farmer. If he was a soldier, most probably, that was your future as well. In ancient Egypt, jobs were inherited.

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Interact with your audience using real-time voting. No installations or downloads required - and it's free!

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Interact with your audience using real-time voting. No installations or downloads required - and it's free!

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Interact with your audience using real-time voting. No installations or downloads required - and it's free!