Society

The Ancient Egyptians generally wore white linen clothing, well suited to the heat of the desert. Find out more about Ancient Egyptian clothing.

They Egyptians had a varied diet including ; bread; meat and fish; fruit and vegetables; nuts, seeds and beans; and numerous herbs and spices. Beer was an important part of their diet and they also made wine and milk. Make your own Ancient Egyptian food with these fun recipes.

As life in an ancient city could be rather smelly, they also developed beautiful incense and perfume which was thought to have medicinal qualities and was associated with the gods.

All Egyptians wore jewellery, and some beautiful peices have been recovered from burial sites. Jewellers were called 'neshedi nubi' (goldsman) and 'hemu nub' (gold artisan). Their craft was highly valued in Egyptian society. Find out more about Bracelets, Necklaces and Collars. They used beautiful pigments, and colours to enhance their art and jewellery. However, the colours were not just chosen for their beauty. Each had a symbolic meaning which gave a further level of meaning to the finished object of painting. The basic palette centered around six colours; red, blue, green, yellow, white and black.

The Egyptians were skilled administrators. The Pharaoh was the central authority but the country was divided into Nomes or provinces whose local government helped everything to run smoothly. There was also the ancient division between Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt which was preserved thoughout Egyptian history.

They developed their calendar at an early stage because it was necessary to be able to predict the coming of the inundation and because it allowed the development of their beaurocracy. The calendar also had a religious connection as months were named after gods and goddesses and the calendar fixed the relative dates of festivals to honour the gods.

The Egyptians were a powerful military force for much of their history. Martial prowess was an important attribute of the pharaoh who was often shown riding his chariot into battle or smiting enemies.

Animals in Ancient Egypt

Animals played an important part in both the economy, religion and society of the Ancient Egyptians. Many gods were closely associated with one or more animals and certain animals were considered to be living incarnations of a deity. Find out more about: cats.

Burial Practices in Ancient Egypt