Egyptian Life

Of all the early peoples, the Egyptians were the least warlike. Their country was protected by the sea on the north and by deserts to the east and west. For many centuries they could develop their own way of life without fear of invasion by foreign armies. Their interests were centered in their homes and families and in their work. Their stone tombs were a kind of insurance against death. They loved life and wanted it to go on forever.

Villages and towns were situated near the Nile because it was the chief highway as well as the only source of water. Even the rich lived in houses of mud brick. The walls were richly colored. Windows were small, high openings covered with loosely woven matting to keep out the heat and glare of the sun. The most fashionable district was near the king's palace. Even here, houses were crowded close together to leave more space for farmland. Some dwellings were two stories high. Usually houses were built back to back to save space. Some opened onto a narrow street; others faced a small walled garden.

The walls were decorated with bright frescoes. Straw matting and rugs covered the floors. Lamps were saucers of oil with a floating wick. Rich people had beds, chairs, and stools but no real dining tables. They kept their clothes and linen sheets in box chests or in baskets. The linen was sent to professional laundrymen to be washed in the river.

The members of Egypt's upper classes spent much of their time tending to their appearance. They bathed with soda instead of soap and then rubbed perfumed oil into the skin. Men shaved with a bronze razor. They cut their hair short and wore wigs. Women also wore wigs or added false braids to their own hair. They had combs and hairpins and mirrors of polished bronze or silver. Both men and women darkened their eyelids with black or green paint. Women rouged their cheeks and lips and stained their nails with henna. The women usually kept their cosmetics in beautiful box chests. Because of the hot climate, both men and women wore white linen clothes. Men usually wore only a skirt. In the early centuries the skirts were short and narrow; later they were long and full. Women wore low-cut white dresses with bands over the shoulders. Young children wore nothing at all. Both men and women wore jewelry collars and necklaces, strings of beads, bracelets, anklets, earrings, and finger rings. Silver was more precious than gold.