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Daily life in Ancient Egypt

Part of HistoryAncient EgyptYear 3Year 4

Watch: Life in Ancient Egypt

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What jobs did people have?

Houses in an ancient Egyptian street

There were many jobs in Ancient Egypt:

Bakers
Scribes (writers)
Priests
Doctors
Craftspeople
Merchants (people who sell things)
Many children had jobs or learned a trade.

Houses in an ancient Egyptian street

Ancient Egyptian street scene

What were ancient Egyptian houses like?

Houses were built of mud-bricks with floors made from earth.

A street in Ancient Egypt.

Seats and ovens were built into the house.
Food was cooked in stone ovens, using a fire.
Food was stored in cool places below ground level.

Items from ancient Egyptian homes

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Querns
The ancient Egyptians used stone querns like this to grind wheat into flour.
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Pots
Clay pots were used for storing things like water, beer and food.
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Combs
Just like a modern comb, these were used for brushing hair. Combs could be made of different materials. Some combs were made of hippopotamus ivory!
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Cosmetics
Pots like these were used to store make-up and cosmetics. Ancient Egyptians decorated their eyes with black kohl eyeliner. Both men and women painted their eyes.
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Music
The ancient Egyptians loved to play music with instruments like this harp. Harp players would accompany a singer to perform songs.
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Headrests
There were no pillows in Ancient Egypt, to get comfortable wooden headrests like this were used.
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Lamps
Lamps in Ancient Egypt burnt oil made from plant sources such as castor, sesame or linseed. Wicks were made from plant fibres or linen cloth.

What food did the ancient Egyptians eat?

Bowl of food including grapes and garlic.

Lots of different foods could be grown along the banks of the river Nile.

Rich people ate meat, eggs, figs and grapes.
Poor people ate bread and onions. Everyone loved garlic.
There were no tomatoes, bananas or potatoes.

Bowl of food including grapes and garlic.

Activities

Activity 1: Ancient Egyptian villages

Click the labels below to find out about life in Ancient Egypt.

Activity 2: Ancient Egyptian food

It's time to pack your lunch bag. Sort the foods below.

Activity 3: Quiz – Life in Ancient Egypt

Activity 4: History Explorer game

Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about Ancient Egypt.

More on Ancient Egypt

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