Egyptian life

Chapter 7

workers depended entirely on their employers for food. In hard times, when food was in short supply, artisans often
went hungry.
Pharaohs called upon hundreds of artisans at a time to work on royal projects. Artisans created the fine artwork that
often covered temples, royal tombs, and other monuments. They worked in large groups to complete engravings,
paintings, and hieroglyphics.
Despite artisans’ skill and creativity, the upper classes often viewed them as little more than common laborers. Even
the most talented artists were rarely allowed to sign their work. But some artists did receive recognition. Employers
sometimes threw a banquet for their favorite artist. Occasionally, they honored an artist by letting him portray himself
in a painting or an engraving.
9.6 – Peasants
Peasants made up the lowest and largest class in Egypt’s
social pyramid. They were generally considered unskilled
laborers. Yet Egyptian society depended on their work.
Peasants grew the crops that supplied everyone with food.
When not busy working the fields, peasants helped build
monuments like the pyramids.
The Three Seasons of the Nile Peasant life revolved around
the Nile River. Its three seasons were the flooding season, the
planting season, and the harvest season.
The flooding season lasted from June to September. During
this time, the Nile overran its banks and fertilized the fields.
Farmers had to wait for the waters to go down before they
could work the fields. In the meantime, they labored on royal
projects, such as building pyramids and temples.
In October, the planting season began, and farmers sowed their fields with seeds. The biggest crops were wheat and
barley, which were used to make bread.
Peasants worked in pairs to sow the fields. The farmer softened the earth with a plow pulled by cattle. A second
person, often the farmer’s wife, followed behind to scatter the seeds. Throughout the season, farmers carefully
irrigated the land.
The harvest season began in March. Usually the farmer’s entire family helped with the harvest. The men cut down the
plants with sickles (metal blades with short wooden handles). Then the women and children gathered the tall stalks of
grain.
During harvest time, everyone worked from dawn to dusk. Peasants often sang songs to make the long hours of labor
go more quickly. Sometimes, musicians played in the fields while the workers sang.