Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

The nobles of ancient Egypt filled their tombs with statues of their servants to work for them in the hereafter.

Two kinds of dwarfs were known in ancient Egypt, the African pygmies, who were performers, and the Egyptian dwarfs, who were frequently placed in charge of pet animals. The Egyptian dwarfs also engaged in making jewelry.

To prepare for life after death, Ancient Egyptians constructed and decorated the tomb as an eternal home for use in the hereafter.

The tomb chapel was the place for the reunion of the family in ancient Egypt. Illustrations of daily life and scenes of entertainment were depicted on the walls of the tomb in relief or in paintings.

Family members would visit the departed in their tombs to make offerings for them and to recite prayers for their benefit.

Beginning in the Old Kingdom, small limestone and wooden statues of servants at work were placed in tomb chapels to serve the deceased in the hereafter.

Tombs of six princesses containing fine sarcophagi and beautiful scenes of daily life and offerings were found hidden beneath the funerary temple of Montuhotep the Second at Deir El-Bahari.

Egyptians entertained themselves by playing sports and games such as senet. When they went hunting they rode in chariots and used boomerangs, swords, knives, daggers, bows and arrows.

Wooden boat models of different types and functions were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. These models would act symbolically to transport the king on his journey through the underworld.

The Ancient Egyptians' great achievements in jewelry making began in the First Dynasty and progressed to the original forms and techniques achieved in the Twelfth Dynasty.

These exquisite miniature wooden models of the chancellor Meketre's household were made to serve the deceased in the afterlife.

The ancient Egyptians produced and imported oils and ointments used in cooking, rituals, cosmetics, lighting, heating, and mummification.

During the period from the Seventh to Tenth Dynasty, known as the First Intermediate Period, Egypt fell into an era of disorder, civil wars, and famine.

Egyptian priests compiled funerary and ritual texts to assist the deceased during the journey in the underworld.