 Click on the small pictures
One bright morning in ancient Egypt, a nobleman woke up in a bed covered in fine linen sheets.
He opened his eyes and looked around his bedroom.
 He saw the cabinet where his clothes were kept,  his wife's cosmetic box, and a lamp for lighting the room in the evening.
|
|
 Click on the small pictures
One bright morning  in ancient Egypt, a farmer woke up in a bed covered in a coarse linen sheet that had been woven by his wife.
He opened his eyes and looked around his bedroom.
 He saw the shelf where his clothes were kept and a basket.
|
|
 His thoughts were disturbed by the servant who entered the room. The servant helped him to wash and shave.
|
The farmer got out of bed and washed and shaved.
|
Then, the nobleman dressed in a kilt made of fine linen and sandals made of leather.
|
Then, he dressed in a kilt made of coarse linen and sandals made of reeds.
|
|
Meanwhile, the nobleman's wife got up.
 She washed and dressed with the help of another servant. The nobleman's wife wore a dress made of fine linen and jewellery made of glass.
  She applied some kohl to her eyelids and went downstairs.
|
|
The farmer's wife was already awake. She had washed and dressed in the early morning light. Then she had gone into the next room to wake the children and begin her daily chores.
 She wore a dress made of coarse linen. Around her neck was an amulet of the goddess Tawaret on a piece of papyrus string.
|
 The nobleman and his wife had a small meal of bread and fruit. They sat on cushions and ate from a low table.
|
|
 The farmer, his wife and their children sat down to a small meal of bread and fruit. They sat on a bench and ate on reed mats.
|
Then, the nobleman left the house for an appointment with the overseer of his lands.
|
|
Then, the farmer got up and went to work in the fields near his house.
|
The nobleman's wife supervised the preparations for the banquet they were hosting that evening. Her children were dressed and fed, then brought to her by a servant.
|
|
 His wife lit the cooking fire and began grinding the wheat to make bread.
|
The overseer of the nobleman's fields told the nobleman what the harvest would be like for the year.  He also told the nobleman how many cattle and geese had been counted in the fields the day before.
 The nobleman was pleased. They shared a meal of bread, meat and beer.
|
|
 It had been a good year for the farmer and there was a large harvest. Today he would have to take a part of his harvest to the temple to pay for the use of the temple land.  He filled several baskets with his harvest, loaded them onto two donkeys and set out for the temple with his two field workers.
|
 In the early afternoon the nobleman's wife went out into the garden to escape the heat of the day.  She enjoyed the shade of the trees while she watched her children play with their toys.
|
|
The farmer and his workers left the baskets at the temple where they were counted and their contents were added to the storeroom. On the way back to the fields they shared a mid-day meal of bread, meat and beer.
|
|
Later in the afternoon the nobleman's wife began preparing for the evening banquet. Her servant brushed and curled her favourite wig.
  She took out her most beautiful clothing and her jewellery made of gold and semi-precious stones.
|
|
 The farmer's wife spent the day grinding wheat and baking bread. In the afternoon she walked to the river with her children to collect water.
|
|
The nobleman returned to the house and got ready for the banquet. Then he and his wife began greeting their guests as they arrived.  Their guests were offered cones of perfumed wax and lotus flowers by servant girls. They ate the finest meats, breads, cakes, wine, figs and dates. They were entertained by musicians and dancing girls.
|
|
In the evening, she prepared a small dinner of bread, meat and beer for her family.
|
At the end of the evening, they said goodnight to their guests and went to bed.
|
|
 As it grew dark outside, the farmer lit the small oil lamp. The farmer and his wife put their children to bed, blew out the lamp and went to sleep.
|