Granary

History Grain is wealth

Each summer the Nile flooded, spreading water and rich black mud over the fields. A good flood meant a big harvest of wheat and barley, made into bread and beer, the everyday food and drink of Egypt. A low flood meant hunger, so storing grain from good years protected people in bad ones.

Households had small granaries; temples and the state had enormous ones. The storerooms behind the Ramesseum, the memorial temple of Ramesses II, could hold enough grain to feed thousands of people.

History Counting every sack

A wooden model found in the tomb of an official named Meketre, made around 1980 BC, shows a granary at work: workers carry sacks up a stair and pour the grain into bins, while scribes sit by the door writing down every sack. The Bible tells a famous story of grain stored in Egypt: Joseph, who rose to be an official, filled the granaries during seven good years so that people could eat through seven years of famine.

Bible Joseph's grain stores

The Bible tells how Joseph, a young Hebrew who rose to serve the pharaoh, prepared Egypt for a famine: "During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities" (Genesis 41:48). When the famine came, "every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain" (Genesis 41:57).

Think about it

1. Why is it wise to store food from good years?
2. What could spoil stored grain, and how would you stop it?
3. How do towns today make sure there is enough food?

Key words

Granary

A building for storing grain.

Harvest

The time when crops are gathered.

Famine

A time when there is not enough food.