Ancient Egypt · People
People of Ancient Egypt
History Who lived and worked along the Nile? Most Egyptians were farmers, but the country also needed scribes, builders, soldiers, priests and traders. In the heat, most people wore simple white linen; jewelry and wigs showed who was rich.
Water carrier
Fetching water from the river
Most families fetched water every day from the Nile, a canal or a well, carrying it home in clay jars, often on their heads. At villages far from the river, like Deir el-Medina, donkeys carried the water up.
Where to find them: Lotus pool, Village house, Palm grove
Scribe
Writer with a papyrus scroll
Scribes were among the few people who could read and write. They recorded harvests, taxes and building work, wrote letters and copied texts, and their job was one of the most respected in Egypt.
Where to find them: Scribe school, House of Life, Granary
Child with figs
Helping at home
Children helped their families from an early age: fetching water, minding animals, gathering fruit and helping in the fields. They also played with balls, dolls, spinning tops and board games.
Where to find them: Palm grove, Family house, Market
Palace guard
Guard with a spear and shield
Guards watched over palaces, temples and tombs. Egyptian soldiers carried spears, shields, axes and bows, and a famous group of guards called the Medjay kept watch over the desert roads and the royal tombs.
Where to find them: Pharaoh's palace, Royal treasury, Watchtower
Farmer
Carrying the harvest
Most Egyptians were farmers. When the flood went down they plowed and sowed the wet fields, and in spring they harvested wheat and barley. Part of every harvest was paid to the state as tax.
Where to find them: Granary, Palm grove, Family house
Woman with a cat
Taking the family cat home
Egyptian women could own land, run businesses, make contracts and go to court, more rights than women had in many ancient lands. Many families kept cats, which protected stored food from mice.
Where to find them: Cat statue, Garden villa, Market
Brick carrier
Builder carrying mud bricks
Builders made and laid millions of mud bricks for houses, palaces, walls and granaries. Paintings in the tomb of Rekhmire show workers mixing mud, shaping bricks in molds and carrying them away.
Where to find them: Mud-brick house, Building materials, Lifting lever
Young builder
Carrying a clay jar
Building sites needed water for mixing mortar and plaster, and for thirsty workers. Unglazed clay jars kept water cool, because a little water seeps through the clay and evaporates.
Where to find them: Building materials, Stone sledge, Pyramid
Keep exploring
Back to the Ancient Egypt map Take the tour: Life on the Nile