For the poor, life was hard, and the average life span was 36. For the royal family and the nobles, life was much less work and much more play.

◀ A noble family lived in a large house that had a pool and garden. The house had many bedrooms, and stairways led to the roof. Egyptian homes had not much furniture.
In their leisure time, wealthier Egyptians enjoyed relaxing by their garden pools. They also enjoyed boating trips and hunting in the desert.
At night, Egyptians rested their heads on a cushion placed in the curve of a wooden headrest. This device made it hard for scorpions and snakes to crawl onto the sleeper’s head. ▼


▲ Wealthy homes usually had chairs like this one.

Food and Drink
The farmer’s grain was turned into bread and beer. Bread was the main thing Egyptians ate. It was often made from barley. Meals might also include onions, garlic, leeks, beans, lentils, figs, dates, melons, and apricots. The poor rarely ate beef. On special days they added protein to their diet with geese, ducks, and fish. Fish were caught with nets, hooks and lines, or traps. The rich went to fancy banquets. They enjoyed beef, mutton, waterbirds, vegetables, and exotic fruits. Only the rich drank wine. It was made from grapes grown in the Nile Delta or in the western desert oases. Both the rich and poor drank beer made from barley.
The Social Pyramid


From head to toe, Egyptians liked to look good, and they knew how to do it.

Wealthy men and women sometimes wore wigs. These were made of human hair and sheep’s wool. Beeswax kept the wigs in place.
Both men and women wore eye makeup, usually black or green. Eye paint was made by grinding up minerals such as galena and malachite and mixing them with water.
For their mouths and cheeks, Egyptian women used lip paint and rouge made from red ocher and henna.
Wealthy men and women wore earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, armbands, and anklets.
Women wore close-fitting sheath dresses or pleated linen dresses. These were usually white.
Creams and lotions made from animal or vegetable fats made skin look better. They also protected skin from hot, dry weather.
Way Back When
Third Intermediate Period
ca. 1075–664 b.c.
Egypt divided into smaller states
8th century b.c. ▶
Homer writes the Iliad and Odyssey in Greek


776 b.c.
First Olympic Games held in Greece
◀ ca. 671 b.c.
Assyrians conquer Egypt
Late Period 664–332 B.C.
ca. 604–562 b.c. ▶
Nebuchadnezzar II builds ziggurat of Babylon (Tower of Babel)
431–404 b.c.
Sparta defeats Athens in Peloponnesian War

ca. 210 b.c. ▶
Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huangdi buried with “terra-cotta army”


◀ 331 b.c.
Alexander the Great conquers Egypt

◀ 31 b.c.
Defeat of Antony and Cleopatra; Egypt becomes part of Roman empire