Ancient Egyptian Social Classes, Bri Miles [best books to read fiction .txt] 📗

Ancient Egyptian Social Classes
An Essay written by Bri Miles

Have you ever wondered about life and social classes in a time before cars, TV or even electricity? A time where you were most likely going to do the same job as your ancestors? A place where homes were built with mud bricks? This place is ancient Egypt. Social classes can be thought of as a pyramid. At the top was the pharaoh. Below that were the upper class and then the middle class. At the bottom were the peasants. Social classes are important to Egypt because it shows their culture.

Firstly, you will learn about the Egyptian upper class.It includes the pharaohs, the royal family and nobility. The pharaoh was the most powerful person in ancient Egypt. His responsibilities included collecting taxes, making laws, and defending Egypt against foreigner. Some items he used to do this were chariots, bows and arrows. Noblity were often land lords. They owned the land that others worked on. They also held banquets. Some items they wore were wigs and kohl. I believe the artifact that best represents the upper class is jewelry. I choose this because it shows how they bought items used only for vanity simply because they could afford it, something that the lower classes never could.

Next, I’ll show you information about the middle class. This class includes scribes, priests, merchants and artisans. Scribes were the people that wrote records and stories using cuneiform. In their spare time they painted coffins. Pleasant, right? They commonly used brushes. Artisans in Egypt were typically trained and skilled laborers. They were well respected in the community. Every artisan’s life style was only as good as their skill and experience, so obviously some artisans had more difficult lives than others. Their jobs included making furniture for both the upper and middle class. The best artifact to represent the middle class would be a brush because most of the middle class used them in everyday tasks such as writing and/or painting.

Lastly, we have the lower class and the bottom of the pyramid.The lower class included farmers,peasents and slaves. Farmers were more or less the same as modern day farmers except they didn't drive tractors or have machinery.Their responsibilities included harvesting food,grinding wheat and baking bread. They wore reed shoes and used oil lamps. Slaves were basicaly prisoners of war.They had very few possesions. The artifact I belive best represents the lower class is the basket because they mostly carried and did things for the higher classes.

You have more than likely seen how social classes keep things simple and organized. They have both befits and negatives. Some believe that social classes keep people in their places. A negative is people would always do the same job as their ancestors unless a family raised enough money to send their child to school.I believe if we put too much importance into social classes, in the future the upper class will treat anyone in middle or lower classes like they don't matter when in reality, the farmers and hunters are the reasons that they can eat as well as they can.

Publication Date: 03-05-2013

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