A complex civilisation that spanned around three millennia, the Ancient Egyptians are famed worldwide for their colossal architecture, diverse myths and powerful pharaohs. But what happened in Ancient Egypt- beyond the pyramids and mummified kings?

No society can live without food, and in Ancient Egypt the main staple foods were bread and beer. The common folk would also consume vegetables, legumes, and onions with smaller amounts of meat and fish. The wealthier people would enjoy larger portions of meat, with beef being extremely expensive and saved for special occasions. Goods were traded for. There was, however, a standard unit (deben) which served to tell the buyer the value of wares ensuring a fair trade.

While some Egyptians ruled and some waited on nobility, others famously toiled on the Pyramids, the Great Sphinx, and, the less visible, tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Others, however, had a craft. There would be farmers and craftsmen (such as carpenters, metalworkers, potters, glassblowers, sculptors, jewelers and painters). These people would then trade the product of their work for what they needed and wanted. There were many other trades too, such as scribes (not everyone could read and/or write).

Life cannot be all work, though- there were many games in ancient Egypt. One was Senet- a game believed to be an ancestor of chess (though the origins of the modern game lie heavily in the Indian game Chaturanga)- and another was Mehen or ‘Game of the Snake’, played on a circular board resembling a serpent, with squares formed from the snake’s body and the head in the center of the coil. There were also sports for leisure, such as fishing, rowing, weightlifting and wrestling.

If you happened to sustain an injury doing these activities, you would be treated with bandages and splints similar to the basic concept of today’s treatment. However, having never heard of germs in these times, disease treatment was less refined. This consisted of herbs, spells, and incantations among medical techniques.

Perhaps the most infamous part of Ancient Egyptian life was Ancient Egyptian death- but the common people were not privy to the lavish pyramids reserved for the pharaoh. The lower classes would have been buried in oval pits, sometimes more than one to a grave. There would be only a few burial goods for the deceased to take with them in the afterlife.

After reading this, while you view the tales of the great discovery of long-lost kings and secret tombs, I hope you will also remember the less glamorous life of the slaves, servants and craftspeople of Ancient Egypt without whom the pharaohs would have been nothing.

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