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This four-book series takes a look at life in ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1070 BCE). The books are illustrated in full color with reproductions of Egyptian artwork. Each volume makes use of quotations from primary sources and offers sidebars on special topics, as well as a glossary, list of books for further reading, list of recommended Web sites, and bibliography.
Click on the covers to purchase through Amazon.com.
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"Nefertiti's name suddenly disappears from ancient writings after
the 14th year of the reign of her husband, the Pharaoh Akhenaton—but
before that, there is every sign that she reigned like no queen before
her, driving a chariot and wearing men's crowns. This series, "Life
in Ancient Egypt," is filled with such details, which sets it apart
from the overabundance of books on ancient Egypt. There is even a "party
list" for a Pharaonic celebration—50 sacks of grapes, 500
food-baskets, 200 ring-stands for flowers. Each volume in this series
covers a separate aspect of life in ancient Egypt, specifically the
New Kingdom from 1550 to 1050 B.C.E.—religion, the city, the countryside,
and the Pharaoh's court. The volume on the Pharaoh's court includes
detailed chapters on the lives of royal women, children, and men, including
the vizier—whose duties are not nearly as devious and conniving
as usually portrayed in modern media. There were even men who held positions
like Sandal Bearer, Superintendent of the Royal Bedroom, and Lieutenant
of Chariotry. The books are handsomely illustrated with full-color tomb
and temple paintings, with good captions that make sense of images that
are often hard to comprehend. There is considerable detail on each topic
so the books would be useful for research papers. There is a good index,
sources for numerous direct quotations, maps, a glossary, and additional
resources included in each book. For libraries or schools without a
good series about ancient Egypt, this would be an excellent choice." --Children's Literature
"In this volume [Religion] in the Life in Ancient Egypt series,
Hinds introduces the ancient Egyptians' spiritual beliefs during the
New Kingdom period, noting that they didn't think of religion as a concept
and had no word to describe it: gods were "too interwoven with
every aspect of life to be separated out." Chapters explore primary
deities, temple life and priests; and women's participation in religion,
prayer, and holidays; and how religion was incorporated into life's
passages, such as birth and death. Hinds supports the smoothly flowing
text with illuminating details and excerpts from a variety of sources.
Handsome color photos of Egyptian sites and artifacts greatly enhance
the text." --Booklist
"Dedicated to descriptions of daily life and culture,
these colorful, inviting books focus on the period from 1550 B.C.E.
to 1070 B.C.E., known as Egypt's New Kingdom. Distinguished by elegant
design and high-quality reproductions, they offer numerous perspectives,
including those of women, children, workers, and peasants. Quotes from
ancient Egyptians usually illuminate the text.... Hinds's writing is
solid, never shying away from challenging vocabulary, and quotations
are meticulously documented. These books lend themselves to thorough
reading rather than skimming for quick facts, and will be useful purchases
for libraries supporting research on the culture of this ancient civilization" --School Library Journal, May 2007
Kathryn Hinds' 'Life in Ancient Egypt' series ... goes
beyond more general single-book explorations to provide specific in-depth
focus suitable for reports. Kids in grades 4-6 will thus have plenty
to review in THE COUNTRYSIDE (0761421858), RELIGION (0761421866), THE
PHARAOH'S COURT (0761421831), and THE CITY (076142184x). Each holds
nearly 70 pages of details, pairing attractive color illustrations with
maps and in-depth discussions. --Midwest Book Review Children's Bookwatch, February 2007
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The Mystery of Nefertiti One of the best-known Egyptian queens is Nefertiti, made famous by a beautiful bust of her that has been reproduced uncounted times in books and other media. Nefertiti, the great royal wife of Akhenaten (1352-1336 BCE), also appears to have been one of Egypt's most powerful queens. In art, she appears constantly with her husband, often accompanied by their daughters, in scenes of palace life and religious worship. She also appears many times without her husband, which was quite unusual, and she was often portrayed in ways that no other (or very few) queens were: driving a chariot, grasping enemies by the hair and preparing to club them on the head, enthroned while a group of foreign captives are paraded before her, rewarding men with gold, riding in a royal litter, and wearing crowns that had traditionally been worn only by kings. These images of Nefertiti have helped to convince some scholars that
she was not just a powerful queen but that she reigned alongside her
husband as a full co-ruler. We may never know the truth of this, but
one thing is clear: there are no images of Nefertiti or inscriptions
mentioning her after the fourteenth year of Akhenaten's reign. The
king had obviously been extremely devoted to his wife, so we would
expect to find some mention of her death--if indeed she died at this
time. If she didn't, did she go into retirement? One of her daughters
had recently died, and perhaps the queen was so depressed that she
withdrew from public life. Or was she in disgrace for some reason,
and forced to withdraw? These are all possibilities that egyptologists
have considered. Some scholars favor a much more radical explanation for Nefertiti's
disappearance. They believe that Akhenaten made her not only his co-ruler
but his official heir. In this new role, she took the throne name
Smenkhkara. Indeed, this name first appears in the records at almost
exactly the time that Nefertiti's vanishes. But two years later Akhenaten
died, and Smenkhkara, too, disappeared. We do have a mummy identified
as Smenkhkara's, but it is so damaged that it gives us little information.
No tomb or mummy has ever been found for Nefertiti, however, and her
fate may always remain a mystery. --Life in Ancient Egypt: The Pharaoh's Court |
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Carefree Days
Children were usually nursed for three years, although they probably
started eating regular food some time before they were weaned. It appears
that parents generally cared for their children very tenderly. Unlike
in some other ancient cultures (such as those of the Greeks and Romans,
who often abandoned unwanted babies), parents raised all the children
born to them. Boys were favored slightly over girls, but girls seem
to have received just as much parental affection. Small children were constantly in the company of their mothers and other women of the family. Children could help the women with some tasks, but it seems that mainly they were free to play. Toys could be as simple as stray bits of flax, sticks and stones, or balls of claylike Nile mud. Children in wealthier families had wooden or pottery dolls, doll cradles, puppets, tops, rattles, and toy animals. Some of the wooden animals were very cleverly made--archaeologists have found mechanical toys worked by pulling a string: cats and crocodiles with mouths that opened and closed, a row of dwarves that danced on a little platform, and even a baker that kneaded dough. Children also liked to play a variety of games, including various ball games and something resembling leapfrog. Tomb paintings show boys wrestling and girls tossing small balls into the air, sometimes more than one at a time--it looks as though they are juggling! Many Egyptians, young and old, were fond of animals. The most common
pet was the cat--who also helped keep the house rodent-free. (The ancient
Egyptian word for "cat," by the way, was miw.) Other favorite
pets included dogs, geese, and monkeys. --Life in Ancient Egypt: The City |
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Health Hazards We have already seen that many mothers and babies died
during or soon after birth. Indeed, all ancient Egyptians had a low
life expectancy. At the age of forty, a person was considered elderly.
It was very rare, especially among peasants, for people to live into
their sixties or beyond. Upper-class people had a somewhat greater
chance at a long life, since their living conditions were better and
they had more access to doctors and medicines. Still there were health
hazards that were unavoidable, no matter how noble or wealthy a person
was. One of the greatest problems in ancient Egypt was dental
disease. Between the sand that got into food and the bits of stone
that ended up in the stone-ground flour, the simple act of eating
wore the teeth down terribly over the course of years. For poor peasants
the situation was probably even worse--it is said that they added
sand to their flour on purpose, to make the flour go further. The
results of this abrasive food were terrible toothaches and, if the
teeth wore down too far, life-threatening dental infections. In rainless Egypt, the waters of the Nile and the irrigation
canals brought life to the desert. They also brought danger and disease.
Crocodiles and hippopotamuses were known to kill swimmers from time
to time, but there were also unseen threats: parasites. Add to that
the fact that sewage and garbage were often dumped into the water,
and it is obvious--to us--how unhealthy washing and bathing in it
could be. The ancient Egyptians, however, had limited knowledge about
water-borne diseases and parasites and few techniques to cope with
them. The other major health hazard was arthritis. This afflicted
a great many people, but it must have been especially hard on peasants,
who did so much physical labor. In addition, their work often involved
repetitive motions, which take a particularly high toll on the skeleton
and joints. For instance, archaeologists have examined a number of
women's skeletons and found that their knees and toe bones were severely
deformed, thanks to a lifetime of kneeling and grinding grain. --Life in Ancient Egypt: The Countryside |
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Divine Music Women's major role in Egyptian temples was to participate
in ceremonies and provide entertainment for the gods as singers, musicians,
and dancers. They performed hymns that affirmed the upholding of maat:
the deity was great and generous, and people in turn honored the deity
with their praise and offerings. There was balance between the divine
and humanity, and all was well in the world. "Holy music for Hathor, music a million times, because
you love music, million times music, to your soul, wherever you are,"
went a song to the goddess who was most associated with music. One instrument
that women often played in temple rituals, the sistrum, was especially
sacred to Hathor--her image might even be incorporated into its design.
It was shaped much like an ankh (the hieroglyph that meant "life"),
a T with a loop above the crossbar. Into the sistrum's loop were set
three thin metal rods, often threaded with metal disks. When a musician
shook the sistrum, the metal pieces jingled together. Rhythm instruments seem to have been especially important
in temple music. In her other hand, a sistrum player might hold a heavy
beaded necklace, which rattled when she shook it. Another musical instrument
that women frequently played in religious ceremonies was the tambourine--the
goddesses Isis and Hathor in particular seemed to favor it. Handclapping,
too, added rhythmic accompaniment to sacred songs. And sometimes musicians
played clappers made of wood or ivory, probably producing a sound resembling
that of castanets.... Upper-class women often served in temples as singers with
the special title "chantress of the god." As the wives and
daughters of priests and government officials, these women were already
highly respected. Their temple activities--singing, chanting, and playing
the sistrum--brought them and their families further honor, and probably
a share in the temple's wealth, too. --Life in Ancient Egypt: Religion [hymn to Hathor from Tyldesley, Daughters of Isis: Women of Ancient Egypt, New York: Penguin Books, 1995, p. 129.] |
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As a special feature, this Web page offers some bonus material for readers who would like to add a little more to their ancient Egyptian experience. A Soldier's Life: Two Views Not surprisingly, a man's experience of army life often depended on his rank. Noblemen who served as officers tended to think of their military activities in glowing terms--at least according to surviving texts. Ahmose son of Ibana, for example, proudly recorded his army service under the first three New Kingdom pharaohs; one of the inscriptions on his tomb walls runs:
We don't have any writings from common foot soldiers to compare with this. However, one of the texts that boys learning to be scribes had to copy out for practice sounds like it might authentically represent a non-officer's view of warfare:
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excerpts copyright © 2007 by Marshall Cavendish Benchmark Web site copyright © 2006-2008 by Kathryn Hinds
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