Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
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The majority of ancient Egyptians was poor and tied to the land. They lived in small and simple houses made of mud-brick, while the minority of wealthy Egyptians lived in magnificent palaces depending on wealth of a particular noble family. Palaces of pharaohs had two entrance doors which were the symbol of the double kingdom.
Ancient Egyptian clothes were simple linen sheets of different lengths. Men initially wore only short linen skirt, while women wore long dresses which sometimes covered the breasts only with straps. Nobility wore long and wrinkled dresses made of fine linen. Clothing changed through time a lot although remained a status symbol although clothing of pharaohs distinguished itself from clothing of other social groups only for being interwoven with golden thread and decorated with precious stones. Pharaohs as well as nobility wore wigs and starched beards. In later period become popular false beards which were worn by female pharaohs as well.
Ancient Egyptians payed a lot of attention to hygiene and washing. The wealthy Egyptians had their own bathrooms and flush toilets, while the vast majority of people was washing in the Nile River usually in the morning and in the evening. Men shaved their entire bodies. Very popular were also various perfumes and ointments.
Food of ancient Egyptians based on bread and beer, while other most popular foods were also beef, fish, various vegetables, fruits and fowls among which they preferred roasted goose.
The average life expectancy in ancient Egypt was 25 years of age. Girls were married at 13 and boys at 15 years of age. Men sometimes had more wives, while pharaohs could have had several hundreds wives.