Historical facts reflecting the living conditions of ancient Egyptians

Since ancient times, Egyptians have mainly used flax fiber to weave cloth and make clothes (cotton, silk and wool are not used); Sometimes an animal skin (as shown on the right) is used as a coat to show noble status. They have long known the skills of dyeing. The Nile Valley is extremely hot all the year round, and it doesn't snow at all, so the clothes of ordinary Egyptians are very thin and breathable.

The basic costume of ancient Egyptians is called "Nugebai", which is a piece of linen wrapped around the body, which is both shameful and cool. Ordinary men only wear white short skirts with bare upper body; Women wear white dresses, long or short, but only below the chest, plus one or two wide shoulder straps. On formal occasions, a coat will be added. Such costumes, from the king to the people, are usually not far apart.

Clothes in different periods in ancient Egypt were similar. During the New Kingdom, there were the most styles and the most luxurious clothes.

There are also some nobles who are very particular about clothes.

Many of the paintings we saw are from the New Kingdom period. But if people think that women in the new kingdom are sexy and wear enchanting clothes, it is all wet!

Women are not that sexy in Nugby. According to archaeological data, the figures on murals are always beautified. Linen is so hard that it doesn't show any curves at all. Therefore, the fashion of real ancient Egyptian women is not sexy.

However, the ancient Egyptians attached great importance to jewelry, all kinds of earrings, necklaces, bracelets, hairpins and so on. Enough to show the identity and status of the wearer.

Ladies in ancient Egypt were famous for their good makeup! They paint eyeliner, eyelid cream, rouge and lipstick, braid their hair, wear wigs, hang earrings, wear all kinds of ornaments, and of course, they must dress up in front of the mirror. Moreover, it is not unusual for men with more status to wear makeup, eyeliner and wig. At that time, craftsmen were very professional, able to make exquisite stone tools and ivory (or hippo teeth) handicrafts, and used metal brass to make decorations.

The ancient Egyptians attached great importance to their appearance modification. Dress up in front of the mirror, put on some makeup and sprinkle some perfume. The "homework" that these modern women must do every day was as early as four or five thousand years ago in ancient Egypt. Cosmetics used by ancient Egyptians have been found, mainly containers filled with sesame oil and ointment, vials filled with eyeliner, cosmetic spoons and bronze mirrors.

Sesame oil and sesame oil are a mixture of flower fragrance and animal and plant oil, which can be described as the predecessor of modern perfume. The ancient Egyptians not only painted these "perfumes" on their faces, but also painted them on their bodies and piled them on their heads. Perfume gradually melts and flows to wig and body. In this way, they kept their fragrance for a long time and increased their charm. Eyeliner is made by grinding galena or malachite into paste and mixing it with oil. People apply it to the eyes and eyelashes to make them look big and bright. Cosmetic containers and their refined products made of glass, ivory or vanishing cream stone are unique in appearance and are themselves symbols of beauty. For example, the18th century cosmetic spoon in the Louvre Museum in Paris is carefully carved from high-quality wood and ivory, with the appearance of a swimming girl holding a box in the shape of a peach kernel. The girl is wearing a wig, heavy earrings and a necklace.

This is also an important way for ancient Egyptians to dress themselves up. Whether before or after death, people like to wear jewelry, and even wear jewelry on animals in paintings.

Jewelry is made of gold, silver, precious stones, jade, copper, shells and so on. Different colors have different symbolic meanings. For example, gold is the color of the sun and has the characteristics of bringing life; Silver is the symbol of the moon, and it is mainly used to make bones. Turquoise or malachite is the color of the Nile, which "gives" life to all things; Jasper and carnelian produced in the eastern desert symbolize plants and blood respectively, both of which contain the color of life. Jewelry made of these materials includes amulets, headband, earrings, rings, collars and necklaces. Among all kinds of jewelry, cloisonne jewelry is the most exquisite one, which combines gold with gems carved into various shapes to form colorful and precious jewelry.

The gold in ancient Egypt mainly came from Nubia and Kush Kingdom in the south. Goldsmiths have learned how to make gold foil and then process it into jewelry of various shapes, but the gold foil at that time was hundreds of times thicker than it is now. Compared with gold, silver was scarce at that time, mainly imported from West Asia, so it was more precious than gold. It is usually mixed with gold to make alloy jewelry, and at the same time it can achieve the effect of making jewelry more wear-resistant.

In addition to dressing up, the ancient Egyptians also loved cleanliness, especially in religious ceremonies. Impurity is considered a great disrespect to God and will be "punished" by God. When worshipping, even Pharaoh should bathe and change clothes. Because of this need for cleanliness, ancient Egyptians often shaved their hair and beards, and both men and women became bald and beardless. Instead, there are all kinds of wigs and fake beards. Over time, baldness and wearing wigs became a habit of ancient Egyptians. If someone has hair, he will be humiliated and laughed at by others. That's why everyone wears beautiful wigs in ancient Egyptian murals or Papyrus painting.

Because of the warm weather and lack of social status, children in Egypt are often naked. In fact, nudity has become a fixed image of "children" in the Egyptian image. As for maids and peasant women, they often wear no clothes in portraits, which is related to their status and economic situation, just like children.

Second, the food of ancient Egyptians.

The main crops in ancient Egypt were wheat and barley, supplemented by various meats, aquatic products and fruits. They grow wheat, graze cattle, fish and catch wild geese for a living.

This is a mural of an ancient tomb, with three groups of * * *, showing the production process of farmers' cultivation and harvesting:

The staple food of ancient Egyptians was a kind of toast, which was to grind wheat into powder and bake it in the oven. Wheat in ancient Egypt was ground with a stone mill, which caused a serious problem. Wheat flour will be mixed with a lot of sand and stones (there are many deserts in ancient Egypt, and the rocks in Egypt are very fragile), so the baked bread will definitely not be too delicious. Every bite will bring you sand, and bread will creak in your mouth. "ouch! My teeth are broken! " That voice, from civilians to Lao Wang, everyone has bad teeth in their mouths! Chewing this bread for a long time will wear your teeth until your gums are exposed. The ancient Egyptians had toothache all their lives.

They also eat poultry, fish and beef.

Ancient Egyptians knew how to brew beer and wine very early. They all like to drink "beer", which is turbid and gives off a fermented taste, much like Chinese medicine soup. However, ancient Egyptian wines are worth tasting. Pharaoh Tutankhamun is a wine lover. He likes to drink "dry red", but it is not so sweet. After Pharaoh died, he was also buried with several jars of wine.

Three. The residence of ancient Egyptians

People who have seen Egyptian temples (pictures or field trips) may imagine that pharaohs and nobles in ancient Egypt lived in such a huge and gorgeous palace! If you think so, of course. Ancient Egyptians believed that temples and tombs would last forever, while palaces or houses were enough for a generation. In other words, even the Pharaoh's palace can't enjoy the treatment of stone buildings!

So what do they use to build houses? -the answer is mud! The Nile valley is rich in silt, and many other sandy soils can be turned into silt. Put some grain residues and dry straw in the mud, pat them into squares, and put them in the hot sun of Egypt, and pieces of "mud bricks" are made. Houses have grass roofs, and some have two floors, but they are generally simple. It is ok to have a stove. This kind of housing structure is still the main architectural model in rural Egypt.

Of course, the noble houses have different degrees of luxury according to their status, but even if the Pharaoh's palace is spacious, it is mainly made of wooden columns and mud bricks. But the walls are often painted with white lime first, and then painted with some murals and decorative patterns.

According to the standards of later generations, Pharaoh's palace is not high. A man who is 1.8 meters tall, if he wants to see Pharaoh, I'm sorry, but he must bow his head carefully when entering the door. In addition, the Pharaoh's court is very small, not much bigger than a medium-sized reception room in a modern office building.

In fact, the biggest inconvenience of this kind of building is taking a bath. Think about it. Houses made of mud bricks are much more afraid of water.

So Egyptians usually bathe outdoors. Lao Wang is more luxurious, and the bathroom is covered with a thin layer of stone, which is waterproof.

In a word, it seems that only the dead deserve to live in a stone house-a stone grave, which Egyptians call an "eternal residence" because stones are immortal. Egyptians believe that there is another eternal world after death.

Most of the furniture in ancient Egyptian houses was made of wood products. The bed is a rectangular wooden frame made of leather, like a rattan bed in China. Perhaps the most amazing thing is the Egyptian pillow! You'd better experience it yourself.

There are usually two kinds of chairs. A simple and practical; A fauteuil chair like China has a backrest and a support. The carvings on the backrest and armrest are more exquisite, and the four feet are carved into lion feet, which symbolizes the noble status of the chair owner.

Fourth, the means of transportation in ancient Egypt.

The ancient Egyptians were a people who sailed by boat (instead of riding and driving).

From the bottle paintings in prehistoric times, we can see people sailing in the Nile in big ships. The Nile is a natural traffic avenue, and ships are the most convenient means of transportation, whether going up or down. Egyptians also discovered the truth of using sails very early; Experienced sailors can make sailboats go upstream with a slight north wind.

Ships built in ancient Egypt can be divided into two categories. One is a boat for daily traffic, which is generally woven from paper sand grass. Because it is easy to manufacture and obtain raw materials, it is the most commonly used means of transportation. As for transporting goods and heavy objects, such as stones, you must use relatively large wooden boats.

A large wooden boat buried with the king was unearthed next to the Great Pyramid of Kisha, with a hull of 20 meters, all made of wood and hemp rope. There is also a sunshade cabin and a dozen paddles on board, which looks quite comfortable.

Except for boats, the ancient Egyptians had no cars and horses before the new kingdom. The main camel is the donkey, as if people can't ride the donkey yet.

Horse-drawn chariots only appeared in the New Kingdom era, which may have been brought by the invading sokala.

However, it seems that the vehicles used for transportation have been underdeveloped, which may be because water transportation is still the most convenient and economical mode of transportation for Egypt's narrow terrain.