Essay Questions

The Social Pyramid of Ancient Egypt

The highest up on the social pyramid was the Pharaohs. They were very powerful. The people called them the religious and political leaders. Meaning that there was no separation between church and state. Underneath the Pharaohs were the Nobles, or government officials, and the priests. They were considered the "white kilt class." Underneath them was the soldiers. They had wooden weapons with bronze tips and chariots. it must have been pretty fun riding around in a chariot. 

Now we get into sort of, the lower-er class, now the lower class just lower than the the soldiers. There, they had the scribes. They did a lot. They kept track of everything. They kept the written records. They also wrote poetry and stories. Then they had the artisans and merchants. The artisans pictured what the after-life was like. (that must have been a weird job, picturing yourself after you die?) Anyway, with the merchants, they had to work with the trade system. Before they invented coins, they traded something like grain for another thing like sandals. Then they had the farmers. Personally, i think the framers should be a little higher on the pyramid. I mean honestly, they are the ones keeping everyone alive with all their food and grain. Just my opinion. Then at the bottom of the slaves and servants. These people worked for the wealthy and did the things no one else wanted to do. 

I think that back then, the Egyptians had pretty much everything under control. Way more under control than we do now. Again, this is just my opinion. But they had a process of how to do everything the right way. 

The Importance of the Nile River

 The Nile River was very important to the Egyptian people for many reasons. The Egyptians needed it to survive. Their life revolved around it. One reason they needed it was for transportation. The river flows south to north. Somehow, they had to get their stuff on the opposite side of the river. so they invented a boat. But eventually they realized they couldn't get back to where they came from because the water was pushing them the wrong way. So they invented the sail. They tied that to their boat and made their way back home.

Another way they used the Nile River was for farming. Every July the river would flood and every October, it would leave behind rich soil which was really really good for farming. This made a great deal of help with farming.

And a third reason they used they Nile River was for bathing and drinking. I'm pretty sure they didn't have faucets like we do. And i don't think they had wells either. So the Nile was their only source of water. I think that it's nasty, drinking the same water you bathe in.