Kings and officials left the most monuments, but they were a tiny part of the population. Most Egyptians were farmers who left no written words of their own. To see Egyptian society whole, we have to look at all its layers.
Key idea
| Group | Life and work |
|---|---|
| Farmers | the great majority: they worked land owned by the state, temples or estates, paid part of the harvest as tax, and could be called up for labor |
| Craftsmen | carpenters, potters, stone carvers, painters, metalworkers, often working for temples and the state |
| Scribes and officials | the small literate class who ran the government, temples and estates |
| Priests | many served part-time in shifts, returning to ordinary life between turns |
| Soldiers | from the New Kingdom a professional army, rewarded with land |
| Servants and slaves | household servants; captives taken in war and given to temples, estates and officials |
Why it works
Slavery in Egypt
Egypt did have slaves, and their number grew in the New Kingdom, when campaigns brought back captives who were given to temples and officials. Some people were sold into servitude, and slaves could be bought and sold, though they could also own property and be freed. The great building projects of the Old Kingdom, however, were done by organized Egyptian crews, paid in rations and partly called up for a season.
Worked example: Who built the pyramids?
- The workers' town had bakeries and breweries, and the workers' tombs had grave goods and inscriptions.
- Skeletons show healed injuries, a sign of care.
- So the workforce was organized and fed Egyptian labor, not a mass of slaves.
Answer: Egyptian crews, organized by the state.
Common mistake