Table of Contents
Illustrations ix
Timeline xi
Introduction xiii
Things You Should Know 1
The Nile 1
Boundaries 1
Nomes 3
Nile Inundation 4
Time-keeping 5
Hierarchy 6
Nomenclature 7
The History of Egypt 10
Unification of Egypt 10
Pyramids 13
Hyksos 16
Change in Military Practice 18
Hatshepsut 19
Introduction to Your New Home 22
Food and Diet 29
Bread 30
Beer 31
Vegetables 32
Flavouring 33
Meat and Fowl 34
Game 36
Cooking Oils, Milk and Cheese 37
Desserts 38
Wine 39
Getting a Job 41
Low-Skilled Roles 41
Soldier 43
Scribe 45
Priesthood 48
Jobs for Women 51
Midwife 52
Wet Nurse 53
Mourner 54
Wages 55
Beliefs and Rituals 57
Temples 58
State gods 60
Worship in the Home 61
Ptah 61
Hathor 61
Bes 64
Taweret 65
Ancestor Cult 66
Oracles in Processions 69
Pilgrimages 70
Dealing with Death 70
Staying Healthy 75
Bathing 75
Visiting the Physician 78
Village Physicians 80
Examination Procedure 80
Bites and Stings 81
Common Ailments 81
Open Wounds 83
Application 83
Breathing Difficulties 84
Eye Diseases 85
Broken Bones 86
Toothache 87
The Village Wise-Woman 89
Conceiving a Child 90
Adoption 91
Contraceptive 92
Pregnancy Tests 93
Removing a Pregnancy 93
Identification of the Sex of the Baby 94
Keeping Safe During Pregnancy 94
Confinement 98
Depression 99
Stepping Out in Style 101
Hair Removal 101
Wigs 102
Cosmetics 105
What to Wear 107
Accessories to Tunics 108
Headdresses 110
Jewellery 110
Shoes 112
Passing the Time in the Capital 115
For the Children 115
Group Games 117
Adult Entertainment 118
Athletics 118
Swimming 119
Messing Around in Boats 120
Public Displays and Competitions 121
Hunting and Fishing 125
Board Games 127
Senet 128
Twenty-Squares 130
Dogs and Jackals 130
Evening Entertainment 131
Obeying the Laws of Maat 135
The Kenbet 136
State Crimes 138
Sexual Crimes 138
Hard Labour 139
Home and Away 140
The Oracle 140
Death Penalty 141
Shopping 144
Glossary 147
Endnotes 149
Bibliography 151
Index 155
