42 Chapter 2
Work and Play in
Ancient Egypt
For ancient Egyptians, life often involved hard work. When
the weather was good, most worked in the fields, producing
food for their families and for export. During flood season,
thousands of these farmers were called upon to help build
the pharaohs’ temples.
But life was not all about work. Archaeological digs
offer evidence that both upper-class Egyptians and the
common people found ways to enjoy themselves.
▼Games
Games were popular with all classes of Egyptian society. The
board shown below is for the game senet—also depicted in
the painting. Players threw sticks or knuckle bones to move
their pieces through squares of good or bad fortune. A player
won by moving all his or her pieces off the board.▲Farmers
This detail from a tomb
painting shows Egyptian
farmers at work. Egyptians
grew enough wheat and
barley to have food reserves
for themselves and for export
to other civilizations. They
also grew fruit and vegetables
in irrigated fields.RESEARCH LINKSFor more on life in
ancient Egypt, go to classzone.com