Lecture 3: Egypt and the Gift of the Nile
structure with the pharaoh as not only an absolute ruler, but also
as a semidivine being descended from the gods. This is the fi rst
culture in which there is a distinct elite cuisine as well as an explicit
nutritional theory. Egypt had extensive trade networks, but none of the things they
imported were necessities. Egypt was pretty much self-suffi cient;
they only imported luxury items, primarily for the wealthy
to consume. Most Egyptologists agree that all Egyptians were relatively well
fed. The only direct evidence of malnutrition comes from frequent
reference to intestinal worms and schistosomiasis, which prevents
absorption of nutrients. There is even forensic evidence among
mummies that many people overate, and there is some evidence
of alcoholism. Egyptians loved animals. They kept them as pets, mummifi ed them,
worshipped them as gods, used them as symbols in their writing
system, and loved to eat them. Animals were often sacrifi ced to the
gods as well, which is a little confusing because it seems that if an
animal was sacred to a god, sometimes it had to be protected, and
other times, it had to be sacrifi ced to that god. The Egyptians didn’t have any rigid food prohibitions set down in a
law like the Hebrews or Hindus, but for many kinds of people, such
as priests or members of a specifi c cult to a particular deity, certain
foods might be prohibited. However, these were rarely universal or
unchanging over time.The Egyptian Diet
Every visitor in classical times remarked how fertile Egypt was
and how much grain they had. The state stored massive amounts
of grain to prevent famine in lean years, as in the story of Joseph.
They often imported grain from Syria or demanded it in tribute
from subject states. The state usually distributed this grain as a
kind of welfare system administered by the priests, who perhaps