Everyday Life in Egypt in the Days of Ramesses the Great

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A classic study of daily life in ancient Egypt, Everyday Life in Egypt in the Days of Ramesses the Great is the masterwork of the dean of modern Egyptologists, Pierre Montet. Renowned for its accuracy, scope, and Montet’s work conveys in a warmly—sympathetic—though not kamen aleetmenes the richness and—complexity of ancient Egyptian life. The book focuses on the era of the great builders at Karnak and Luxor, the Ramesside kings (ca. 1314-1090 B.C.), and surveys both upper and lower Egypt to give a comprehensive picture o pharaonic society. Montet combines studies of monuments and tombs with data from pictorial and literary sources, including papyrus documents, to depict the experiences of royalty, priests, urban artisans and professionals, peasants and slaves. Here, too, are colorful descriptions of dwelling places, seasonal activities, holiday observances, family life, travel, justice, warfare, and the rites of burial—all enhanced by Montet’s appreciation for the ancient Egyptian way of life. Specialist, student, and general reader alike will find this enduring work an invaluable and engaging reference. Pierre Montet (1885-1966) was an archenlonin and professor of Egyptology at the University of Strasbourg. La Vie quotidienne en Egypte au temps des Ramses was first published in France in 1946. David B. O’Connor is associate curator of the Egyptian section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum and associate professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. INTRODUCTION TO THE PENNSYLVANIA EDITION, xvii INTRODUCTION, 1 Chapter I. DWELLING PLACES, 9 1. The Towns, 9. 2. The Palaces, 18. 3. The Houses, 21. 4. Furniture, 26. Chapter II. TIME, 31 1. The Seasons of the Year, 31. 2. Festivals and Holidays, 34. 3. Auspicious and Inauspicious Days, 36. 4. The Hours, 38. 5. Night, 41. Chapter III. THE FAMILY, 45 1. Marriage, 45. 2. The Wife, 50. 3. Children, 55. 4. Servants and Slaves, 61. 5. Domestic Pets, 64. Chapter IV. LIFE AT HOME, 69 1. Toilet, 69. 2. Dress, 72. 3. Food, 74. 4. Cooking, 82. 5. Baking, 85. 6. Drink, 87. 7. Meals, 89. 8. Dusk, go. 9. Banquets, 91. 10. Games, 99. Chapter V. COUNTRY LIFE, 1O3 1. The Peasants, 103. 2. Watering the Garden, 104. 3. The Vintage, 105. 4. Ploughing and Sowing, 108. 5. Harvest, 113. 6. Flax, 120. 7. Harvest Pests, 120. 8. Cattle Breeding, 122. 9. The Marsh Dwellers, 125. 10. Hunting in the Desert, 130. Chapter VI. THE ARTS AND THE PROFESSIONS, 133 1. Quarrymen, 133. 2. Miners, 139. 3. In the Workshops, 143. 4. Sculptors, 144. 3. Goldsmiths, Jewellers, and Lapidaries, 147. 6. Wood Work, 150. 7. Leather Work, 154. 8. Artists and Craftsmen, 155. 9. Masons and Minor Craftsmen, 161. 10. Patrons and Workers, 163. 11. Business and Finance, 165. Chapter VII. TRAVEL, 169 1. Travelling inside Egypt, 169. 2. Travelling in the Desert, 175. 3. Travelling to Byblos, 178. 4. Voyages in the Red Sea, 183. Chapter VIII. THE PHARAOH, 192 1. The Monarch’s Essential Duties, 192. 2. The King’s Toilet, 197. 3. The King at Work, 199. 4. The Royal Pardon, 202. 5. Royal Rewards, 203. 6. Reception of Foreign Ambassadors, 208. 7. Royal Pleasures: Sport, 209. 8. Royal Hunts, 212. 9. The King’s Private Life, 214. 10. Intrigues in the Harem, 216. 11. Meditations of a King, 218. Chapter IX. THE ARMY AND WARFARE, 222 1. Pros and Cons of the Military Career, 222. 2. Service Inside Egypt, 227. 3. The Army in Wartime, 229. 4. The Collection and Distribution of Weapons, 230. 5. The Order of March, 235. 6. The Battle, 236. 7. Siege Warfare, 246. 8. Warfare in Nubia, 248. 9. The Triumphal Return, 249. CHAPTER X. SCRIBES AND JUDGES, 252 1. Administration, 252. 2. Recruitment and Training of Officials, 253. 3. Magistratese—Good and Bad, 257. 4. The Maintenance of Public Order, 259. 5. The Law Courts, 267. 6. The Reception of Foreign Tributaries, 269. Chapter XI. IN THE TEMPLES, 274 1. Piety, 274. 2. The Priesthood, 278. 3. The Cult, 280. 4. The God’s Public Appearances, 286. 5. The Public Appearance of Min, 286. 6. The ‘Beautiful Festival of Opet’, 287. 7. The Festival of the Valley, 294. 8. The Mysteries, 294. 9. The House of Life, 297. CHAPTER XII. THE RITES OF BURIAL, 300 1. Old Age, 300. 2. The Weighing of Actions, 302. 3. The Preparation of the Tomb, 308. 4. The Priest of the Double and his Duties, 313. 5. Mummification, 316. 6. The Funeral. The Composition of the Cortège, 318. 7. The Crossing of the Nile, 319. 8. The Ascent to the Tomb, 321. 9. Farewell to the Mummy, 322. Io. The Funeral Feast, 324. 11. The Relationship of the Living and the Dead, 326. GLOSSARY, 331 ABBREVIATIONS, 353 NOTES, 336 SHORT LIST OF GENERAL WORKS, 361 INDEX , 363