Daily Life of a Farmer in Ancient Egypt

Farmers lived in houses made of mud bricks. Windows were built high up to give privacy and to help heat escape. Floors were made out of packed dirt. Farmers cooked food in small ovens fueled by burning dried cattle dung. Men and boys worked in the fields irrigating crops with a shaduf, which brought water from a river into a canal. The women baked breads, brewed beer, spinned thread and weaved it into various items.

During the flood months of June to September, the farmers were often called for service to the government. Working for the government was known as corvee duty. Wealthier farmers and those holding official posts could buy their way out of the service. Those who did serve the duty worked on large projects such as a temple or a pyramid.

farming egypt