Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt (J.M White)
How did the Egyptians live? What were their practices and beliefs? These are some of the questions that many people have sought to ask and find interesting when studying ancient life in Egypt. J.M White offers a detailed explanation of accounting the lives of Egyptians through time. He explores their lives across dynasties in an intuitive and captivating manner. In his book, he demystifies the Egyptian lives from the end of the third millennium all through Greek occupation around 330 BC.
The roles and functions of each individual in society are well elucidated as he refers to the Pharaoh, his noble advisors, scribes, and artists, among other Egyptian civilization leaders. Additionally, the book illustrates how people spent their time not working, constructing their houses, and various forms of transportation in Egypt. It is also notable from the book on the great value for religion embraced by the Egyptians and how they built their pyramids, temples, and tombs. Therefore, this paper aims to explain in-depth analyses on how J.M White fulfills the activities mentioned above in the book; J.M offers a clear understanding while looking into each situation and every circumstance in Egyptian lives that satisfied their existence.
From his book, it is evident that the Egyptians spent their leisure time enjoying themselves and singing hymns, especially in praise of the River Nile or basking along the river’s shores (White 16). Since most ancient Egyptians dwelt along the river, they spent most of their free time there. Moreover, children were taught to swim as it was among the popular sports, thus promoting water games. Additionally, the people meditated a lot in their free time due to the land’s calmness and serenity (White 18). The people were not aggressive but contented with a sense of delight and had a rational perspective towards life. Through meditation, they became wiser than people from surrounding nations.
Furthermore, J.M white explains how, despite the calmness and passivity that existed at the time, there were still upheavals that paved the way in Egypt, slightly disrupting their way of life. There were various strife and epochs that disrupted their way of life. Due to the invasions, there were distinct Egyptian divisions among the kingdoms, both new and old (White 23). Therefore, from the civil war that ensued in Egypt, societies ended up being exposed. However, their basic life pattern was not destroyed, and they were able to go back to their original peaceful way of life.
Moreover, the pyramids such as Giza were something to marvel upon by travelers. Who does not like seeing insanely tall triangular structures? These pyramids signified a sense of continuity in Egypt. They embraced their past lives through their ancestors and therefore protected the pyramids from any destruction as they somehow worshipped them (White 23). Besides, the dynastic rule of Pharaoh emulated what their ancestors had done; hence, they ended up copying the art and architecture of pyramid builders.
Lastly, the concept of the beliefs and religion in ancient Egypt is well illustrated. They believed in the aspect of the Golden Age (White 24). They lived knowing and believing of a happier future for the next generation to come, or in a blissful eternity, which is a paradise in the Christian sphere of interpretation. However, their Golden Age was not based on a Christian mindset but anchored in their past where they believed gods themselves had guided them and protected them. Therefore, they lived knowing that their balanced, tranquil social system was a gift from higher powers, and men had not to let go of the beliefs.
Works Cited
White, Jon Manchip. Everyday life in ancient Egypt. Courier Corporation, 2002.