Exploring The Everyday Existence Of Ancient Egyptians
Considering how many outlandish theories people have crafted about the period, there's so much about ancient Egypt that is clearly shrouded in mystery for the public. Considering the height of the ancient empire's towering structures, the folklore about mummy's curses, and the devastation that visits the nation in the Bible, there's so much about this period that seems compelling and eerie all at once.
At the same time, life in ancient Egypt could do with a little demystification. After all, what was a great and almost magical empire to us was just home for the millions who were living there.
Jobs were usually passed down through families
Although some professions were more populated than others in ancient Egypt, the BBC reported that citizens could generally expect to become tradespeople, bakers, scribes, priests, doctors, farmers, or merchants. However, it usually didn't take long before most people found out what they would be because it was rarely their choice.
Nowadays, it's not unusual for someone who owns a family business to expect their children to take it over. However, that was essentially how every job worked back in ancient Egypt. A person born to a farmer could generally expect to fill the same role when they grew up, and this was as true for the children of scribes and doctors.
Shaving one's head was a sensible move in ancient Egypt
According to a 2019 article in the International Journal of Trichology, wigs were a sign of high status in Egyptian society. This wasn't only because they were extravagant and hard to make but because they protected the nobles' shaved heads from the Sun.
Although the study also identified shaved heads as a sign of nobility, that was far from the only reason why men and women alike would shave their heads in ancient Egypt. As it turned out, lice was a serious problem in that civilization, and body shaving was the most effective way to prevent it. Wigs would then doubly differentiate elites from common Egyptians.
Pharaohs were heads of state and high priests all at once
From the far future, it's easy to assume that people were either motivated by the cost of disobeying pharaohs or the financial opportunities that came from breaking their backs to build gargantuan monuments to their reigns. However, it's worth remembering that a pharaoh's subjects put as much spiritual investment in them as they did respect for their authority.
Although it's true that pharaohs made laws, decided when to wage wars, and collected taxes while ultimately owning all of Egypt's land, they were also considered divine conduits of the gods. This meant they were also religious leaders who were responsible for settling metaphysical matters as much as governmental ones.
The ancient Egyptians invented their own deodorant
According to Mental Floss, ancient Egyptians developed a perfume bath but knew to pay special attention to the odors emanating from their underarms. This perfume was likely made from flowers, herbs, roots, and oil and they would directly apply it to their armpits.
However, that wasn't the only concoction they developed to do the same job. While it's unclear which method was the most effective, some also used carob, incense and porridge as deodorant. Although these techniques weren't the only ways they added pleasant smells to their bodies, they are the closest to modern deodorant.
Children legally had a say in their parent's divorces
According to the University of Chicago's Fathom Archive, divorce and remarriage were not only common in ancient Egypt but something the state had little interest in except in terms of economic responsibilities. Specifically, a man had to pay a fine and return his wife's dowry if he initiated the divorce. He also had to continue supporting her economically if this wasn't possible.
Another significant factor here is the fact that children were dependent on their parents well into adulthood. This meant their father had to secure their permission before going through with a divorce, as their inheritance was affected. However, denying that permission and blocking a remarriage ran the risk of complete disinheritance, so most children agreed.
Slavery sometimes happened voluntarily in Egypt
According to The Palgrave Handbook Of Global Slavery Throughout History, every era of ancient Egypt saw enslaved people captured as prisoners of war. However, there were also some who either entered enslavement to pay off a debt or voluntarily sold themselves into slavery in exchange for protection from their hardships in life.
The handbook also noted that slavery was small-scale in Egypt and typically involved domestic labor. Nonetheless, the BBC explained that some enslaved people also worked in skilled trades and were even able to own property. They were often paid in food rather than the wages that would normally be received.
Toilets were a symbol of wealth
According to the BBC, toilets started to become a feature of Egyptian life around 3100 BCE. However, that doesn't mean they were anywhere near as ubiquitous as they are today. Indeed, having an indoor toilet was a marker of serious wealth in ancient Egypt.
The building material of choice for the more high-class latrines — such as the one this seat once belonged to — was usually limestone. Everyone else usually made do with a wooden stool that had a hole cut into it. In either case, the waste fell through the hole into a pit of sand.
The pyramids were built by salaried workers
Although it's true that pyramids were built as monuments to the reigns of various pharaohs, the BBC noted that the historian Herodotus's claim that they were built through slave labor wasn't correct. Instead, these massive projects were lucrative opportunities for about 25,000 skilled laborers.
Since each pyramid took 20 years or more to build, the workers involved could spend at least half of their careers on one. For instance, the Great Pyramid of Giza required about 4,000 salaried quarry workers, haulers, and masons, as well as about 16,000 to 20,000 contractors who built ramps, mixed mortar, made tools, and provided food, clothing, and fuel.
Men and women alike wore eyeliner
According to Discover Magazine, people at all levels of ancient Egyptian society wore eyeliner every day. The main difference was that the rich wore eyeliner made of glossy kohl, while the poorer citizens cut that kohl with fire soot. Although they felt it looked stylish, wearing eyeliner was also considered a sign of veneration to the gods.
However, there were also multiple practical purposes for doing this that had nothing to do with religion. This eyeliner helped to alleviate the Sun's harsh glare, repelled flies from the eyes, kept dust and dirt away from them, and helped cool the face in Egypt's frequently hot weather.
Mummification was religiously important but expensive
Although mummies are usually associated with the tombs of Egypt's ancient rulers, the Smithsonian Institute explained that if it were possible, all of Egypt's citizens at the time would have been mummified. It was spiritually important to ancient Egyptians that the bodies of the deceased look as close to how they looked in life as possible.
While it's true that pharaohs and Egypt's nobility make up the majority of mummies that archaeologists have since uncovered, this importance explains why more common citizens were occasionally mummified. This preponderance of wealthy mummies was simply the result of the process being more expensive than most people could afford.
Most children didn't go to school but they learned trades
Although some important jobs in ancient Egypt required more education than others, it's worth noting that this society didn't have a standardized education system. This meant that there was essentially no school for most children to attend.
However, that doesn't mean they sat around all day. Instead of going to school, children would often take on apprenticeships to learn skilled trades. This meant that it wasn't unusual for children to have jobs long before they came of age. If they didn't, that was likely because they were still honing the necessary skills.
Ancient Egyptians found ways to cook and refrigerate food
Since the ancient Egyptians couldn't harness electricity or natural gas, there was obviously no way for them to cook or refrigerate food quite in the same way that people do today. However, even their mud-brick houses still featured living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens like they would now.
According to the BBC, the only difference is living comfortably took a lot more planning and ingenuity in ancient Egypt. Large seats and amenities like ovens tended to be built into the house around the time of its construction. Food was cooked in stone ovens that used open flames as heating elements, and rather than refrigerators, Egyptians would use underground pits to keep their food and beverages cool.
Dental care was important even in the afterlife
According to 2017 research from the Egyptian Ministry Of Tourism and Antiquities, the ancient Egyptians were surprisingly diligent about dental hygiene. Not only did they develop their own toothpicks and toothpaste, but they created the first breath mints. However, these were actually made from myrrh, frankincense, honey, and cinnamon.
As noted, the Egyptians of the time were also concerned with ensuring a body stayed as healthy in death as it was in life. In this case, it meant that it wasn't unusual to bury mummies with toothpicks, which implied that the deceased would still need to clean their teeth in the afterlife.
Women weren't confined to the home like in other societies
Although many ancient societies treated women as second-class citizens, this wasn't as true in ancient Egypt. Conventions in Egypt that were ahead of other parts of the world by hundreds if not thousands of years allowed women to own property, work in skilled trades, and manage farms alongside their husbands.
This wasn't a social norm that begrudgingly took hold after a major cataclysm, either. Regardless of why they took place, marriages were considered important bonds between relative equals, and the titles of "wife" and "mother" carried a level of respect that was often absent in other cultures at the time and afterward.
Ancient Egyptian doctors figured out laxatives
According to Wired, ancient Egyptian doctors found surprisingly sophisticated ways to treat illnesses, as the hyoscyamus they used to treat colic remained in use well into the 21st Century. For another example, pomegranate was used to treat tapeworms well into the 20th Century and that treatment has ancient origins as well.
However, it may be most surprising to learn that ancient Egyptian doctors could even prescribe laxatives. Not only that, but they determined multiple treatment options for digestive problems. If colocynth or castor oil didn't work, they would suggest a bulk order of either bran or figs, which are still used as home remedies for digestive issues today.
The ancient Egyptians contracted heart disease as well
As The Guardian explained, researchers discovered that King Merneptah of Egypt had clogged arteries, which surprised them because they assumed that obesity, unhealthy eating, smoking, and a lack of exercise would not be prevalent problems in ancient Egypt. Although pharaohs were known to have unhealthy diets, researchers also discovered those weren't the only ways to get heart disease back then.
For one thing, smoke from the fires they used each day to cook and heat their homes could have caused the kind of inflammation that triggers heart disease. A much more likely source, however, was the prevalence of other diseases that aren't the source of widespread infections nowadays, such as malaria, tuberculosis, and worm-like parasites.
The Nile was considered purifying
According to The University Of Chicago's Institute For The Study Of Ancient Cultures, the ancient Egyptians were as serious about bathing as they were about most other aspects of personal hygiene. Since this was especially true of the civilization's priestly class, it's clear that cleanliness of the body was also spiritually important.
However, private baths in Egypt were a lot like private toilets in that they were out of reach for anyone besides the rich. For that reason, it wasn't unusual for most poor citizens in ancient Egypt to rely on the nation's famous Nile river for bathing. Indeed, the pharaoh Piye used to order his troops to "purify" themselves in the river.
The Nile was also responsible for much of the food stock
It's hard to overestimate the vital importance of the Nile to ancient Egyptian civilization. Not only was it a source of water and cleanliness for ancient populations, but even the fact that it frequently flooded was a part of why it was so heavily relied on.
According to the BBC, that's because those annual floods made the land close to the Nile's banks incredibly fertile. This meant that the Nile also fed ancient Egypt by providing ideal conditions for them to grow a wide variety of crops. Considering that a person's social class had a nearly determinative effect on what they ate, it's unlikely that many would have prevented starvation without the Nile.
Ancient Egyptians didn't have food we take for granted now
According to the BBC, a person who traveled back in time and visited ancient Egypt would quickly discover that there weren't any tomatoes, potatoes, or bananas around. Even if they could communicate with locals about them, they'd only be met with confusion.
That's because none of those foods had been discovered by the time of the ancient Egyptian empire. Instead, richer members of society — like the priest class — were known to eat meat, eggs, figs, and grapes. Meanwhile, bread, beer, and onions were the most likely foods for poorer citizens to get their hands on. That said, all classes were fans of garlic.
Ancient Egyptian police trained dogs and monkeys
Those who commit certain crimes nowadays may find that a police dog will be involved in their arrest, and that was just as true in ancient Egypt. The only difference is that back then, criminals would have been just as likely to encounter a police monkey as a police dog.
However, they may not have even noticed the monkeys if they did their jobs right. According to The History Channel, Egyptian guards once trained dogs and monkeys to accompany them on patrol. Yet, while the dogs would assist with arrests, the monkeys would have surreptitiously stolen ill-gotten goods back from thieves.
Baboons were considered sacred, venerated animals
According to Scientific American, the ancient Egyptians venerated many animals. Jackals would have been considered embodiments of Anubis, while falcons had similar associations with Horus and hippos were linked to Taweret. However, all of these animals were native to Egypt. This wasn't true of the baboon, but the animal nonetheless received similar treatment.
Specifically, hamadryas baboons were associated with Thoth, the god of the Moon and the advisor to the Sun god Ra. According to Egyptologist Elizabeth Thomas, this was because the baboons are notably diligent about warming themselves with the morning Sun, which ancient Egyptians interpreted as welcoming Ra each day.
Ancient Egyptian workers were known to go on strike
Considering that pharaohs were all but considered living gods, one likely wouldn't expect most workers to dare disobey their commands. Yet, while Ramses III likely had the same expectation in the 12th Century BCE, he was proven wrong by what may be considered the first labor strike in history.
According to The History Channel, those who built the Deir el-Medina necropolis expected to receive a shipment of grain as payment. When they didn't, they organized a sit-in and refused to move once they occupied nearby mortuary temples. Although it's unclear how long this strike lasted, it was successful, and the workers received their grain.
Doing the laundry was a much more complicated ordeal
As Damien Agut-Labordère wrote in Textiles And Gender In Antiquity, washing clothes in ancient Egypt involved wringing and beating them by hand while soaking them in a water source. Despite the fact that others cleaned their bodies, sourced water, and relieved themselves in the Nile, that was the most common place where laundry was done.
Although this was a much more time-consuming and cumbersome process than it is now, the ancient Egyptians still had the help of a detergent. This was made from a combination of castor oil and a mineral called natron. This mineral was the closest thing the ancient Egyptians had to baking soda.
Ancient Egyptian society took menstruation seriously
Sadly, it's not unusual for modern girls and women to encounter teachers and other authority figures who think they can simply "hold in" their periods until more convenient times. However, the prevailing attitude in ancient Egyptian society can be characterized at the opposite extreme, as periods were seen as connected to the goddess Isis.
According to The Washington Post, this not only meant that women were allowed to rest during their periods but that men were permitted to take time off from work to care for their menstruating wives and daughters. This was seen as a loving and respectful duty.
The ancient Egyptians loved board games
Although there were understandably fewer ways for people to entertain themselves in ancient Egypt than there are now, it's also true that the ancient Egyptians were resourceful, inventive people. As such, they didn't seem to have much trouble inventing board games to pass the time.
According to The History Channel, some examples included Mehen and Dogs and Jackals, but the most popular game that even pharaohs enjoyed was called Senet. As the board here shows, this game from 3500 BCE involved a set of pieces that were moved along the 30-square longboard according to rolls from dice or throwing sticks. Unfortunately, Senet's rules are somewhat lost in history.
Ancient Egyptians had manicures, but they were exclusive
As The Guardian reported, Egyptian queens like Nefertiti and Cleopatra were known to sport red manicures. Indeed, there were also mummies who were discovered wearing gilded nails with stylish henna tips. However, these elites were the only ones one could expect to wear such ornate designs.
That wasn't just because only the rich could afford to see manicurists, who would trim their fingernails and toenails with small knives and files. Although that was true, those who ranked lower than the ruling class were also disallowed from wearing anything but pale shades. Manicurists were prominent and respected enough to have their professions inscribed on their tombs.
Flies were persistent enough pests to be respected
According to The Star, Pharaoh Pepi II was so irritated by flies that he demanded his servants slather themselves in honey to keep the bugs away from him. However, it seemed this solution didn't entirely work, as flies would continue to be such a persistent pest that even Egypt's rulers respected them.
After all, that's likely why Queen Ahhotep was discovered with golden necklaces made in the shapes of flies in her coffin. Moreover, similar golden flies were often gifted to soldiers who showed true dedication on the battlefield. This respect for flies may be the first case of a society agreeing that if you can't beat them, you should join them.
Life as a soldier was good until a war actually broke out
According to PBS, the more that the Egyptian empire grew, the more respected and rewarding a military career was. As Egypt conquered other lands, more soldiers were needed, which meant that soldiers tended to enjoy good food and wine at camps. It also meant that professional soldiers were paid in gold and given land.
However, their conditions became much more minimalist when they were actually sent to war, as they ate only what they could carry as they marched for days to meet the enemy. Worse yet, pharaohs would conscript one in ten men from each temple community. These men were equipped with just tunics, sandals, and spears when they went into battles they didn't want to fight.
It wasn't unusual to bury mummified pets with their owners
Although it was rare for anyone outside of ancient Egyptian nobility to be mummified, those who had this privilege were rarely expected to face the afterlife alone. Indeed, it wasn't unusual for a person's mummified remains to be accompanied by animal mummies.
Although The History Channel has since reported that not every animal sarcophagus actually contained many animal remains, the materials inside were often offerings to the gods or food provisions for the deceased's journey to the afterlife. However, it's also true that some people would be mummified alongside their pets or other important animals in their lives. After all, the long journey across the veil can get lonely.
The Egyptians built towers to get away from mosquitoes
As Tom Holland wrote in Herodotus: The Histories, mosquitoes were a frequent and sometimes overwhelming nuisance that citizens had to deal with in ancient Egypt. However, those who lived below the nation's marshlands devised unusual shelters from their menace.
While those who lived elsewhere had to make do with mosquito nets (which were normally fishing nets), the people in these areas built towers intended purely to protect them from the mosquitoes while they slept at night. Apparently, mosquitoes couldn't just fly up to bother the people sleeping in them because the high winds in this area kept them close to the ground.
Fewer Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphs than it seemed
Although the unique system of hieroglyphs that archaeologists have uncovered from Egyptian ruins revealed that it was the primary writing system of the era, that statement can be a little misleading. After all, those who struggle to understand them would find similar confusion among the average Egyptian living in ancient times.
According to Scientific American, particularly educated villages like Deir el-Medina were outliers in a general trend of illiteracy that characterized most of the population at the time. Even at the height of the Egyptian Empire, the total literacy rate among its population hovered between 1% and 2%.
Most men were clean-shaven but pharaohs had fake beards
According to PBS, the ancient Egyptians differed from many other ancient civilizations in that they didn't value facial hair. Either because of the heat of the region or for cultural reasons, most men in ancient Egypt preferred to go around clean-shaven.
Despite what some decorative tombs and depictions might suggest, this was as true for pharaohs as it was for anyone else. However, it wasn't unusual for pharaohs like Hatshepsut to don fake beards made out of metal anyway. Although Hatshepsut's decision to do this was likely influenced by the fact that she was a rare female pharaoh, others considered the beards symbolic of their connections to the gods.
Ancient Egyptians would feed images of the Gods
According to University College London, every day would see a designated person in every temple in Egypt make food, water, clothing, and medicinal offerings to the gods through stone images of them. These weren't seen as idols, but rather portals between the physical world and the divine world that these offerings could pass through.
Before an image of a god could have bloody meat slathered over its face, it would first need to be consecrated with a ritual called the "opening of the mouth and eyes." This would see a designated person touch the image's mouth and eyes with small ritual tools, which supposedly prepared these images to transmit the offerings to the gods.
There weren't just Egyptians in ancient Egypt
When people look at ancient civilizations, they tend to picture them as homogenous societies. Yet, while it was certainly harder to travel long distances back then than it is now, trade and immigration nonetheless went on in even the most ancient times. Even before Alexander The Great's conquest, this was true in Egypt.
According to CNN, archaeologists uncovered artifacts from the now-submerged port city of Thonis-Heracleion from the Fourth Century BCE. There, they found substantial evidence of the presence of Greek merchants and mercenaries living at the entrance to the Egyptian Empire. Before earthquakes sent it underwater, Thonis-Heracleion was a bustling city.
The ancient Egyptians burned more incense than anyone
Although the ancient Egyptians valued pleasant smells (especially when it came to their bodies), that wasn't the only reason why they burnt so much incense. According to the British Society of Perfumers, the most highly valued type of incense was called Kyphi. Although it was used extensively in daily life, it was even more important in temples.
Kyphi recipes varied from temple to temple but they always had 16 ingredients that usually consisted of raisins, myrrh, burnt resin, beewort, aspalathos, honey, cypress grass, and wine. Kyphi was burned daily in temples because people believed that it helped Ra return as a sunrise each morning.
People used to be paid in garlic
Although it's been established that ancient Egyptians at all levels of society loved garlic, that doesn't quite express how intensely prized it was in their civilization. According to the British Society of Perfumers, it was considered the best of a selection of herbs believed to have therapeutic properties.
Since it was so highly prized, garlic was supposed to be included in the wages of workers, along with certain unguents. While withheld grain was the reason for a major labor strike in ancient Egypt, workers would also strike if they did not receive either their garlic or their unguent.
Ancient Egyptian surgeons were surprisingly advanced
According to Atlas Obscura, the Edwin Smith Papyrus (named for the Egyptologist who owned it), is a 3,600-year-old medical text that is considered one of the oldest surgery records in the world. The cases discussed in the document date back as far as 5,000 years, but modern doctors have noted the surprising sophistication of the techniques therein.
As a plastic surgeon named Stanley Jacobs told Atlas Obscura, these cases involved "really good reconstruction after traumatic injury, of the nose, the neck, the spinal cord." While the techniques involved may not necessarily be used now, they were much better than he expected from people living thousands of years ago.
The Egyptians had potentially lethal anti-aging cream
As Atlas Obscura explained, a recipe at the back of the Edwin Smith Papyrus had a title that could be translated as "Transforming an Old Man Into a Youth." As plastic surgeon Stanley Jacobs discovered, this recipe described a face cream that was used to eliminate wrinkles. However, it took him a long time to find out what the active ingredient of "hemayet fruit" was.
What he did know, however, was that this ingredient was bitter enough that the author advised that the hemayet fruit should be boiled, dried, and washed in the Nile until the water it was washed in had no bitterness. As it turns out, hemayet fruit referred to bitter almonds, which contain the highly poisonous hydrogen cyanide. This means the washing removed the poison.
The ancient Egyptians had their own version of scrap paper
According to Scientific American, archaeologists working around Deir el-Medina discovered tens of thousands of written documents dating back as far as 1275 BCE. As some may expect, some of these documents were written on papyrus. However, they were in the minority, as most were written on either shards of pottery or smooth flakes of white limestone.
The difference between these materials has to do with the author's intent. That's because the documents written on papyrus were meant to be seen by other people, while the notes written on the limestone and the pottery were scribbled on the ancient Egyptian equivalent of scrap paper.
Pharaohs lived much unhealthier lifestyles than it seemed
According to The History Channel, the impressive statues depicting pharaohs as imposing, muscular figures didn't match the reality that anyone who actually saw them witnessed. Archaeologists who uncovered their mummified bodies found that they were actually quite obese and showed evidence of experiencing diabetes.
Although wealthy Egyptians tended to have more food options than the average citizen, this apparently didn't stop pharaohs from indulging in a common diet. That's because their meals typically consisted of bread, beer, wine, and honey. Since this was a high-sugar diet, it was the most likely source of their consistent health problems.
The ancient Egyptians revolutionized keeping pets
Although it's true that people were often buried with their pets, that doesn't quite express just how widespread pet ownership was in ancient Egypt. Indeed, it's likely that far more people kept pets than could afford mummification. According to The History Channel, this is because they believed animals were incarnations of the gods.
As some may be aware, cats were likely the most popular pet in ancient Egypt due to their association with the goddess Bastet. However, a similar reverence was bestowed upon ibis birds, hawks, lions, baboons, and dogs. Although these were far from the only animals they respected, the rest were a little too dangerous to keep as pets.
Egyptians had love-hate relationships with hippos
Although The Metropolitan Museum Of Art confirmed that the ancient Egyptians respected the hippopotamus an incarnation of the goddess Taweret, that doesn't mean they actually liked living around this animal. That's because hippos weren't any less unpredictable and aggressive at the time than they are now.
The fact that there was a medical recipe for treating hippopotamus bites showed that their bites could be survived, but there are records of the beasts attacking ancient Egyptians. However, the hippos may have been even more destructive to their crops, as one document describes a devastated farmer saying, "the worm took half and the hippopotamus ate the rest."
The extinction of the Egyptian hippo started in antiquity
Although hippopotamuses went extinct in Egypt during the 19th Century, that was the culmination of a long decline that started in ancient times. As it turns out, ancient Egyptians were as deadly to hippos as the animals were to the civilization's people. While the hippos could bite and stomp humans, the humans could harpoon them.
According to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, hippos were hunted for their meat, fat, and skin. However, it's also true that one of the most useful parts of a hippo were the tusk-like canines in its mouth. Hunting a hippo was also a signifier of strength and courage, so pharaohs were often depicting doing so to legitimize their reign.
Specialists were rare in ancient Egypt but they existed
When people find that their family doctors can't address a medical issue, they often ask for a referral to a specialist. Yet, while the waiting lists for these doctors can be long today, they were likely even longer in ancient Egypt because specialists were rare at the time.
According to The History Channel, most doctors were expected to heal any ailment a person could have but starting in 450 BCE, some doctors would focus on specific parts of the body. Some doctors handled gastrointestinal matters, some focused on the eyes, and some were early dentists. There were even proctologists, which were called "shepherds of the anus."
The ancient Egyptians developed their own sunscreen
Although a 2015 article in JAMA Dermatology asserted that the ancient Egyptians didn't know what melanoma was, it noted that they nonetheless developed the world's first sunscreen. This was made out of rice bran, jasmine, and lupine, which have since respectively been credited for absorbing UV light, repairing DNA, and lightening skin.
However, the health benefits of these ingredients seemed mostly coincidental, as the ancient Egyptians were only trying to achieve the last of these effects. Since lighter skin was valued in ancient Egyptian society, people likely used sunscreen for purely cosmetic reasons. Still, it's nice to know they were protecting themselves from the Sun, if by sheer luck.
Ancient Egypt was about as bureaucratic as modern life
According to Scientific American, a wealth of recovered administrative documents from Deir el-Medina paints a portrait of the ancient Egyptians as "obsessive bureaucrats." If there was an aspect of each state project that possibly could be quantified, they would have kept careful records of it.
This meant that every tool that a laborer would have used while building pyramids and other tombs would have been accounted for, as would the rations that groups of them would have been issued. Naturally, the progress of their work was also a matter of public record, though it was unclear if the preconceived expectations for that progress were also logged.
Tomb building wasn't forced work but it was dangerous
Although it's been established that the workers who built Egypt's many impressive tombs were professionals who were paid for their efforts, that didn't mean they didn't have dangerous jobs. While workplace accidents can plague any construction project throughout history, some issues were more common than others.
According to Scientific American, building the tomb's interior was particularly rough on the eyes, as dust and splinters of stone could easily cause trauma to them. The bad lighting was also a harmful factor and taken together, these three issues sometimes caused blindness in draftsmen who chiseled out the hieroglyphs and other figures inside.
The ancient Egyptians treated eye issues with honey
Although enterprising Egyptians tried to find many uses for honey in ancient times, Scientific American noted that it was part of a common remedy for eye issues that also included ocher and black eye paint. Since eye issues were common among workers, the mixture's value as a treatment was understood by more than the doctors of the time.
If the person's eye issues were caused by inflammation, the mixture may have been helpful. Honey does have antiseptic properties and ocher could very well have had anti-inflammatory properties that would have reduced swelling. The ocher and the black paint would have also felt cool on the skin, which would have likely felt soothing.
Most Egyptian burials included simple offerings
Although it's true that only rich Egyptians could afford mummification, that doesn't mean there weren't burial rituals for poorer citizens as well. They just tended to be simpler and for those who were destitute, that simplicity could have been as extreme as simply burying the body in hot sand.
That said, the University of Cincinnati noted that many citizens could afford to at least have their bodies boxed in by four clay slabs. The person's most important possessions would have been buried with them, as well as pots or plates with food and drink offerings for the deceased on their journey to the afterlife.
Pregnancy tests involved peeing on seeds
The ancient Egyptians were an inventive, resourceful people and that's evident from the landmark way they devised the world's first recorded pregnancy tests. As the National Institutes of Health explained, a papyrus described a process that had women who suspected they were pregnant urinate on wheat and barley seeds over the course of multiple days.
It was believed that if the barley grew, the woman would have a boy. If the wheat grew, she would have a girl. If neither seed germinated, she wasn't pregnant. Although the gender aspect of this test was questionable, tests from 1963 did find that this method was at least 70% effective in determining pregnancy. The most common theory is that the extra estrogen in pregnant women's urine may have promoted this growth.