Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt is a very unique society. There are multiple parts of Ancient Egypt that make it this way. The most important parts of this society are the trade, the food, and the festivals. All of these things and a lot of others make Egypt a unique civilization.

Egyptian trade was very special to the civilization. Egypt traded gold with Nubia and there were also multiple farmed goods to trade. The trade was done by barter; no coins/money was used. Foreign Commerce was limited to official state expectations set up for the purpose of exchanging luxury goods. Other things traded were linen, mud bricks for houses, and dried fish from the Nile. Egypt also traded with Greece, which was mainly just olive oil but some other goods as well.

There were multiple important Egyptian festivals that happened during ancient times. The seasonal festivals were based on the agricultural cycle and the solar calendar. Most of the Egyptian festivals honored gods. The priests were in charge of organizing these festivals because the regular people or merchants had nothing to do with the planning. Some important festivals were the Festival of Sokar, the Festival of Opet, and The Sed Festival. These all play a big part in Ancient Egyptian Life.

Food was also a big part of Ancient Egyptian life. Crops were grown in fertile river valleys and meat was rare because of the difficulty to raise livestock on a desert. Bread was a very basic food, as in other cultures as well. Sugar was rarely used. All common fruits and vegetables (sesame, beans, onions, garlic, grapes, melons) were able to be grown in the river valley. Beer was the main drink for most common people. Wine was produced in jars in cellars and was only drank on formal occasions (Burial ceremonies, offerings to gods).