Growing Up In Ancient Egypt

by Rosalie David, Angus McBride (Illustrator)

Describes daily life in ancient Egypt, discussing life in the city, life in the country, pets and toys, meals, and other aspects

Genres: Egypt, Ancient History, Egyptology, History, Nonfiction, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1993

About the author

From Ancient Egypt Magazine:

PROFESSOR ROSALIE DAVID OBE has achieved world renown for her pioneering work in investigating mummies using non-destructive techniques. She is Director of the KNH Centre for Biological and Forensic Studies in Egyptology at The University of Manchester. For over 25 years her Certificate Course in Egyptology has been consistently oversubscribed. The Distance Learning Course in Egyptology has proved equally popular.

Prof David was the former Keeper of Egyptology at the Manchester Museum, and is Director of the International Mummy Database and Director of the Schistosomiasis Investigation Project. Her research work into this disease, a scourge in the ancient as well as the modern world, was recognised recently with a prestigious award from the Anglo-French Medical Society. Prof David is the author of numerous books and articles on mummies and the religious practices of the ancient Egyptians, a presenter of TV and radio programmes, and an extremely popular lecturer all over the world.

Rosalie David was the first woman professor in Egyptology in Britain, and the first to receive an OBE in recognition of her services in Egyptology.

Reviews

[Cari Raley · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok book, but there are others out there with more appealing format

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The information in this book is given in simple terms that children can easily understand, but without dumbing it down as more modern books tend to do.

I am pleased that the info is accurate...and as I looked up the book on Goodreads to review it, I see that the author is a professor of egyptology.

The book is short and simple, but it covers a wide range of topics in a surprising level of detail. I am impressed with both the depth and breath of it.

Topics include:
-the founding of ancient egyptian civilization,
-geography of the Nile valley,
-what villages towns and cities were like,
-the countryside and farming,
-the pharaoh and his role,
-how houses were built and why they were built that way,
-daily life for rich and poor,
-the importance of children and families,
-pets, toys and games,
-education, professions and trades,
-the market and barter system,
-clothing and jewelry,
-what foods were produced, how it was cooked and eaten, ​
-doctors and what illnesses they commonly treated,
-courtship and marriage customs,
-religion, temples, the life of priests, aas well as personal prayer and worship done at home,
-mummification, the pyramids, their views of the afterlife,
-language and writing,
-and how the ancient egyptian civilization came to an end.

The book is beautifully illustrated, and the illustrations are also very detailed. In the picture of towns, you can see houses, storage jars in courtyards, canopies and bedding on roofs where people slept in hot months, market stalls in the streets, the Nile river with fishing boats, people going about their business, date trees, another town across the river, and the desert in the distance. That's all one picture. Other pictures focus more closely on people, their clothing, jewelry, tools, or children's toys, all in great attention to detail.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book, and didn't read it to my kids. We'd already covered this information in other books. It had nothing new to add and the illustrations were rather rough.

If you haven't already discussed Egypt at length, you might like this book. But I like the information and presentation in Time Traveler and Egyptian Diary much better.