imagine
a time of scientific and mathematical
innovation
magic and fertile land irrigated by the
great
nile river ancient egypt
was a successful and intelligent
civilization that lasted
for 3 000 years
what do you think your life would be
like if you were an egyptian during this
time period
and let's pretend it's a good period no
droughts
locusts plagues or famine for you
what kind of food would you eat how were
women treated and
did slaves build the pyramids
this is what if and here's what would
happen
if you lived in ancient egypt
ancient egyptians believed in strict
social structures
depending on the class or trade you were
born into
your life would be vastly different
the hierarchical pyramid of social
status and wealth
was composed of slaves and servants
tenant farmers specialists like sailors
soldiers educational professionals
and finally the elite
who would you be at the bottom of the
social pyramid
were slaves they came from foreign lands
but
were not of a single race and
while they could negotiate their
contracts they were still
bonded laborers and worked in exchange
for food and shelter
at the very top of the pyramid was the
ruler who reigned over everyone
there were 300 rulers throughout ancient
egypt's existence
while we call them pharaohs today that
wasn't their
actual title in ancient egypt
[Music]
rulers did not necessarily have to be
men
or egyptian but they were seen as divine
liaisons between the gods
and the people life
would be drastically different depending
on your gender
like many ancient civilizations egypt
had strict
gender roles but you still had the same
legal rights
women could own property and live alone
if they chose to
however marriage was seen as a social
and
economic necessity no matter your gender
so
if you lived in ancient egypt you'd
probably be married and have a brood of
children
you would live in a house built of mud
bricks with a stone oven
and pits dug into the ground for food
storage
if you were an elite family then lucky
you
as a nobleman or woman you would be
waited upon by your servants
after a breakfast of bread and fruit the
man of the house would take his chariot
down to his estate on the banks of the
nile
after touring the grounds and maybe
meeting with the estate overseer about
the year's harvest
you might take a quick nap
once you're rested you would meet up
with a friend to hunt wildfowl on your
estate
[Music]
at home as a woman you would spend the
day supervising plans
for a banquet before the banquet begins
you would adorn yourself with gold and
semi-precious stones to
further show your wealthy status
now you're ready to greet your guests as
they arrive in chariots
and litters which were wheel-less
enclosures
carried on the shoulders of servants
nobleman or woman
you feast on geese duck fish ox and
gazelle
followed by grapes figs dates and melons
once the party is over you head to bed
while your servants clean up
life as a farmer is not nearly as grand
if you're a man you spend the day
working in the fields and
tending to cattle or ducks
on tax day you would pack up some of
your harvest and
bring it to the temple as payment for
the land
if you're a woman you spend the day
grinding wheat
making bread and raising children
for food you mainly eat bread beer
garlic and if you're fortunate a little
bit of meat
maybe you're neither part of the elite
or a farmer but
a pyramid builder
you wouldn't be a slave but you would
live a life of hard labor
you would be one of 10 000 devoted
workers
since it took 30 years to build one
pyramid
you would probably work on the same
monument for your entire life
which would be shorter than your fellow
ancient egyptians because of
all that hard labor at least you get to
eat
meat regularly and get an honorable
burial once you die
no matter your status you would worship
several thousand
gods and for fun you would play board
games
such as men or senate to pass some free
time
overall the quality of your life would
drastically depend
on your ruler and the time period
there were three periods of prosperity
and two periods of
instability during this civilization
fear of famine caused by droughts or
locusts was
a constant threat but
you'd still have better luck living a
good life in ancient egypt than you
would in the middle ages
[Music]
very few people fared well in those
diseased and poverty-ridden times
but that's a story for another
what if and if you want to know more
check out what if discussed just tap on
the link
[Music]