9781422283394

CHAPTER 2

A PLACE FOR EVERYONE E veryone had a place in Egyptian society. At the very top was the pharaoh . He ruled everyone, and everyone treated him like a god. At the bottom were the poor and slaves. Their lives were controlled by the richer people. Life was not easy for them in Egypt. The pharaoh was said to have been chosen by the gods. Some believed that the pharaohs actually were gods. A pharaoh had the most power, but he had to look after everyone in Egypt, too. That meant feeding everyone from his own food stores when crops did not grow very well. The

pharaoh’s job was so big that he could not run the whole of Egypt by himself. Therefore, he chose people called governors to run different parts of the country for him to make sure his orders were carried out. Men and women had different roles in ancient Egyptian society. Men were miners, for example, whereas women wove cloth. Women were not supposed to be pharaohs, but a few were. They dressed like male pharaohs and even wore a false beard.

PAY IT FORWARD In ancient Egypt, children followed in

their parents’ footsteps. The father passed his skill on to his son. For example, if a man was a miner , then his son would become a miner, too.

Chapter 2: A PLACE FOR EVERYONE 13