Most families had low stools and the very poor just sat on the floor. The homes of the wealthy had beds and even mattresses, but the poor people had to be satisfied with sleeping on straw mattresses or possibly a floor rug. The Egyptians used reed baskets to store anything that they had in the home.

The rich lived in huge homes or villas along the Nile River. They painted the outside of their homes white because it kept their home cooler. The very wealthy lined the outside of their homes with white limestone. Limestone was expensive, but it made their homes sparkle in the sunshine.

The upper class consisted of the royal family, rich landowners, government officials, important priests and army officers, and doctors. The middle class was made up chiefly of merchants, manufacturers, and artisans. The lower class, the largest class by far, consisted of unskilled labourers.

Egyptians in all social classes cherished family life. Upper-class women had servants or slaves to help them. Lower- class women did the work themselves. Men were in charge of Egyptian society, but women enjoyed more freedom and rights than most women in the ancient world.

In which social class did farmers belong and what were their lives like? They were in the lowest group but the largest group. They lived in small mud brick homes with dirt floors. Families gathered on flat rooftops to socialize, play games and to sleep.

Peasants. The peasants include construction workers, farmers, and unskilled workers. Farmers were near the bottom of the social structure, but were very important. From June to September, the Nile flooded and farmers could not work the fields.

slaves

Ramses II