The Lives of Ancient Egyptian ChildrenAncient Egyptian children had quite a different life from children now. They had responsibilities at a far younger age, and decisions to make that only adults would consider these days.First of all, in a typical ancient Egyptian household, the number of siblings was huge! A married couple could have up to 15 children... and all of them would live in the same house. The competition for attention was strong, and Darwin's survival theory probably was the ultimate law - Might makes right. As for schooling, it's not like school now. What the children studied was based on what career they would take up later on. Usually, this was all about the sons. Daughters were taught early on by their mothers how to run a household and do the household chores - this was no easy task however. Girls were not usually given any education since they were usually not allowed to work most jobs. The lives of ancient Egyptian women were full of hard-work and very few opportunities to work outside the home. But if they did get the chance to do so, it was either helping their husbands with farming or a real career that a woman was allowed to have. To learn more about the career choices of ancient Egyptian women, click here.
So for the time being I'll tell you more about the lives of the sons. Usually the oldest followed his father's career path and started training with him from a very young age (sometimes 5). Other sons had to choose a career path also by a very young age – around 9 years old. Boys could choose to be soldiers, scribes, doctors, priests, farmers, among many others. Depending on the choice, and being accepted, a child then started training as an apprentice until he is ready to be on his own (usually at age 19/20). A military career was quite popular during the New Kingdom as it promised glory and respect. The physically fit were encouraged to apply and endured a harsh induction as well as life-long intense training. To learn more about the lives of ancient Egyptian soldiers, click here.
Another coveted career was that of a scribe. Wealth, knowledge and respect were given to scribes and their training was less demanding. They were also the few literate people in ancient Egypt. Most scribes were sons of scribes trained by their fathers, but other children were given this chance to learn from a village scribe. A village scribe sometimes gave group lessons to the local kids for an extra charge. Ancient Egyptian children of the elite had a special advantage over the others - they were given the opportunity for a formal education, in the closest thing to a real school in ancient Egypt. They were considered for admission into The House of Life.
The House of LifeA mini-school attached to a temple, a House of Life was full of texts and materials kept by the temple priests. It was a combination of library and school.Only a chosen minority were accepted and allowed to learn and train in it, and its contents were not open to the public. It also functioned as an archive to important religious texts. These texts included not only the religious spells and information particular to the temple itself, but they also included information recorded on medical practices, science, math and history. The priests that operated the House of Life were in charge of keeping these texts stored well; sorting them and copying them. The ancient Egyptian children who were accepted into these institutions were given the great privilege to learn what most others do not... reading and writing. It was not thought of as necessary in ancient times to be literate. A person usually stuck with the same career for the duration of his life, and most ancient Egyptians held labor-intensive jobs such as farming and building. So, back to the chosen few - the children in the house of life learned the sacred writing of ancient Egypt. They were taught hieratic, demotic and hieroglyphics. They were also taught mathematics. This literacy brought to them a host of wonderful choices that were off-limits to most. Scribes held administrative jobs and were promoted throughout their careers. Some scribes could reach the position of vizier - the second most important position after Pharaoh! Some could take an oath and become practicing physicians and doctors.
All Work and No Play?!It may seem like the lives of ancient Egyptian children were only full of work and training... but as a matter of fact they did have their playtime too!Of course kids who didn't finished their chores (and they had many) didn't have enough time for too much fun. Still, during days off or time off, they enjoyed stories and board games as well as toys! Balls made of animal skin and stuffed with material were among the toys found by archeologists. Sports were also popular, and they included wrestling, chariot racing, hunting, target practice and fishing. Most of these activities were part of the military training regiment as well. And although it seems like this was all boys' play, girls also took part in many of these activities and had toys of their own... One thing is certain - the ancient Egyptian children were well loved and cared for by ancient standards. Having children was considered not only necessary but also a joy and a blessing of life in ancient Egypt.
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