What It Was Like to Be Rich in Ancient Egypt

Being rich in ancient Egypt meant having gold, but it also meant having someone else carry the water. Centered on the New Kingdom, this story explores how prosperous officials and their families turned land, royal service, and powerful connections into comfortable homes, fine linen, varied meals, and time for enjoyment. A shaded garden was a pleasure; keeping it green was somebody's job. From household stores and river transport to banquets, women's property rights, and the rewards of royal favor, we follow the arrangements that made elite life possible. Alongside the comforts come the dependencies: workers and enslaved people, changing rulers, uncertain harvests, and family obligations. Finally, elaborate burials reveal what wealthy Egyptians hoped to preserve beyond death, right down to having help with the work. Sources: University College London, Digital Egypt - Assessment and levy in kind Amarna Project - Main City The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Length of Very Sheer Linen Cloth The Open University - Art and life in ancient Egypt: Produce and offerings Egypt Exploration Society - Women in Ancient Egypt Mark Janzen, TheTorah.com - What We Know About Slavery in Egypt Museo Egizio - The Book of the Dead of Kha: Analysis and Studies The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Shabti of Ramesses VI