Just as in the modern world, in ancient Egypt life was very different for people, depending on their wealth. For example, kings and high officials in ancient Egypt lived entirely differently than poor workers.

Ancient Egypt has always fascinated people, because of the way that they lived more so than the way that they died. Ancient Egyptians were also devoted to their families, which were apparent in the activities that they enjoyed with friends, music, parties, swimming, fishing, hunting, sailing, and especially their children.

The traditional family was the fundamental social unit of ancient Egypt. The father was responsible for the economic well-being of the family. Upper-class men often became scribes or priests, while lower-class men often were farmers, hunters, potters, or other craftsmen. The mother supervised the household, including servants, and cared for the upbringing of the children. Upper-class women could become priestesses, and all women could become musicians or professional mourners.

Much of what has been learned of the types of work done by ancient Egyptians has been gathered from the collections of the artifacts found inside their burial chambers. What is known is that there were several classes of workers, both an upper and lower class. The upper class workers consisted of the scribes and priests. The lower class usually consisted of the merchants and farmers.

Education, of course, covers both the general upbringing of a child and its training for a particular skill. The upbringing of males was left largely in the hands of their fathers, that of females was entrusted to their mothers. Parents acquainted their children with their thoughts about the world, with their religious outlook, with their ethical principles, with correct behavior toward others and toward the super-natural beings in whom everyone believed. They taught them concerning folk rituals and so forth.

Ancient Egypt is perhaps the most fascinating of the ancient civilizations. Even the Ancient Greeks looked at themselves as a young and unknowing society compared to the Egyptians. Indeed, the Ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the most extended in the west, beginning in approximately 3000 B.C., and lasting until nearly 300 B.C. What is amazing about the Egyptian's culture is not their rapid growth and development, but their ability to retain the past and prevail with relatively little change. For example, today in the United States we drastically change the style of our clothing each decade, while Egyptian attire did not vary over the thousands of years. Theirs was a civilization where ancient was still modern. Find out more about the ancient Egypt art and culture.