Egyptian life

Chapter 3

At the start of a banquet, it was customary for guests
to offer the host lengthy blessings, such as wealth,
great happiness, a long life, and good health. The host
often responded simply with “Welcome, welcome,” or
“Bread and beer,” as a way of saying, “Come and
eat!”
The feast began with men and women taking their
seats on opposite sides of the room. Important guests
were given chairs with high backs. Everyone else sat
on stools or cushions. Servants, mostly women,
waited on the guests. There were no forks or spoons,
so people ate with their fingers.
While the guests ate, musicians, dancers, and acrobats provided entertainment. Musicians were usually women. They
played flutes, harps, rattles, and lutes (a guitarlike instrument). Guests often clapped along with the music.
9.4 – Priests
Like government officials, priests were powerful and highly respected in society. A large network of priests served
under the pharaoh, who was considered the highest-ranked priest of all.
The Duties of Priests Priests had different jobs. The High Priest
advised the pharaoh and oversaw all religious ceremonies. Temple
priests were in charge of the temples scattered throughout Egypt. Other
priests handled more common concerns and requests. They gave advice
and performed healings.
Women were allowed to be priestesses in Egypt. They were generally
regarded as equal to male priests. Their main duty was to oversee
temples that were devoted to music and dancing.
Temple priests played an extremely important role in Egyptian religion.
Every temple was home to one or more Egyptian gods. A temple
priest’s primary job was to take care of his temple’s special god in a
variety of ways.
A temple’s god was thought to live in a statue. The statue was housed in
a holy room called a sanctuary. Only a priest who had purified
(cleansed) himself could enter the sanctuary. There were many steps a
priest had to take to be purified. He had to avoid certain foods, such as
fish, that were associated with the lower classes. He had to cleanse his
body by bathing in holy pools, three or four times a day. He also had to
shave off his body hair. And he had to wear clothes made of linen cloth,
because animal products like leather and wool were considered unclean