Egyptian life

Chapter 6

Below the scribes on the social pyramid were the artisans.
Egypt’s artisans were highly skilled laborers who created
some of the most beautiful art objects in the ancient world.
Yet, unlike scribes, they rarely got respect from higher
classes. Only the few who became masters at their craft were
sometimes honored for their work.
Types of Artisans Artisans specialized in any one of a
number of crafts. Workers in this class included carpenters,
jewelers, leatherworkers, metalworkers, painters, potters,
sculptors, and weavers. Artisans made many beautiful
objects, including stunning jewelry and elegant furniture.
Painters portrayed scenes of Egyptian daily life. Most
artisans were men, but some women wove fabric, beaded
clothing, and made perfume.
The most skilled artisans were the stone carvers. They
produced the statues, engravings, and reliefs found in
Egyptian temples, tombs, and monuments.
Stone carvers played an important role in tomb building. The
belief in an afterlife inspired wealthy Egyptians to order
elaborate tombs for themselves. Stone carvers helped equip
the tombs with artworks to honor and preserve the dead.
Artworks might include statues of the deceased, highly
detailed wall engravings, and stone coffins.
Stone carving was demanding and time consuming work. Carvers often worked with hard rock, such as granite. They
used dolerite, another type of hard rock, to pound out an initial shape. Next, they refined the shape and carved in
details, using stone tools and copper chisels. Then, they used quartz sand to smooth and polish the object. Painters
often added color to the finished product.
The Daily Life and Work of Artisans Artisans were a class
toward the lower middle of society. They lived with their families
in modest homes. Their houses were usually rectangular and barely
10 yards long. Three rooms stretched from front to back. The first
room was used as a workroom or to house animals. The living room
came next. The final room was divided into a kitchen and a
bedroom. The roof was sometimes used as another place to work or
sleep.
Artisans typically worked side by side in big workshops. They
usually worked for ten days at a stretch before taking time off. The
Stone carvers were some of the most skilled workers in the artisan
class.
This painting shows different types of artisans at work.
Look carefully. What do you see?