Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

Red Land, Black Land examines daily life in ancient Egypt, offering insight into how ordinary and royal Egyptians lived thousands of years ago. Barbara Mertz explores what average Egyptians ate, wore, and valued, along with their beliefs about religion, family, and social customs. The book takes readers into homes, workplaces, temples, and palaces to show the everyday experiences of priests, scribes, pyramid builders, slaves, housewives, and queens. Mertz addresses practical questions about ancient Egyptian life, including details on mummification and papyrus-making. The work is presented as a companion volume to Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs, Mertz's history of ancient Egypt. This revised and updated edition aims to present a civilization that was both distinctly different from and surprisingly similar to modern life.