Ancient Egyptians - Life of a Pharaoh
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Pharaohs & Kings of Egypt

The Daily Life of a Pharaoh
A day in the life of a pharaoh would be filled with many and various tasks and duties. The daily life of a pharaoh encompassed many heavy responsibilities as he was  the head of the state, the nation, commander-in-chief of the army and the high priest of Egypt. He was assisted in his many tasks by nobles, court and state officials and members of his family. Time also had to be found for his personal needs. As the king he was always 'on show' and so had to dress for the part, wearing the most appropriate clothes to reflect his high status. He had to allocate time to his family. A pharaoh was allowed to have a chief wife referred to as "King's Principal Wife" but was also allowed lesser wives and concubines who resided in the Royal Harem which also housed all of his children, a school and the residence of the court entertainers. This article provides details of the life of a pharaoh and additional interesting facts and information is provided in the Role & Duties of the Pharaohand Pharaohs.

Ancient Egyptian King - Life of a Pharaoh Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on the Life of a Pharaoh: The pharaoh lived in a large palace largely constructed with mud bricks, only the monuments and temples to the gods were made of solid stone and intended to last for thousands of years.

Fact 2 on the Life of a Pharaoh: The lavish interior of the palace would be decorated with wall paintings and furnished with the finest gilded furnishings. Ornate, glazed tiles were used to cover the floors. The palace contained many rooms, halls, gardens and courtyards - it was built to impress. The Royal Harem was built within the palace complex but in a separate building.

Fact 3 on the Life of a Pharaoh: The king would rise just before dawn to greet the sun. He would bathe and oils applied to his skin. He would also wear perfume made from extremely expensive frankincense. The ancient Egyptians were masters of the art of perfume making and believed that scent had a divine origin and it was used in rituals, ceremonies, cosmetics, medicine and scented ointments.

Fact 4 on the Life of a Pharaoh: Cosmetics would then be applied in the form of eye make-up. The purpose of the eye make up was to define the eye but was also applied for medical reasons as the physicians prescribed the use of kohl against eye diseases, shielding the eye against the sun and as a deterrent to flies!

Fact 5 on the Life of a Pharaoh: His clothes were made of the finest white linen that was light, cool and non-restrictive. The clothes were draped around the body, the higher the status of the person the more clothes and make-up they wore.

Fact 6 on the Life of a Pharaoh: Fabulous, highly elaborate jewelry, made of precious metals and gorgeous sparkling gemstones, were added to give color and splendor to the clothing.

Fact 7 on the Life of a Pharaoh: His hair was cropped short to deter lice and all hair from the face was removed. On state occasions the king would often wear a wig.

Fact 8 on the Life of a Pharaoh: The ordinary people of ancient Egypt ate fish. Meat was rarer to come by and therefore expensive. The typical breakfast of the king would be served from low tables on dishes made of faience, gold, silver and bronze and would consist of meat, poultry, special bread and fruit which was accompanied by beer. He used his fingers to eat the food.

Fact 9 on the Life of a Pharaoh: Members of his family might join the king for breakfast. He and possibly the "King's Principal Wife" would then move to the public rooms of the palace to conduct matters of government or state.

Fact 10 on the Life of a Pharaoh: The large, beautiful audience chambers were highly ostentatious to impress the visitors. The king sat on a magnificent throne on a raised dais surrounded by his ministers and servants or slaves. People were expected to prostrate themselves before the king.

Ancient Egyptian King - Life of a Pharaoh Fact Sheet

the Life of a Pharaoh
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about the Life of a Pharaoh for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Life of a Pharaoh for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about this king of Egypt for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

The Life of a Pharaoh
Learn about the daily life of the ancient Egyptian kings the fast and easy way via the 'Life of a Pharaoh' Fact sheet.

Ancient Egyptian King - Life of a Pharaoh Fact Sheet

Fact 11 on the Life of a Pharaoh: The king would receive his people and foreign emissaries and then discuss matters of trade, government, architecture and building projects and military matters.

Fact 12 on the Life of a Pharaoh: He would then fulfil his religious obligations, often with the queen, and participate in rituals and ceremonies and make appropriate offerings to the gods.

Fact 13 on the Life of a Pharaoh: His leisure time would be passed participating in sports and playing board games. Hunting was an enjoyable pastime and could be dangerous if the king joined in the deadly sport of hunting hippos.

Fact 14 on the Life of a Pharaoh: Other leisure activities included travelling on magnificent river boats, swimming and fishing. Time was also spent in the beautiful gardens of the palace where he would be accompanied by nobles and members of the family.

Fact 15 on the Life of a Pharaoh: As the commander-in-chief of the army some of his time might have been used to discuss future plans for military campaigns and planning the building of fortresses.

Fact 16 on the Life of a Pharaoh: The king might have spent time on weapons practise and discussing foreign policies. The horse and chariot was only introduced to the Egyptians by the Hyksos during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Middle Kingdom.

Fact 17 on the Life of a Pharaoh: Much debate concerning the king's preparation for the afterlife would have been discussed with his priests, ministers and architects.

Fact 18 on the Life of a Pharaoh: Building projects were always high on the agendas of the ancient Egyptian kings.

Fact 19 on the Life of a Pharaoh: At the close of the day the king would return to his apartments to dress and prepare for the evening meal.

Fact 20 on the Life of a Pharaoh: The evening meal would be accompanied by lavish entertainment provided by singers and dancers. Banquets were often organised to entertain visiting dignitaries.

Ancient Egyptian King - Life of a Pharaoh Fact Sheet