Slaves in Egypt

Clothing-
Egyptians were not self conscious about nudity, so most of the slaves worked naked. If the slaves didn’t work naked, most common workers would wear loin cloths made of animal fur and skin, linen and simple tunic dresses. Most males wore a short linen kilt, while females wore a skirt which went from their shoulders, to their ankles. A loin cloth is a piece of material fastened around the waist and worn by men. The cloth that was used in common peoples clothing was less see-through than the cloth that the wealthy used. Colour or patterned cloth wasn't used very much.

The better you dressed, showed the wealthier your master or mistress was.
If you were an important slave, you would wear the same as your master or mistress.
Many of the slaves who worked building the temples, monuments, quarries or mines usually worked naked. In the summer, children would usually wear nothing, but in winter, they would wear wraps and cloaks. Although the Egyptians were usually barefoot, both men and women sometimes wore sandals made from papyrus, palm leaves, or leather.

Hair and Jewellery-
Slaves wouldn't wear jewellery, only wealthy people would. Both men and women wore jewellery such as earrings, bracelets, anklets, rings, and beaded necklaces. Both boys and girls hair was usually shaved. They would shave their hair of cut it very short because of the intense heat, they would then wear a wig.

Everyday Life as a Slave-
Slavery in the Egyptian times was very usual. A slave didn't have a very fun life. There were different kind of slaves; if you were lucky you got a job as a house maid or slave. The reason for this was that as the house slaves were working with protection from the sun whereas the slaves that were building the pyramids were out in the sun with NO protection, as most of the slaves worked naked ,or very poorly dressed because they could not afford many clothes and because of the extreme heat. The slaves who worked inside were in charge of carrying food to their masters (people who were a higher class than them), taking produce to their master to be inspected, They moved storage containers, the slaves were sometimes used to carry their toilet pots around and they also prepared food for the masters and their guests and sometimes fed them.

As an outdoor slave you had to help make the pyramids. It was a very hard job, you had to work in the boiling heat for the whole day with not many breaks. To make the pyramids they had to get dry.

How they became slaves-
Many slaves in ancient Egypt were caught in wars and were often prisoners who had been captured from Egypt's enemies. Other Egyptian men, women and children also were enslaved for committing serious crimes. Some Egyptians volunteered to become slaves to pay off debt. The women could own slaves just like any other possession. Some women also worked as servants, spinning and weaving cloth. Slaves could own property and save up to buy freedom. To get freedom some women slaves married their male owner and other slaves were given freedom.

Who ordered slave around-
The slaves masters could be an everyday Egyptian or a royal person. It was better to work for the royal people because they could supply better things for you and have better work conditions. They could give you food and you wouldn’t work in a very dirty home that could make you sick. Mud and mix that with water, they then had to mould it into shape with special tools,and wait for it to harden in the sun. They then used wood pillars and rolled the bricks up to be put in place. Many slaves died during making the pyramids because of how many bricks fell down during the construction. Most of the Egyptians slaves were often prisoners who had been caught from their Egyptians enemies. But being a slave wasn’t all bad you could buy your own land, buy goods and sometimes slaves could buy their freedom. After the Egyptians died they were buried at the bottom of the pyramid whereas there masters or just royalty were buried higher up, or at the very top.

Living conditions -
Slaves were often prisoners who had been captured from Egypt's enemies in war. The Egyptian Slaves were people who had the lowest rank in society, which meant they didn’t have a lot of power to control how they lived. It also meant they often didn’t have a lot of money. Because of this they Egyptians might offer themselves up to slavery so that their family doesn’t have to live in poverty.

Egyptian men and their family might also be enslaved for a crime that they have committed. A slave in ancient Egypt was someone who was defined as "One bound in servitude as the property of a person or household". Slaves were valuable in Egypt and usually well treated depending on the ranking of their master. They could own their own property by saving up money and could be given their own freedom if they were female and married their male owner.

There were different types of Egyptian Slaves which meant they all lived in different conditions. The slaves that worked for a Pharaoh worked in a better living environment than those that worked for an everyday Egyptian.

It was better for a slave if they worked for a wealthy family, because they could afford to buy the necessities they need to survive, if a slave didn’t ever stop working for their master at all, their owner would repay them by giving them food and water.

The food that a typical Egyptian slave would eat would consist of bread, and onions. If they worked for a wealthy family they might also have cucumber washed down with a bottle of beer.

The slaves lived in extreme heat while working for their masters. Therefore didn’t wear much clothing. This didn’t offer much protection for themselves. The Slaves of ancient Egypt worked under these harsh condition to construct the Great Pyramids and Giza. These buildings were built by thousands of foreign slaves over a period of decades.