The Ancient Egyptians’ Diet

The History of Eating and Drinking in Egypt

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Colin Fluxman

Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world’s first systems of mathematics and medicine, and established language and art that spread across the known world. With famous leaders like King Tut and Cleopatra, it’s no wonder that today’s world has so many Egyptologists.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of ancient Egyptian civilization was its inception from the ground up, as the Egyptians themselves had no prior civilization which they could use as a template. In fact, Egypt itself became a template for the civilizations that followed. The Greeks and the Romans were so impressed with Egyptian culture that they often attributed many aspects of their own culture to the Egyptians. With that said, some minor elements of ancient Egyptian culture were, indeed, passed on to later civilizations. Egyptian statuary appears to have had an initial influence on the Greek version, and the ancient Egyptian language continued long after the pharaonic period in the form of the Coptic language.

Despite the strides made in understanding Egyptian history, there are obvious difficulties in assessing what ancient societies ate and drank, even as advances in technology continue to open up new methods of analysis for food deposits in human remains and archaeological sites. In general, the majority of what ancient individuals ate did not last long, and in the case of ancient Egypt, there is an even greater additional time factor. Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted over 3,000 years, a time period that if applied to Europe encompasses the time before Rome was even founded right up to the present day. Within such a lengthy period a great deal happens in any society, and in Egypt, numerous dynasties came and went, with constant invasions both by Egyptians into nearby regions and back into Egypt by neighboring civilizations. All of these different groups presumably had their own preferences for food and drink. Population migrations, especially the ones led by the Sea Peoples into the region around 1250 BCE, combined with other factors such as climate to impact the food and drink consumed by Egyptians.

Knowing what was eaten and drank is an essential component in being able to comprehend a culture or society more fully. Egypt´s belief in an afterlife was largely a reflection of life in the mortal world, and together with their habit of recording the details of their daily lives in tombs and public buildings, archaeologists and historians have at least a basic understanding of what constituted the Egyptians’ staple diet. The fundamental necessity to secure basic food requirements colored all aspects of life, including politics, and only societies that produced enough food to achieve a surplus could turn their attention to matters other than simple survival. One of the most noteworthy things about Egypt was the grain production there, and that was the context in which the Egyptians’ advancements in art, culture, and science became possible.

©2022 Charles River Editors (P)2022 Charles River Editors