Submitted by veigapaula on Thu, 01/21/2010 - 15:40
The rich and famous people of ancient Egypt lived a decadent lifestyle with fine wine, sex, high fashion, and plenty of partying. How do they compare with their equivalents today - the modern western celebrity set?
The main differences might be regarding who were the richest people then, and who are the richest people now. In ancient Egypt the pharaoh was at the top of the ‘pyramid’ and his family, noble people who owned land, and the priests came after. Scribes, architects and doctors were well off, and skilled craftsmen also had many privileges.
Submitted by Ray Laurence on Mon, 01/18/2010 - 16:14
By the time of the emperors, the Romans had created the world’s first global empire stretching from Morocco in the west to Iraq in the east, and from Scotland in the north to Egypt in the south. Around this empire flowed a treasure trove of goods from far flung lands: slaves, spices, precious stones, and coloured marble, as well as an exotic array of foods and wine. From this bounty, the Romans created a culture of pleasure and a passion for sensations that stimulated all the human senses: vision, hearing, smell, touch and so on. A global world of pleasure had arrived.
Submitted by Michael Kan on Fri, 01/15/2010 - 13:59
Drunkenness, hangovers, and debauchery tend to come to mind when one thinks about alcohol and its effects. But could alcohol also have been a catalyst for human civilization?
According to archaeologist Patrick McGovern this may have been the case when early man decided to start farming. Why humans turned from hunting and gathering to agriculture could be the result of our ancestors’ simple urge for alcoholic beverages.
“Alcohol provided the initial motivation,” said McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. “Then it got going the engine of society.”
Dr Janice Kamrin takes a tour of the alabaster lifestyle ornaments in the final part of this series on the treasures of the Tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62), which are now housed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Explaining how the perfumed ointments were considered a better target than the vases that contained them by tomb robbers, Dr Kamrin also gives a fascinating insight into the importance of food and drink in the burial process.
Submitted by veigapaula on Tue, 12/29/2009 - 11:21
In this Heritage Key video, Dr. Janice Kamrin, head of the EgyptianMuseum Database Project, shows and discusses some of the lifestyle objects found in Tutankhamun’s tomb by Carter in 1922, and now housed in The Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Board games, and containers for perfumes, cosmetics and unguents, are amongst the objects shown in this video that give an insight into the livestyles of the rich and famous ancient Egyptians.
If Jacqui Wood’s ancient recipes for the perfect Christmas dinner have inspired you to turn your kitchen clock back, then there's more help at hand in Prehistoric Cooking, Wood’s first book about old school cooking. In it, she traces the eating habits of our ancestors, starting with hunter-gatherers and going through to the Iron Age. Recipes are scattered throughout the book, based on archaeological findings and Wood's own experimental archaeology techniques.
By the time of the emperors, the Romans had created the world’s first global empire stretching from Morocco in the west to Iraq in the east, and from Scotland in the north to Egypt in the south. Around this empire flowed a treasure trove of goods from far flung lands: slaves, spices, precious stones, and coloured marble, as well as an exotic array of foods and wine. From this bounty, the Romans created a culture of pleasure and a passion for sensations that stimulated all the human senses: vision, hearing, smell, touch and so on. A global world of pleasure had arrived.
1: DIY Prehistoric Cooking
