The Daily Life of an Egyptian Artisan BY neel suresh
Artisans were a social class in Egypt that were skilled craftsmen. The word artisan means 'craftsman', someone who is highly skilled in making things by hand. They could be Carpenters, Jewelers, Painters Potters, Stone carvers, Weavers, Sculptors, or Metal-workers.
All About Artisans and Their Lifestyle
Picture courtesy of http://www.fineartprintsondemand.com/artists/egyptian_school/artisans_at_work.htm
About Artisans
Most Artisans were men, but some women wove fabric, beaded clothing and made perfume. The stone carvers who created the statues, engravings, and reliefs of the temples,tombs, and monuments were the most skilled.
Picture courtesy of http://www.mummies2pyramids.info/art-architecture/egyptian-artists.htm
Role of The Artisans
Some artisans created pottery and decorative ornaments. Others created cosmetics and jewelry. These arts and crafts were mostly made for the higher class people of Egypt. Not only did these crafts make their lives convenient, but they also added beauty to their daily lives. The stone carvers, the most recognized type of artisan in the Egyptian society, decorated the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs with their skilled artwork, to honor and preserve the dead. This is one of the many reasons why the artisans played an important role in the Egyptian society.
Picture courtesy of https://www.haikudeck.com/6-artisans-leah-nava-elliot-uncategorized-presentation-Amdq6xRkET
Their Social Status
The Artisans were a very hard working social class, but they barely had any social status. They lived in modest homes that had 3 rooms stretched from front to back. A work room, living room and the kitchen and bedroom were combined into one. They were considered as one of the lowest classes among all the social classes.
Picture courtesy of http://www.slideshare.net/nottonjennifer/egyptian-social-classes
Their Work Life
Their work consisted of long hours (sometimes even 10 days at a stretch) before taking time off. Hundreds of them were called at a time to work on royal projects.They worked in large groups to complete engravings, paintings and hieroglyphics. Even though they were skilled and creative, the upper class only thought of them as laborers. They were not allowed to sign their work. Rarely, an employer would allow an artist to portray himself in a painting, to honor his work.
Picture courtesy of http://www.ancient-egypt.info/2012/02/crafts-in-ancient-egypt-for-kids-craft.html
Images in clockwise direction from: http://garnethmoc.weebly.com/gallery.html; http://www.egykingblog.com/2015/10/egyptians-artists.html; http://e357.net/picsvpwc/artisans-in-ancient-egypt