Sanitation
Sanitation in Egypt was by todays standards very good. However, they did have issues which were difficult to solve. This was because they had very different technology to us today. Bathrooms were built in their homes. Some were big and some were small depending on where they where in the heirarchy. There is no evidence that the common people had bathrooms in their homes.
The Sanitation today is a lot cleaner with multiple bathrooms in each house as well as flushing toilets.
In a modern society a sanitation company picks up our weekly refuse. In ancient Egypt, it was the responsibility of each household to dispose of their garbage at the communal dump - the irrigation canals. As a result, these dump canals were breeding grounds for vermin and disease. Some homes in the cities may have had trays of earth for drainage and disposal of waste. For the most part, however, ancient Egyptians simply dumped their waste in canals or open fields.
Water is an important part of any sanitation process and the ancient Egyptians had plenty of water from the mighty Nile River and the irrigation systems built from it. Gathering water for individual homes was done by groups of women. The women went to the river or canal to get the water while the men actually worked in groups doing the laundry. The canals and river were also used by the common people for bathing purposes.
The sanitation methods of the ancient Egyptians may seem crude when compared to the modern conveniences available in the 21st century. They did have what appears to have been a workable, viable sanitation system
The Sanitation today is a lot cleaner with multiple bathrooms in each house as well as flushing toilets.
In a modern society a sanitation company picks up our weekly refuse. In ancient Egypt, it was the responsibility of each household to dispose of their garbage at the communal dump - the irrigation canals. As a result, these dump canals were breeding grounds for vermin and disease. Some homes in the cities may have had trays of earth for drainage and disposal of waste. For the most part, however, ancient Egyptians simply dumped their waste in canals or open fields.
Water is an important part of any sanitation process and the ancient Egyptians had plenty of water from the mighty Nile River and the irrigation systems built from it. Gathering water for individual homes was done by groups of women. The women went to the river or canal to get the water while the men actually worked in groups doing the laundry. The canals and river were also used by the common people for bathing purposes.
The sanitation methods of the ancient Egyptians may seem crude when compared to the modern conveniences available in the 21st century. They did have what appears to have been a workable, viable sanitation system
Nutrition
Nutrition in Egypt consisted mostly of breads and cereals. This formed the backbone for Egyptian family meals. Sometimes they were good and sometimes they were bad. This is because in certain seasons the amount of water decreased, causing less farming to happen, therefore lowering the amount of crops for people to eat. A variety of vegetables, fruit and fish were also consumed by the rich and poor.
Egyptian homes, especially those located at Nile river settlements, according to archeological evidence, made bread from wheat, barley and spelt. Because millstones were not available in Egypt until Greco-Roman times the grain was dried in the sun then ground between a large stone slab and smaller grinding stone. This method produced flour which was probably contaminated with stone dust and may well be the reason why Egyptian mummies have worn-down teeth.
The lower classes generally eat a diet that was high in cereals which could cause vitamin deficiencies, unless pulses like lentils were included which have vitamins A,B,C,D and minerals such as iron and potassium. Cooking food in iron pots may have also prevented anemia. We know that the Ancient Egyptians eat legumes because beans and lentils have been found in tombs. It's thought that beans were stewed along with garlic, herbs and served with bread.
The Nutrition we have today a wide range of poultry to fruit and vegetables. The food markets have grown immensely.
Egyptian homes, especially those located at Nile river settlements, according to archeological evidence, made bread from wheat, barley and spelt. Because millstones were not available in Egypt until Greco-Roman times the grain was dried in the sun then ground between a large stone slab and smaller grinding stone. This method produced flour which was probably contaminated with stone dust and may well be the reason why Egyptian mummies have worn-down teeth.
The lower classes generally eat a diet that was high in cereals which could cause vitamin deficiencies, unless pulses like lentils were included which have vitamins A,B,C,D and minerals such as iron and potassium. Cooking food in iron pots may have also prevented anemia. We know that the Ancient Egyptians eat legumes because beans and lentils have been found in tombs. It's thought that beans were stewed along with garlic, herbs and served with bread.
The Nutrition we have today a wide range of poultry to fruit and vegetables. The food markets have grown immensely.