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# The Egyptians: 1500BC to 500BC ## Temples The Egyptian temple was a place of worship. A statue of a god or goddess was kept in a special shrine in every Egyptian temple. Each day, priests bathed, clothed and “fed” the statue and then prayed to it. ### 1 The Temple The main part of the temple...
# The Egyptians: 1500BC to 500BC ## Temples The Egyptian temple was a place of worship. A statue of a god or goddess was kept in a special shrine in every Egyptian temple. Each day, priests bathed, clothed and “fed” the statue and then prayed to it. ### 1 The Temple The main part of the temple was a huge columned hall. Its walls and pillars were covered with religious pictures and texts. Ordinary people were not allowed in here or in the inner sanctuary where the shrine was kept. They had to stay outside in the temple courtyard. On festival days, they could see the shrine containing the god. The priests lifted it to a model boat which you can see here. Then they carried it around the city, accompanied by dancers and musicians. ### 2 Temple Craftsmen Egyptian temples owned large estates and were very rich. Many carpenters, leatherworkers, potters and other craftsmen were employed in the temple workshops. ### 3 How We Know The Egyptians wrote on papyrus which was made from papyrus reeds. These were cut into strips, soaked and then laid in two layers. Pounding with a mallet changed the layers into a solid sheet. The scribes wrote on the papyrus with brushes. Their ink was made in solid blocks and had to be used with water. Brushes and inks were kept in palettes like these. Only a few papyrus rolls have survived and these are badly damaged. However, scholars are able to learn a great deal from them about life in ancient Egypt. ## Mathematics The Egyptians were excellent mathematicians. Some of their texts show how they planned buildings and calculated the materials needed to build them. ### Telling the Time This water clock was an invention for telling the time. The Egyptians also worked out a 365 day calendar by studying the stars and planets.
