What kind of entertainment did the ancient egyptians have

It was a custom to bury someone who had died with all of the things they would need in their next life. The games that kids played included a game like checkers as well as Senet and their game pieces were made of small stones and knucklebones which were really sheep ankle bones.

These included wooden toys that had moving parts. One might be a hippopotamus that had jaws that would close and open. But outside of battles, they were used in races too! The chariots were drawn by horses and were quite small, fitting only the charioteer and an archer or spearman. Those who trained in this would learn to do both roles. Wrestling and weight-lifting were common sports, and there seems to have been some kind sport that used balls made of animal skin and stuffed with dried grass.

Hunting and fishing were not just for the sake of feeding their kids. Ancient Egyptians seemed to have taken pleasure in the hunt, as the king would take part in this activity even though he could have his meat hunted for him. In some cases, the animals were pre-hunted and caught alive by hunters and placed in a more confined space where royalty could hunt them with more ease.

In the desert the main animals that were hunted were bulls, gazelles and lions. Mostly for their meat, though lion-skins were quite the luxury item. Fishing and catching birds of all kinds were done in the marshlands. And of course the Nile was teeming with fish. Some ancient Egyptian boats were built solely for fishing. Of course there were other types of daily pleasure and relaxation, such as joking the ancient Egyptians loved animal satire! But this page should give you a sense of how ancient societies spent their free time.

Do you feel a sense of longing when thinking of these older forms of entertainment? Or do you still take part in outdoor activities, dancing with abandon, or making up bedtime stories for your kids? I hope you enjoyed this page! The family moved to Egypt after Joseph was told in a dream to flee to the now North African country to escape the command of Herod the Great to slaughter children in and around Bethlehem. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search.

Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Essay What did Egyptian royalty do for fun? Ben Davis March 20, What did Egyptian royalty do for fun? What modern form of entertainment was also enjoyed in ancient Egypt?

Some of these toys included clay rattles and miniature animals and people shaped out of clay. If they were lucky enough, a child might play with a wooden toy that had moving parts. There were wooden hippos with movable jaws, cats and crocodiles with movable mouths and a mouse with a tail that moved by pulling a string. Other toys children played with included dolls made of cloth that were stuffed with papyrus reeds, balls made of leather or woven papyrus and stuffed with horsehair or straw.

These balls were often used for juggling. Wooden spinning tops were also quite popular. They were usually cone-shaped with a decorated top. Ancient Egyptian children were outside nearly all day long. Based on pictures depicted on tomb walls, we know that children enjoyed wrestling, the javelin throw, and games especially for boys that were defined by two teams and two leaders. They also favored racing games in different varieties alone or with other children on their backs and even games like the modern-day chicken fight.

Girls generally played games that were less physical and less competitive.