User:JoshTheRoman/Egyptians

The Egyptians (Latin: Aegypti) are an based around the northern, inhabiting the nation state of Egypt. Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the to the, and enclosed by desert both to the  and to the. This unique geography has been the basis of the development of Egyptian society since the. If regarded as a single ethnic group, the Egyptian people constitute one of the world's largest. The vernacular language of the Egyptians is the local variety of Latin, known as Egyptian. The vast majority of Egyptians follow Tavism.

Religion
      Main Article: Tavism

Rituals

 * Day of Purification (Male) - This is a circumcision ceremony is held on the thirteenth birthday of an Egyptian boy, during which they are taken to a Tavist temple. The ritual is attended by the entirety of the boy's family, including extended members such as aunts and uncles. The ceremony is initiated by the boy taking a dose of anesthetic, putting him to sleep. Historically, instead of anesthetic, a small dose opium was used instead. After this, a team of priests and priestesses would then circumcise the boy, who his entire family would witness, marking his entry into Tavism.
 * Day of Purification (Female) - This is a ceremony held after a girl's first menstruation, or menarche, at about the age of thirteen. Following their menarche, girls are not to wash until they are able to arrive at a Tavist temple. After arriving at the temple, along with family, the girl is stripped of her clothes and undergarments and steps into a large pool. After this, the child is cleansed by a priestess, after which a priest says "I hereby declare this person a true follower"; after which the girl is brought down into the water for at least three seconds, and rises up, as a Tavist. After this, the ceremony is officially complete, the procession erupts in celebration.

Appearance
Egyptians are the epitome of Mediterranean appearance: tanned skin with dark eye color, moderate lips, round face, and of shorter, but average build. However, Egyptian men quickly become very tanned as they are out in the sun more, while women become light brown, also due to the sun.

What is considered attractive for females directly correlates to childbirth: wide hips and an ample bosom. Facial beauty is a wide concern among Egyptian women, and no woman goes in public without makeup or other cosmetics, even teenagers. Black, detailed eyeliner is a notable staple of Egyptian makeup worn by almost all Egyptian women. On the other hand, what is considered attractive for males are strong forearms, a strong back and toned abdomen is also desirable.

The most desirable face for a man is to have a full beard, but it should look like it is carefully shaven down to the face. To not have a beard is viewed as unmanly and feminine, but to let it grow off the face wildly is seen as dirty and unkempt. For women, big eyes, plump, but curved and delicate lips, with a round face are most desirable. Historically, before modern medicine, whichever woman who had the most children was deemed the most attractive, fertile, successful, and was to be praised; while men often also bragged about how many children they had. However, with the advent of the modern era, modern medicine also came, and infant mortality dropped, meaning that this tradition eventually disappeared.

Language
      Main Article: Egyptian

The vast majority of the Roman population speaks Egyptian, a language descended from, while also incorporating several aspects of the. Historically, the average Egyptian was not literate, and only the upper class non-farmers were. However, this quickly changed with the advent of the modern age, as many people moved into cities and abandoned farming, getting their children educated in the process to work new jobs.

Names
The technique of Egyptian naming is the same as similiar nations in the West, including Rome. The normal Egyptian name starts off with a given name, or praenomen, and a surname, or nomen. Although most of the ancient Egyptian language is gone in modern Egypt, ancient Egyptian are still predominant, and are given as praenomen. In addition to this, the vast majority of Egyptian surnames are of ancient Egyptian origin, often named after a common ancestor or a characteristic of the family, i.e: hairy. Surnames originally started out as a given name, but they eventually became hereditary, thus somebody's surname may be another's given name, and giving a child the same given name as their surname is always avoided. Egyptians are called by the Praenomen in casual settings, and nomen in formal settings. Here is an example of a female Egyptian name:
 * (Praenomen) Nefertiti (Nomen) Aahmas

Family
At the core of Egyptian society is the family. There is tremendous pride in one's family, and lineage is traced through both the mother's and father's lines. Respect for one's parents was a cornerstone of morality, and the most fundamental duty of the eldest son, occasionally daughter is to care for his parents in their last days and to ensure that they received a proper funeral. The father of the household has equal authority as the mother of the household, his wife, who jointly held dominion over their children. Both mother and father are considered equals in decision-making, and economic matters.

Although equal in family matters, boys and girls are both educated differently. Girls are educated in the arts, dancing, singing, raising children, cooking, and house making; while boys are educated in the sciences, running, swimming, and other athletics. When married, the couple is expected to take care of the household equally, and both mother and father are to share equal responsibility in raising children.

Throughout history and in the modern age, Women are allowed to make economic decisions on their own. A woman in Egypt is able to own property in her own right and, if married, can own joint property with her husband. Property that a woman acquires on her own was hers to dispose of as she pleased, and any property acquired during a marriage becomes “joint property”. And if the husband should dispose of any joint property, he is legally bound to compensate his wife with property of the same value.

Marriage
Once a young man is well into adolescence, it was appropriate for him to seek a partner and begin his own family. Females are thought to be ready for marriage after their first menses, typically from thirteen to fourteen. The marrying age of males is a little older, from at least 16 to 20 years of age, because they had to become established and be able to support a family.

Virginity is not a source of concern in a marriage; indeed, premarital sex, or any sex between unmarried people, is socially acceptable. However, once married, couples are expected to be sexually faithful to each other until the marriage ends; historically under the penalty of death, however, in the modern age, the only consequence for adultery is a massive fine of 50% of one's wealth.

The act of marriage itself was relatively simple. Most frequently, boys between the ages of fourteen and twenty confronts and proposes to a young teenage girl, and if she accepts, the couple is thus betrothed. The wedding ceremony itself would first start off by the groom giving the bride and the bride's family a heap of gifts, after which a Tavist priest commences several minor religious rituals. Following these customs and traditions, the attendance erupts in celebration, in which numerous jugs of beer are consumed. After the celebration, the groom carries the bride to his house, where the marriage is consummated. However, the marriage is not actually considered complete until the bride fully moves out of her parent's house and into her husband's house.



The birth of a child was a time of great joy as well as, historically, one of serious concern given the high rate of infant mortality (especially high in Egypt throughout history) and the stress of childbirth on the mother. Childbirth was viewed as a natural phenomenon and not an illness, so assistance in childbirth was usually carried out by a midwife, and in the modern day, of course, it is carried out in a hospital.

One of the best ways to maintain a healthy infant in the hot, humid bacteria-breeding grounds of Egypt, was by breast-feeding. In addition to the transfer of antibodies through mother's milk, breast-feeding also offered protection from food-born diseases. Prolonged lactation also offered a number of health advantages to the mother. Primarily, it reduces the chance of conceiving another child too soon by hormonally suppressing ovulation, which allows the mother more time between pregnancies. The three-year period for suckling a child recommended in vast works of Egyptian literature. Due to this primary concern among mothers, breastfeeding in public is not an uncommon sight. Since exposed breasts are not viewed as immodest or sexual. After about three years, more or less, the child is then weaned and introduced to solid foods.

Although the institution of marriage was taken seriously, divorce is not uncommon. Divorce was, no doubt, a matter of disappointment but certainly not one of disgrace, and it was very common for divorced people to remarry. In theory divorce was an easy matter, in reality it was probably an undertaking complicated enough to motivate couples to stay together, especially when property was involved. Divorce is very much more discouraged if a couple has had children. When a woman chooses to divorce--if the divorce was uncontested--she could leave with what she had brought into the marriage plus one-third of the marital joint property. If the husband left the marriage he was liable to a fine or payment of support.

Jobs
Shortly after graduation from high school, an Egyptian man would get the highest-paying job as soon as possible, to seem more wealthy and attractive to a young wife. If possible, he would also move out of his parent's house as soon as possible, and get his own, to seem even more wealthy. Once all of this was achieved, he could possibly woo a wife, who would then move in with him. The average Egyptian man retires in his sixties, after which they stop working and start to enjoy the leisure of life, pursuing their personal hobbies.

Lower class women, like men, are expected to take up jobs. Jobs a woman might get are usually minor, feminine and less stressful. Such jobs include becoming a musician, servant, singer, stewards at a tavern, composer, dancer, baker, nurse, or brewer. However, women can also take up higher jobs, becoming an administrator, supervisor, judge, overseer, governor, doctors, or even ministers if they are willing to deal with the work. A woman is to receive the same amount of money as a man in any Egyptian community as well. However, middle class and upper class women are able to rely on their husbands for most of their money, and do not have to work, instead, maintaining the household and raising children.

The quest of managing the household is that of the woman and man. They must both care for the children, prepared food, and cleaned. In wealthy households, servants do much of the work around the house. However, most aristocratic, upper-class men and women have servants to raise children for them, instead dedicating their time to work or leisure. Egyptian workdays are moderately long, lasting about seven hours, from dawn to about two or three o'clock in the afternoon. Egyptians can typically expect about six weeks of vacation per year, typically during and around the hottest months of the year.

Education
The education of an Egyptian child, both girl and boy starts as soon as possible, typically at the age of five years old, two years after the child has been weaned from their mother's teat. From here, children enter elementary school, where they learn the fundamentals of life, how the world works, math, and language. This is also where both boys and girls first learn how to swim, and boys, how to run, sprint, and do other activities of the sort. Children attend this until they they reach the age of ten.

After graduation elementary school at the age of ten, Egyptian boys and girls enter high school. Here, Egyptian children continue to be taught in mathematics, science, history, and language. In addition to this, most schools also require students to learn Latin, closely related to the modern Egyptian language. Other than these basic subjects, Egyptian children also choose their future career paths here, which can be from doctoring, studying in law, or to a life in politics. Egyptian girls are taught how to cook, brew, raise children, be good wives, and maintain the household. On the other hand, boys are taught how to be good husbands, raise children, swim, fight, and sail boats. Egyptian boys and girls attend high school until the age of sixteen, where they graduate and enter the workforce. By this time, at sixteen, most Egyptian girls have been married to a boy about four years her senior; and Egyptian boys are looking for a wife.

Shelter
Historically, most houses were made of brick. The banks of the Nile provided the mud used to make bricks. Brick makers collected mud, added straw and water to it as needed, and stomped it with their feet until it reached the right consistency. The mixture was then placed in a mould. Once shaped, the bricks were removed from the mould and left on the ground to dry in the sun. Peasants would have lived in simple mud-brick homes containing only a few pieces of furniture: beds, stools, boxes and low tables. Artisans lived in one- or two-storey flat-roofed dwellings made of mud bricks. The walls and roof would have been covered with plaster and painted. Inside, there was a reception room, a living room, bedrooms and a cellar in which food and beverages were stored. Food was prepared in an outdoor kitchen equipped with a mud-brick oven. Stairs on the exterior of the house led to a roof-top terrace.



The homes of the wealthy were larger and more luxurious. Spacious reception and living rooms opened onto a central garden courtyard with a fish pond and flowering plants. Each bedroom had a private bathroom, and the walls, columns and ceilings were painted with beautiful designs inspired by nature. Elaborate and highly decorated furniture included beds, chairs, boxes and tables. Painted clay pots and vessels, as well as alabaster bowls and jars, were also found in the homes of the nobles.

In the modern day, and like most of the modern world, houses are made out of steel frames and wood boards, with strong emphasis on ancient Egyptian style. Basic, cheaper houses are usually one-level single-family houses, comprising of a small reception room, a living room for relaxing, two to four bedrooms, and a kitchen. These houses almost ways have a stairway leading to the roof, which frequently serve as an outdoor living room or kitchen. This type of housing is usually used by small families.

Larger, more elaborate houses followed the general design of ancient noble houses, with spacious reception and living rooms, leading to a central garden courtyard with fish ponds and plants. These houses generally have two, four, to even six bedrooms, for parents, children, and extended family. Almost every wall is decorated with scenes from nature or of something similiar. This type of housing is usually used by larger families.

Food
Egyptians typically start their day off with breakfast, served at dawn. Egyptians also end their day with a meal: dinner, typically served after work, around three o'clock. These dinners can often range in eloquence and grandeur. Normally, the family would eat dinner together, around a table. However eloquent dinner parties are also frequent among friends. During these dinner parties, men and women would be separated unless they were married. Before the food was served, basins and plates were provided with perfumes or incense to spread pleasant smells around the room. Following this, lily flowers and flower collars were handed out and professional dancers, usually young, beautiful women, stripped down nude and entertained their party, playing harps, lutes, and drums. After eating the main course, which could be oxen, ducks, geese, pigeons, fish, or any type of meat in reality, considerable amounts of beer was drank. Sweets such as cake may be also served along with the alcohol.



Food could be prepared by stewing, baking, boiling, grilling, frying, or roasting. Spices and herbs were added for flavor. The absolute staple of Egyptian food is bread and beer. The former of which is what the vast majority of Egyptian foods and recipes are based off; the latter of which was home-brewed by the wife of the household. Frequent snacks are fruits, which are normally dates, figs, grapes, raisins, and pomegranates.

Rowing
The most popular sport in Egypt,, is based on propelling a boat on water using oars. By pushing against the water with an oar, a force is generated to move the boat. The sport can be either recreational, where the focus is on learning the technique of rowing, or competitive, where athletes race against each other in boats. There are a number of different boat classes in which athletes compete, ranging from an individual to an eight-person shell with coxswain, the person who steers the boat, forming a nine person team. Frequently, Egyptians place bets on which team will win, although in most higher-ranking leagues, official betting and gambling is banned to prevent match fixing. The official racing boats are long, narrow, and broadly semicircular in cross-section in order to reduce drag to a minimum.

Swimming
is the second most popular sport in Egypt. Self-explanatory, the goal of competitive swimming is to break records or to win a race between a group of swimmers by reaching the finish line first. Swimming in competition should create the least resistance in order to obtain maximum speed, meaning that competitive and recreational swimmers swim in the nude, with completely waxed or shaven hair. Typically, an athlete goes through a cycle of training in which the body is overloaded with work in the beginning and middle segments of the cycle, and then the workload is decreased in the final stage as the swimmer approaches competition. The forms of stroke can vary by the competition itself from, , , to the.

Men
During the weekdays, an adult Egyptian gets up early, bathes, eats breakfast with his family, gets ready for work, and heads off. Work is conducted all morning, adding to the wild hustle and bustle of the their town or city. Jobs are largely city-based, and can range from warehouse manager, to doctor, nurse, banker, lawyer, carpenter, engineer, architect, foreman, laborer cashier, a cleric for an office, and hundreds of more jobs. Work carries through noon and into the afternoon. Egyptians often take an hour-long break at noon to avoid working in the hot sun. The average Egyptian man typically works a seven hour workday, from dawn to late afternoon.

His work done in the afternoon, the Egyptian would then be free to spend his day as he wants, heading the markets, perhaps to read the daily news which would be hung up in public places, or maybe to watch a rowing competition taking place by the Nile. By dusk, the day would come to a close, before one would finally retire for dinner at home with family, or perhaps a dinner party or banquet with dancers and incense with friends.

Women
Egyptian women share similiar schedules as men. The average woman gets up early, bathes prepares and eats breakfast with her family, gets ready for work, and heads off, but not before seeing her children being sent off to school. Work is conducted all morning, adding to the wild hustle and bustle of the their town or city. Jobs are largely city-based, and can range from warehouse manager, to hairdresser, nurse, banker, teacher, governor, to a cleric for an office, and hundreds of more jobs. Work carries through noon and into the afternoon. Egyptians often take an hour-long break at noon to avoid working in the hot sun. The average Egyptian woman typically works a seven hour workday, from dawn to late afternoon.

Her work done in the afternoon, the woman would then be free to spend his day as she wants, heading the markets, perhaps to read the daily news which would be hung up in public places, or maybe to watch a rowing competition taking place by the Nile. By dusk, the day would come to a close, before one would finally retire for dinner at home with family, or perhaps a dinner party or banquet with dancers and incense with friends.This of course, is only the case for lower and middle-class women, as upper-class, aristocratic women often have servants to do any work for them and do not have to worry about income or money. Thus, they spend the day on their personal hobbies or interests.

Clothing
During very hot days of the year, Egyptians of both sexes and all classes wear nothing for everyday activities, due to the uselessness of clothes during the hot weather. However, when clothes are worn, they are usually made out of linen or other breathable fabrics. Throughout history, clothing was more of a sign of wealth and fashion than necessity. Even to the modern day, most clothes are bleached white, in order to absorb less heat. Up unto the modern era, Egyptians used to go bald and wear wigs to ward away lice, but that practice eventually fell out of use due to technological advances.

Main Dress
Egyptian men usually wear a loincloth or kilt-like garment known as the shenti, which is belted at the waist, sometimes pleated or gathered in the front. They can vary in length and style, as they can extend to the thighs and knees for labor or athletics, and then even the ankles for formal wear. The shenti could also be brought up from the back to cover the groin area from below as well. The shendyt is almost always worn topless except for formal events. Historically, very wealthy noblemen had their shentis starched, making it stick out far into the front, symbolizing an erection. However, this practice fell out of use by the 1000's. For formal events, Egyptian men wear a light tunic, a long shirt of Roman origin extending down to the hips with short sleeves. In addition to this long shirt, a shenti is worn a bottom garment. The tunic can also be worn tucked into the shenti.

Footwear
Although most of the time, Egyptians go completely barefoot, footwear is the same for both genders. The most common type of footwear are sandals. Sandals are worn on special, formal occasions, at times when feet might get hurt, or on very hot days, when the ground is extremely hot. Historically, and in the modern day, farmers on the Nile used closed shoes, or boots that come above the ankle to prevent any ailment to the feet.

Main Dress
Egyptian women often wear simple sheath dresses called kalasiris. These dresses are held up by one or two straps and were worn down to the ankle or knees, while the upper edge could be worn above or below the breasts. Younger women often show off their breasts by wearing it below the breasts, and a woman is expected it to wear it above the breast after they reach their mid-thirties. The kalasiris is only cut short by the knees for more athletic or laborious activities. Beading or feathers can be used as an embellishment on the dress. Over the  kalasiris , women had a wide choice of wearing shawls, capes, or robes, or bare. The design of the kalasiris itself can vary wildly. Popular variants include transparent, plain, or even designed like a fishnet, exposing the skin beneath it.

Footwear
Although most of the time, Egyptians go completely barefoot, footwear is the same for both genders. The most common type of footwear are sandals. Sandals are worn on special, formal occasions, at times when feet might get hurt, or on very hot days, when the ground is extremely hot. Historically, and in the modern day, farmers on the Nile used closed shoes, or boots that come above the ankle to prevent any ailment to the feet.

Jewelry and Cosmetics
The heat of the region requires Egyptian women to pay considerable attention to their skin and appearance for reasons of good health as much as vanity. When going out, almost all women wear a form of eyeliner, usually black, to eliminate glare from the sun. Younger women and teens especially use a variety of colors such as blue, green, and more. Make-up is almost always worn, only not to be worn on hot days, where it might melt away.For formal events, bracelets, anklets, earrings, and even nose rings are worn. Before marriage, teenage girls almost always wear anklets, fixed on their ankles. However, they are abandoned after marriage as a sign of maturity. However, women of all ages can be found wearing, a temporary tattoo, especially near their ankles or hands. Only until the modern age women shaved their heads and wore wigs, in order to eliminate the problem of lice. However, this fell out of practice by the 1700s completely.

Children
Egyptian children of both genders wear nothing until the Day of Purification, typically at the ages of thirteen for both boys and girls. After thirteen, they wear the respective clothing of their gender. Children before thirteen years of age also wear a side-lock, with half their head shaved off, as a sign of youth.