Section A: Egyptian Economy and Trade

Name: Date:

Using Chapter Two in Echoes from the Past: World History to the 16th Century, the website on Ancient Egypt Economy, your scrapbooks and the internet as sources, complete the following assignment on Egypt’s economy and trade.

Overview of Egyptian Trade:

Topic / Description and Impact on Egypt
Land Routes
Sea Routes
Types of Imports
Types of Exports

Egyptian Trade Routes

On this map of the Mediterranean, indicate the flow of trade goods to and from Eygpt. Make your map visually appealing by using arrows to indicate the flow of good, labelling your map and incorporating relevant images.

Domestic Economy

  1. Bartering System:
  2. Define the bartering system
  3. What were the first forms of currency or coinage to exchange for items?
  4. How were these first forms problematic?
  5. Explain how this system evolved into using metals and foreign coins.
  6. What were the units used to measure currency? Provide 3 examples of what these units mean in terms of what you can purchase.
  7. Wages:
  8. How did the general population get paid?
  9. Provide examples in chart form of how much workers, physicians and scribes get paid for their services.
  1. Prices:
  2. Look over the list of prices for typical goods. How much would it cost to sustain a family for week with typical items?
  3. In accordance to wages, do you believe that workers, physicians and scribes can live comfortably? Provide reasons.
  1. Taxation:
  2. Who are responsible for the collection of taxes?
  3. How are taxes extracted?
  4. What are the types of goods taxed in this economy?
  5. What rules were in place to prevent exploitation/corruption of officials?
  1. Complete the following chart about the different industries in Ancient Egypt economy:

Industry / Description and Impact on Egypt
Farming and Fishing
Manufacturing
Mining
Commerce and Banking
Energy
Warfare
Slavery

Section B: Character Development

This section contains three sub-sections and will focus on:

  1. Character description
  2. Relation to Trade
  3. Product Development

The first step is to select the role you will play in the class trade fair. Once you have chosen your role, you must develop your character in depth. Please note that this trade fair is warped in time and you may choose a character that comes from a different era than your group members. In paragraph form, please answer the following questions:

  1. Character Description:
  1. Personal Profile:

Include the following elements

Egyptian Name

Occupation

Date of Birth

Age

Residence

Ruling period

  1. Personal History:

Include the following elements

Family history

Living circumstances

Measure of Wealth

  1. Historical Significance

Include the following elements

Societal Role

Power Struggles

Contribution(s) to society

  1. Dress:

Sketch out what your character looks like in terms of costume and describe the symbolism.

  1. Relation to Trade

In paragraph form, make connections from your character to the economy. What role does your character play in the part of trade? How did the character get involved in this trade? How does he/she contribute to the economy? What does the character use for bartering? Does your character involve in domestic or international trade? Import, export or both?

Officials

In your groups, you may each select a different role from the following list:

Scribe – x2

Aristocrat – x3

Farmers and Merchants

In your groups, you may each select a different role from the following list:

Farmers:

Grain

Vegetables and Fruits

Livestock

Fish

Merchants/Trades:

Linen

Beer

Jewelry

Cosmetics

Gold, Silver and gem trader

Medicine

Baked goods

Tools

Slaves and Labourers

In your groups, you may each select a different role from the following list:

Slave:

Aristocratic (servant)

Warfare (soldier)

Manual Labour:

Mining

Buildings

Section B - #3 Product Development

Farmers and Merchants

  1. List the products that you have a surplus of, and could sell.
  1. What products do you need to purchase in order to create/manufacture your product?
  1. Which products do you need to sustain your lifestyle for you and your family?
  1. Mission Development:

Consider all the products that you will need to sustain your lifestyle, and purchases you need in order to operate your business. You have 10 deben worth of goods (in the form of products) and 4 deben copper. (This is your wage for the month.) In a T diagram, list the products you are selling (worth 10 deben) and list the products you need (14 deben). This is to determine what you need to acquire.

  1. For each product(s), create a diagram demonstrating what you are willing to exchange in return. Draw up one diagram for products that you are selling, and another for products that you need.

E.g. Ms. Lau’s Baked Goods

Product for sale / Exchanged Goods
1 Apple Pie / Half yard linen, 2 potatoes and 5 oranges, half sack of grain, 1 kg corn, 1 deben, 1 pint beer
Product needed / Exchanged Goods
5 Apples / One pie, 5 oranges, one bunch celery, 1/2 sack of wheat, 1 deben
  1. What does your product look like? Make models of the product(s) you are selling. You may use internet images, or make your own!

Section B - #3 Product Development

Officials

  1. Your wage is 25 deben each, gained by collecting taxes on behalf of the pharaoh. Considering this, and the wages of farmers and merchants (18 deben), determine how much tax you need to gather from each farmer and merchant. (Divide the amount to all the officials in your group. I.e. 5 officials = 25x5 deben divided by number of merchants/farmers).
  1. Besides collecting taxes, your second job is to determine a fair price list for the market. Research the types of products being offered and develop a fair price list according to deben. This price list will be posted at the fair and you are to enforce this list to all transactions. (Make it big so everyone can see!) See the website for examples.
  1. You will also be required to gather slaves and labourers. The pharaoh has given you 50 deben to acquire servants, miners, soldiers and builders. Determine how much you are willing to pay for their services.
  1. At the fair, you are to record 25-30 transactions taken place, in order to enforce fair trade. Design a diagram that would allow you to record these transactions.
  1. Considering that you have many duties to fill (collect tax, enforcing price, bartering for slaves/labourers, distributing the wealth and recording transactions), divide the tasks evenly and effectively in your group. Record this division.

Section B - #3 Product Development

Slave and Labourers

  1. You are eligible to sell your sevices for up to 12 deben depending on how complicated your labour is. Consider how much you are willing to sell your labour for if you were to be a servant, a soldier, a miner or a builder.
  1. You need to buy enough food, linens in order to sustain living. You also need to buy medicines to aid your ailing health. Draw a T chart listing the items you need and its cost. This is to help you determine how much you need to acquire from selling your labour.
  1. Your landowner has given you 3 deben to purchase a gift for the mistress. At the trade fair, you are to find the best deal for jewelry and cosmetics. You have an additional 2 deben to purchase tools to help your work. Determine the different combinations of gifts and tools that you can acquire with 5 deben total.
  1. Make a poster advertising your manual labour. You want to attract officials to hire your services. Your poster needs to be attractive, and clearly and effectively highlight your talents.
  1. Write a paragraph outlining why you are the best labourer for officials to hire. What experiences have you had? How many years on the job? What are your specialties? How many years of training? Personal characteristics and work ethics?

Section C: At the Trade Fair

Name:

Occupation:

  1. How much “credit” are you starting off with (deben of copper, worth of product and labour)?
  1. What is your mission for the fair (what are you trying to gain)?
  1. What did you end up with?
  1. Were you successful at the fair and achieve your mission? (circle)

Very successful Moderately successful Barely successful Bombed

  1. Reflection: How did bartering help or hinder your success? Did you or others follow the rules according to ma’at or were you forced to resort to “other ways” to succeed? What did you think of the fair overall? Comments, suggestions?