Desert of Egypt
Most of its territory lies within northern Africa and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Seasons in this arid desert are generally dry and hot, with few occurrences of rain during the winter. The heat peaks to extremes during the daytime because there are no clouds to shield the earth from the sun's rays. When it does rain, it is typical for the rain to evaporate before even hitting the ground. The soil is usually either sand or coarse, and rocky. Vegetation consists mainly of shrubs and small trees of which have over time evolved to retain water. Most desert life has adapted like this, with animal species being mostly active at night during the cool time of day. The only animals they have that can survive have the ability to burrow under ground because they would not be able to live in the hot sun and heat and only come out in the night when it is a little cooler. Although most of these dry deserts don't have very many plants at all the ones that they do have are low down waxy coated shrubs to retain water. Deserts temperature ranges from 20 to 25° C. The extreme maximum temperature for Hot Desert ranges from 43.5 to 49° C. Cold Deserts temperature in winter ranges from -2 to 4° C and in the summer 21 to 26° C a year. The precipitation in these deserts and the precipitation in cold deserts is different. Hot and Dry Deserts usually have very little rainfall and/or concentrated rainfall in short periods between long rainless periods. This averages out to under 15 cm a year. Cold Deserts usually have lots of snow. They also have average rainfall of about 15 - 26 cm a year. Hot and Dry Deserts are warm throughout the fall and spring seasons and very hot during the summer. The winters usually have very little if any rainfall. Deserts animals include small nocturnal carnivores. There are also insects, reptiles, and birds. Some examples of these animals are Borrowers, Mourning Wheatears, Antelope, Ground Squirrels, Jack Rabbits, and Kangaroo Rats.
May 18th 100 b.C
Our daily life here in Egypt revolve around the sacred Nile, the gods that provide it for us, and the fertile land along its banks. The yearly flooding of the Nile enriches our soil and brings good harvests and wealth to the land for the year to come. Our commoner people build mud brick homes throughout the villages and in the country.vThey use mixtures of sand like cement to create their own homes, about 5 people can reside in each hut. Wealthier people such as myself hire architects to design and build our homes for us with natural cooling systems and string foundations. The Pharaoh has slaves construct his massive pyramids and sculptures day in and day out while we have to see the slave drivers whip them constantly. I am good friends with our pharaoh and spend a lot of time in his temple around his servants and family members, when I am there I am waited on and fed good fruits. Most of the slaves and commoners grow their own food and trade in the villages for the food and goods they could not produce. Most of our Egyptians work as field hands, farmers, craftsmen and scribes. A small group of people such as myself are nobles. We highly value family life and treasure our children and know that they are great blessings from our gods. In the lower class families, mothers raise the children. In my family (wealthy and nobility) we have slaves and servants that help take care of the children by attending to their daily needs. One of my wife and is friend have no children so everyday they pray to the gods and goddesses for help. They also place letters at the tombs of dead relatives asking them to use their influence with the gods. Magic is also used as an attempt to have children. Although women are expected to obey their fathers and husbands, they were equal to us men in many ways. They have the legal rights to participate in business deals, own land, and were expected to represent themselves in court cases. Women even face the same penalties as us men. Even now the wife and mother of our pharaoh are the "real" ruling powers in our government. Queen Hatshepsut was the only woman who ruled out right by declaring herself pharaoh. Our Egyptian wife's and mothers are highly respected in our society. Cooking is done in clay ovens as well as over open fires. Wood is used for fuel, even though it is scarce. Food wis baked, boiled, stewed, fried, grilled, and roasted daily. My servants use storage jars, bowls, pots, pans, ladles, sieves, and whisks in the preparation of food. Most of the commoners use dishes that made of clay, while we wealthy use dishes made of bronze, silver, and gold. Barley beer is the most popular beverage, and my personal favorite that I pick up in the market almost every night on my way home for dinner, while bread is the staple food in our Egyptian diet. Commoners clothes are usually made of linens ranging from coarse to fine texture. Mens main current fashion is a short skirt called a kilt. Women wear a straight fitting dress held up by straps. Us wealthy men wear pleated kilts, and the older men wear a longer kilt. Majority of slaves just wear a loin cloth. Children usually run around nude during the summer months, while in the winter, wraps and cloaks are worn to keep them from getting ill. All of us wealthy people wear divine jewelry made of gold and stones, we have our ears and faces pierced and get our hair lined and shaved weekly. Using coal as an eyeliner is a style must for men and women. For entertainment we do a wide variety of things. Dramatizations were held in the temples, but the most important source of entertainment & relaxation is the Nile river. Activities on the river include fishing, river boat outings, swimming, hunting crocodiles and hippopotamuses, and boat games where two teams of men in boats with long poles, try to push each other into the water. Hunting in the desert is another great pastime, especially for the noblemen. We use our finest horses and chariots when out hunting with a group of men although my wife and I find great entertainment by throwing large extravagant par tie with plenty of food and beer. Life is good as a wealthy Egyptian man.