Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

In Red Land, Black Land Barbara Mertz gives us a fascinating, erudite, and witty glimpse of the human side of ancient Egypt, revealing what everyday life was like for Eyptians from across the social strata. How did they make papyrus? Build a pyramid? How did the men, women, and children of this glorious civilization dress? What did they eat and what were their manners like when they dined—formally and informally? How did they furnish their homes?

Answering these questions and more, Mertz reveals a long-lost world in which temples were once bright with paint; mummies were men, women and children; and tombs were equipped specifically for the enjoyment of life everlasting. As she brings to life Egyptians telling bawdy stories about the gods, getting drunk, writing sentimental poems to their sweethearts, and lecturing sulky children, she shows how their world was surprisingly similar to our own.