Set Maat
by R. Cornelius
Along the shores of the Nile, across from the present-day city of Luxor, rests the ruins of an ancient Egyptian town known as Set Maat. The workers that lived in Set Maat built the Valley of the Kings. They constructed over 25 tombs for Egyptian nobles over the course of 500 years. When archaeologists first discovered these ruins, they found a great treasure. They uncovered tens of thousands of scrolls that contain information about daily life. The writings paint a detailed portrait that shows daily life in ancient Egypt to be surprisingly quaint and free.
The laborers who lived in Set Maat were middle class. They enjoyed good salaries, time off from work, and the freedom to raise families and conduct themselves as they saw fit. A police force known as the Medjai patrolled the streets and kept order, but the workers could come and go as they pleased. They could look for work in a different town, worship freely, own property, and inherit property from their parents. Most were literate, as seen by the vast amount of personal correspondence in the discovered writings. Women shopped in markets for cloth, vegetables, fruits, furniture, and many other luxury items. In addition, the Kingdom of Egypt saw to the people’s medical needs, daily bread, and the education of their children. They were not the slaves that past scholars believed them to be. Some of the scrolls even explain that workers went on strike when they were unhappy.
Archaeologists also discovered that the women of Set Maat had remarkable freedoms given that period in history. Ancient Egyptian men treated women fairly. Adultery was a crime. Women were educated to read and write and to manage accounts. They could speak their minds in public, own land and businesses—and many did so. Egyptian law harshly punished crimes against women, and the Egyptian authorities prided themselves on the understanding that a woman could walk the streets at night unmolested. The government even paid for nannies and servants to help homemakers with daily chores. In the event that marriages failed, the courts saw that women were financially secure in the aftermath of divorce.
The scrolls also show a softer side to life in ancient Egypt. Literature of all genres demonstrates a highly developed, compassionate culture that sought to live a balanced, humble existence. Some tell tales of romances and love stories, and others explain morality and justice. They speak of large families that enjoyed a good life together. A scholar could easily make the comparison between an Ancient Egyptian gathering of friends and family and a modern American barbecue where adults chatted about sports and politics, and children played in the yard.
Which sentence from the passage offers support for the thesis, "The writings paint a detailed portrait that shows daily life in ancient Egypt to be surprisingly quaint and free"?
A.
"They constructed over 25 tombs for Egyptian nobles over the course of 500 years."
B.
"Some of the scrolls even explain that workers went on strike when they were unhappy."
C.
"Some tell tales of romances and love stories, and others explain morality and justice."
D.
"They uncovered tens of thousands of scrolls that contain information about daily life."
1 answer
1 answer