
The Swamp People of Ancient Egypt
An old relief shows a group of swamp men in a campsite surrounded by papyrus floatation collars for their cattle, reed fish traps, their dog, a papyrus basket with jugs, clay stoves and papyrus reed fans roasting geese and sorting papyrus stems. When these ancient marsh men relaxed in the evening on their papyrus reed boats or floating homes, someone would be bound to pick up a lute, flute or drum, or they would face off in light-hearted jousting contests with long poles on papyrus skiffs. The winners must have been treated to barley beer, the brew of choice for thousands of years along the Nile.
An old relief shows a group of swamp men in a campsite surrounded by papyrus floatation collars for their cattle, reed fish traps, their dog, a papyrus basket with jugs, clay stoves and papyrus reed fans roasting geese and sorting papyrus stems. When these ancient marsh men relaxed in the evening on their papyrus reed boats or floating homes, someone would be bound to pick up a lute, flute or drum, or they would face off in light-hearted jousting contests with long poles on papyrus skiffs. The winners must have been treated to barley beer, the brew of choice for thousands of years along the Nile.