Water as a social border in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

In Pharaonic Egypt, efforts were made to drain used water in settlements and cities since the earliest times. In the houses of the elite as well as the palaces of the pharaohs, however, there were not only separate bathrooms, but even toilets; both are attested c. 2700 BC for the first time, while such facilities are not represented in the houses of the lower class. Therefore, the majority of the Egyptians cleaned themselves in the Nile, in canals and ponds. There were no public baths like in the Roman Empire before the Graeco-Roman Period. The existence of bathrooms with water drainage as well as wells in the houses of the upper classes symbolizes a separation between these groups of people. The article presents the archaeological evidence for bathrooms in palaces and elite dwellings, discusses the social implications of water and its use in pharaonic Egypt and tackles the question: is water in principle a boundary between social classes in ancient Egypt, or only evidenced in relation to bathrooms?