emale dancers and singers were not viewed as prostitutes and women of ill repute as they were in other cultures of the time. Dancers and singers, especially including the women, were revered as talented and vital to Egyptian society.The manufacture of mats, and baskets was also woman’s job. These tasks were performed at the home by the mother and wife. She made enough to supply her family’s needs, and extra could be used for bartering at the market; an opportunity for a woman to asset her independence. Weaving was not just a domestic concern. Excavations have shown workshops attached to large households. Inside women took part in the process of weaving, from the first to the final stages of production. Lists of indentured servants have been found, the names on them of a non-Egyptian origin. These servants were employed at these workhouses. They were coveted assets, their foreign styles and skills added a bit of glamour to the work.Women were also largely involved in the process of bread baking and beer brewing. Just like textiles, the wealthy passed these tasks onto hired workers. Bread baking and beer brewing were even larger industries than textiles though. Bread and Beer were needed by both the temples for their daily offerings and by the government to supply the great feasts put on by the pharaoh and the other powerful leaders. In reliefs, huge workshops are shown attached to temples and government buildings. These picture showed only women engaged in the more mundane and simple stages of production like grinding and sifting. They were not limited to these jobs; some women worked alongside of men as they mashed bread and mixed it with water to make the beer.The Pharonic government was involved in many major productions. For these jobs, citizens were drafted into work; women were eligible for these positions. The majority of them were called upon to be weavers of the baskets, ropes, and mats important to ...
