woman. She was a woman whose child had died, or who had an excess supply of milk. These nurses stayed with the children until they were weaned, but their relationships were often life long, they have been depicted in the scenes found on the walls of tombs. These nurse were not hired because mothers did not want to be with their children, but rather because the mothers had so many other obligations to the family, her husband. During their first year, mothers would carry their children at all times; the children were carried in slings, either across their mother’s back or shoulder. Once the children had grown up, the boys were sent off for training, and the girls followed their mother around. It then became a mother’s duty to teach their daughters how to weave, to bake, to brew, along with all of the other important skills. The mother tried to prepare her daughter for marriage and childbearing. When they boys left home for schooling, or were sent into the fields to work with their fathers, their mothers were put in charge providing them with their daily rations of food. The daily responsibilities of a wife were to look after the children. She needed to clean both her home and her family’s linen. A wife needed to prepare food and drink for her family. She also was charged with going to the market and procuring needed goods. Because of the dry climate, the wife spent a good portion of her days sweeping and cleaning her home, and washing the dust out of clothes. She would not clean the clothes with soap, but instead she would wash them in the river or a canal, and then pound them clean and dry on a large stone. The largest portion of a woman’s day though was spent preparing and cooking food. The basic diet was made up of bread, onions, cheese, and chickpeas. A wealthy family could afford to supplement their meals with beef, mutton, goat, and at times gazelle and antelope, and with fruits like dates, an...
