Hard Life. Peasants and farmers were illiterate. They left no records of their own. Thus, all that scholars know of them depends on descriptions written by professional scribes and paintings and sculpture created by professional craftsmen. Archaeologists have discovered baskets, plows, sickles, and sieves used by farmers and peasants. All the sources agree that the farmer's life was extremely hard. He suffered from a high rate of disease and probably was not the recipient of the best medical care available.

The Masses. Most people in ancient Egypt were farmers and peasants. In all periods these individuals were tied to the land. It did not matter if the land was owned by the king, the temple, or entrusted to a nobleman. The farmer's life varied little.

Constant Labor. Papyrus Anastasi II provides a description of the farmer's life from a...