Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

Emmer wheat and barley were the two staple foods of ancient Egypt. Every year the fertile regions of Egypt would have been covered with crops of these two cereals, and the lives of the vast majority of the population—the non-royal, non-scribal rural peoples—would have revolved around growing and processing cereals. Cereal production and processing were such vital parts of life that these activities were depicted on the walls of non-royal (“elite”) tombs among the repertoire of daily-life activities. Additionally, small models showing these activities, as well as baskets of cereal grains, were placed inside the tombs in order to ensure an eternal supply of cereals to the deceased in the afterlife. Due to the close association of the god Osiris with cereals, fertility, and the afterlife, Osiris beds or bricks also became popular additions to the funerary equipment in later periods.