Ancient Egypt Vol. 4 Study Guide

Ancient Egypt Vol. 4 Study Guide

Economy & Trade

Grain Banks

Barter

Metal Weights

Bread and Beer

Land Transportation

Once goods were unloaded, goods were hauled to various merchants by camel, cart, and on foot. (Donkeys were used by farmers, not traders usually.). Egyptian traders met traders from other civilizations just beyond the mouth of the Nile, to trade goods for them, but they did not often travel themselves much beyond the Nile River.

Multiple Choice

Egyptian merchants traveled far beyond the Nile River to trade with merchants from other countries.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which of these resources is not listed as commonly traded by Ancient Egyptian merchants.

• gold

• papyrus

• linen

• grain

• wood (for building houses)

Multiple Choice

The Nile River was ancient Egypt's most valuable resource when it came to their trade and economy.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Donkeys were more often used by traders to transport goods, than for work in the fields by farmers.

• True

• False

Goods, both imported and created by craftsmen at home, were purchased in four main ways - using grain banks, a barter system, metal weights, and bread and beer.

The Grain Banks: The grain banks worked like this: First you deposited grain into one of the huge state grain warehouses. Then, when you wanted to purchase something, you pulled some of your grain out of the grain bank. Of course there was a fee for this, paid in grain.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was not mentioned (in the previous slide) as a form of payment for goods purchased, as used by the ancient Egyptians.

• grain banks

• fish baskets

• a barter system

• metal weights

• bread and beer

Multiple Choice

Rather than depositing money into a bank for safe keeping, Egyptian farmers would deposit ___________.

• meat

• vegetables

• cow hides

• grain

BARTER: to exchange (goods or services) for other goods or services without using money.

There was a complex barter system in ancient Egypt that worked like this: On certain days, and in some major cities everyday, people gathered in public marketplaces. They showed their wares and traded for other goods. 

Metal Weights: The Egyptians started using coins around 500 BCE. But prior to that, they used a system of metal weights. Metal was not exchanged. It was just used to measure value. A deben, for example, was composed of about 3 ounces of metal, typically silver or copper. A deben had a set value. The weight of the goods were weighted and compared to the weight and value of a deben. That's how goods were priced.

Bread and Beer: Both bread and beer were used to pay some workers. This form of payment was not only for the lower classes. Everyone in ancient Egypt loved beer and bread. They were staple foods and popular forms of payment.

Multiple Choice

To "barter" is to _______.

• exchange (goods or services) for other goods or services without using money.

• make a lot of money on the stock market.

• converse with someone who speaks Egyptian fluently.

• make a bid for an item of value at an auction.

Multiple Choice

Where would the ancient Egyptians gather to show their wares and trade for other goods.

• down by the river banks

• out in the middle of nowhere

• in public marketplaces

• behind closed doors

Multiple Choice

Before using coins, Egyptians used a system of_______ to determine the value of the goods to be traded.

• clay beads

• wood tablets

• fake money

• metal weights

Multiple Choice

Metal was not exchanged prior to the use of coins, it was just used to measure value.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

A deben (unit of measure) was composed of about ________ of metal, typically silver or copper.

• 3 pounds

• 3 tons

• 3 ounces

• 3 tablespoons

Multiple Choice

Bread and beer were popular forms of payment used only among the lower classes.

• True

• False