Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Feasts: Feeding an Empire at Per-Ramesses
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses's monuments, his wars, his diplomacy. But today, I want to think about something more basic — how did you actually feed a city like Per-Ramesses? We're talking maybe three hundred thousand people at its peak, and that's just the capital. Luna: That's an enormous number. How did they even get enough grain? Lucas: Well, Egypt was the breadbasket of the ancient world, but even so, it took a massive logistical operation. The state controlled the harvest. Farmers would bring their grain to local granaries, and then it was shipped down the Nile to Per-Ramesses. The city had these huge silos — we've found evidence of them near the temples and the palace. Lucas: And it wasn't just grain. They needed beer — and I mean a lot of beer. Beer was a dietary staple, not just a recreational drink. Workers were paid in bread and beer. The daily ration for a laborer was something like ten loaves and two jugs of beer. Luna: Two jugs a day? That's a lot. Lucas: It sounds like a lot, but the alcohol content was low — maybe two or three percent. It was a source of calories and hydration. And the brewing was done on an industrial scale. We have records from the temple of Amun at Karnak — they produced thousands of gallons every year for offerings and for the priests. Lucas: But the really impressive thing is the feasts. Ramses was known for throwing massive banquets. You'd have roasted oxen, geese, fish from the Nile, all sorts of vegetables — leeks, onions, garlic, lettuce. And then for sweets, dates and honey cakes. Luna: Did they have wine as well? Lucas: Yes, wine was a luxury, but it was produced in the Delta. There were vineyards around Per-Ramesses itself. The wine was often flavored with herbs or resins. They stored it in amphorae labeled with the vintage and the vineyard. So you could have a fine Egyptian red, if you were wealthy. Lucas: But these feasts weren't just about showing off. They had a religious function. The king would offer food to the gods — huge quantities of meat, bread, beer, and wine — and then the priests would redistribute it to the people. It was a way of maintaining maat — cosmic order — and also keeping the population fed and loyal. Luna: So the temples were like state-run food banks? Lucas: Exactly. The temple of Amun at Per-Ramesses alone had vast storage facilities. And then there were the smaller temples for Ptah, for Sekhmet, for Wadjet. Each one had its own economic role. Ramses built temples not just for worship but as economic anchors. Lucas: And it wasn't just grain and beer. They also raised cattle on a massive scale. We have records from the reign of Ramses III — a later pharaoh, but the system was similar — listing tens of thousands of cattle belonging to the temples. They were branded with the god's mark. So when you had a feast, you'd slaughter hundreds of animals at once. Luna: What about the common people — did they ever get to eat meat? Lucas: Probably not regularly. Fish was the main protein for most people. The Nile was full of tilapia, catfish, perch. They'd dry or salt it for storage. But meat was a special occasion — usually associated with festivals or temple distributions. So a royal feast was a big deal. Lucas: Of course, there was a darker side. If the harvest failed, you had famine. Ramses's reign was mostly prosperous, but we have inscriptions from later periods that describe years of hunger. The state had to manage the surplus carefully — too much distribution and you run out; too little and you risk revolt. Luna: Did they have any systems in place for that? Lucas: They did. The granaries were designed to hold several years' worth of grain. And the administration kept meticulous records — we have papyri that list daily rations for workers, for soldiers, for priests. It was a bureaucratic marvel. The vizier, the highest official, was personally responsible for the food supply. Lucas: And then there was the role of the river. The Nile's flood was the key. If it was too low, you got drought. If it was too high, you got floods that destroyed crops. The Egyptians built canals and dikes to manage it, but they were always at the mercy of the flood. So feasts were also a way of thanking the gods for a good harvest. Luna: It makes you appreciate how fragile it all was. Lucas: Absolutely. But when it worked, it was spectacular. Imagine a feast at the temple of Ptah in Per-Ramesses. Thousands of people gather. Priests in white linen, the king in his regalia. They offer a bull to the god, then it's butchered and roasted. There's beer and wine flowing, music, dancing. It's a celebration of life and order. Luna: I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Lucas: Me too. But it's a good reminder — Ramses wasn't just a builder and a warrior. He was also a provider. The feasts were part of his image as the shepherd of his people. Lucas: One more thing. We have actual menus from some feasts. At the funeral feast of a nobleman, the list includes bread, beer, oxen, geese, pigeons, fish, figs, and wine. It's remarkably detailed. So we know exactly what they ate. Luna: Do we know how it was cooked? Lucas: For meat, they roasted it on spits or boiled it in pots. They had ovens for bread. They used spices like cumin, coriander, and salt. They also made a kind of fermented fish sauce called 'pa' — like a precursor to Roman garum. So the flavors were complex. Lucas: And for the sweet tooth, they had honey. Egypt was famous for its beekeeping. They'd make honey cakes, or just eat dates and figs. Dessert was a thing. Luna: It sounds like a pretty good life, if you were at the top. Lucas: If you were the king or a high priest, absolutely. But for the average farmer, it was a lot of bread and beer. Still, the feasts were a social leveler — everyone got something. And that's part of what made Ramses's rule so successful. He kept people fed, and they kept him on the throne. Lucas: So next time you sit down for a big meal, think of Per-Ramesses — a city where the smell of baking bread and roasting meat filled the air, and where the king's generosity was literally on display. Luna: I'll definitely think about that. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: You're welcome, Luna. And there's so much more we could say about the economics of food in ancient Egypt — but that's for another episode.