An Ancient Egyptian Fruit Basket

Figs were very common in ancient Egypt. Not only were they eaten fresh, but dried figs were used in baked goods as well. This scene shows the figs being harvested, with three baboons in the tree. Were they trained to help harvest, or were they stealing the figs? Well, they are not being chased away, so maybe they were indeed happy helpers who got to eat some figs as a reward.           

Pomegranates arrived in Egypt from western Asia sometime at the beginning of the New Kingdom (ca. 1550 BCE). They soon became indispensable in both life and in funerary worlds. They were eaten, juiced, and perhaps even made into wine. They also possessed medicinal and astringent properties. In death, they were an important item in food offerings depicted on tomb walls. Decorative vessels were often made in the shape of pomegranates. The larger yellow vessel you can see in this picture one may have been used to serve pomegranate juice meant for drinking, and the smaller green vessel, which resembles an unripe fruit, may have contained the sour juice of unripe pomegranates intended for medical uses.       

The persea tree was holy to the ancient Egyptians. It was associated with the gods and protected the kings. Additionally, names of kings were believed to have been written onto the leaves of trees by Thoth, god of writing and wisdom, once they acceded to the throne. Persea no longer grows in Egypt, and specialists have often debated its exact identification.  

Grapes were one of the most popular foods in ancient Egypt. Fresh, dried, or pressed to produce wine, grapes were used in a variety of ways. Even the raisins were incorporated in baked goods and possibly as sweeteners in beverages. They were a key offering in tombs, and scenes of vineyards and wine production often decorated the walls. Here, we can see hanging bunches of plump, juicy grapes decorating a jar fragment from Malqata ca. 1390–1353 BCE.