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Clothes:
Life was not easy in Bible times and people worked very hard. All
their clothing had to be made by hand. The men would shear the sheep
and then the women would wash the wool and lay it to dry in the sun.
Next, with a spindle, they spun the the wool into threads and then
wove this into cloth on a hand loom.
Food:
The main foods were bread, olives, fruit, vegetables, milk, cheese, and
fish. Bread was the basic food, and had to be made fresh every day.
The women ground the grain into flour and then mixed this with
water and a amount of dough saved from a previous baking to make the bread
rise. The dough was shaped into round, flat cakes which could be
folded over cheese, olives or figs before baking in an oven.
Farming:
Some men were shepherds like king David in his youth. With their
crooks and slingshots they would watch over the sheep and protected them
from wolves and other animals, and that none got lost. Many farmers
grew olives, others who had vineyards of which were used for food,
raisins, and wine, and those who grew wheat and barley grains needed for
bread.
Craftsmen:
A number of men like the apostle Paul, were tent makers. They would
weave cloth for tents for shepherds and the Roman soldiers. Other
men were bricklayers, workers who hammered copper into trays, basins,
dishes and other useful items.
Potters made clay pots, water jars and the storage jars used in every home.
The potter would put his wet clay on a wheel which he then turned
with his feet, while his fingers shaped the clay. The jars were then
baked in a kiln or furnace and sold in the market place.
Carpentry was also an important craft. Joseph was a carpenter and the
young Jesus learned the trade from him. Carpenters made plows for
the farmers oxen, as well as chests, tables, cradles, doors and roof beams
for people's homes.
Traders:
The traders who travelled with the caravans would sit and talk with the
villagers while their camels rested from the journey. Then they
would unload their goods and sell them in the market place. They
showed people how to keep accounts on clay tablets and how to send
letters. They told of new ideas and customs in other lands and
carried local ideas to other villages.
Other Work:
In those days, the scribes were important men who wrote on clay tablets and
later on papyrus. They were important as they wrote letters for
businessmen, made copies of the law on scrolls, and explained to the
people the meaning of all kinds of laws and rules.
Many men were fishermen, like Simon and Andrew, who were casting their nets
for fish when Jesus called to them to follow Him and to be "fishers of
men". Fishermen of those times used baited hooks or a net with small
weights around the edges to help it sink in the water.
At Home:
In the evenings when their work was done, each family and their friends
would relax on the roof of their house. In pleasant weather they
would eat on the roof and watch the stars and enjoy the cool evening air
after the heat of the day. At night they would go into their houses,
which usually had only one room, divided into two parts by a high
platform. The lower part of the room housed the family's animals,
while the people slept above on the platform. As the cooking fires
in the centre of the room dies down to embers, each member of the family
would snuggle up in his bedroll for a sound and night's sleep.
God bless!
Copyright © 2007 Sharon Children's Ministries
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