The concept of trading began as early as the 4th century B.C. in Egypt. The Egyptians brought in goods like iron, silver, cedar logs, ivory, horses, copper, leopard skins, cattle and spices from other parts of the world. In exchange, they exported gold, other minerals, barley, wheat and sheets of papyrus. The Egyptians used to trade with countries like those centering on the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Aegean Sea.

The money system the early Egyptians devised was similar to what we do in the modern times. There was a standard called Deben, which was 0.5 ounce of copper, on which the cost of a particular item was determined. They used to measure the cost of any item in terms of Deben and then trade it for another item of the same value. So it was like the barter system and the modern system of currency merged together.

Early Egyptians used to earn their livelihood by engaging themselves as government officials, scribes, doctors, soldiers, merchants, dancers, hunters, bakers, fishermen, carpenters, coffin-makers, weavers, jewelers, spinners, pyramid builders, farmers and artists. Wheat, barley, beans, onions, lettuce, figs, dates, melons, cucumbers and grapes were the main cultivation done by them.

The Egyptians in the ancient era even had the concept of school. Children aged between 4 and 14 years used to attend schools. The boys even started learning the occupation of their fathers alongside their schools. In the school, they were taught math, reading and writing.

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