Dance and Music:

Another of the Egyptian nobility's favourite forms of recreation was entertaining, which took the form of giving or attending magnificent banquets. While servants distributed food, flowers and perfumes, the hosts and their guests listened to singers and musicians. They ate and drank to their hearts' content while entranced by the swaying movements of beautiful dancers.

Unfortunately, not many lyrics of songs dating from Ancient Egypt have been found, except for a few texts of love songs dating from the Ramesside period. The Egyptians generally associated music and dance with the joys of love. The instruments used were the flute and a sort of whistle, the guitar, the harp, and lyre, the last two having sometimes nearly twenty strings. Assistants beat time by handclapping.

There were many religious festivals in Ancient Egypt. They were not only sacred in character but also closely linked to the rhythm of the seasons under the benevolent eye of the gods. Dances and feasts accompanied these celebrations, which sometimes continued for several weeks.