Ancient Egypt: Government, Society, Legacy

Ancient Egypt was governed by a Pharaoh, he--or in very rare cases she--was not only king but a god. He was referred to as the"Son of Re". This means he was a direct descendant of the Sun god.

At the end of their lives Pharaohs went through many spiritual ceremonies to see if they were worthy enough to be with the gods.

In New Kingdom Egypt, the Pharaoh ruled over all the land of Egypt, including the old Upper and Lower Egypt. His role with Egypt was to make and enforce the law, appease the gods, carry out his religious duties and to construct great temples and maintain them.

The Pharaoh had a courtier, this was his personal assistant. They usually worked up to this position by ambition and education.

He couldn't do this on his own; he had a right hand man called a vizier. The Vizier represented the Pharaoh. From middle kingdom onwards the Pharaoh had two Viziers. One was from Lower Egypt and one from Upper Egypt.

He lived by the Pharaohs policies and was not given his say about Egypt's policies. He reported to the Pharaoh on how Egypt was fairing therefore he had to know enough on the Nile and agriculture.

Below the Viziers were several levels of government. The main ones were treasury, granary, royal works, cattle and foreign affairs. These departments were filled with scribes and officials.

Nomarchs played a large role in Egypt, they were like Pharaohs except they only governed over provinces or Nomes. Mayors and local governments reported to them.

There isn't much evidence of law in Egypt but scholars do know that Medjay were the police of Egypt. They enforced the law and arrested criminals. The criminals were sent to court. They appealed to the Court of Listeners. Egypt's government was a very complex one.

The Egyptian Society

1)
The Nobility
The Egyptian nobility was by far the wealthiest and most powerful of the public of Egypt. They sat just below the Pharaoh. The Nobles were usually of royal blood and were in the thick of the politics. They had the rights to pay tribute to the Pharaoh. The Nobles had great status in Egypt and benefitted from the donations to the gods.

2)
Women
Egyptian women shared mostly the same rights as men. They treated women much better than in other civilizations. She was allowed to go out in the public. She could own property. Middle and upper class women lived lives similar to those of modern day housewives. Poor women usually ended up as slaves, peasants or farmers.

3)
Peasants and Farmers.
The peasants and farmers were given only little more rights than those of slaves. The farmers and peasants were the backbone of the Egyptian society they were paid for the amount of produce they produced. Farmers had a right to pay and they were free citizens. They lived hard lives.

4)
Slaves
Slaves had little or no rights. They were bought and sold as property. The quality of their lives was depended on the owner of them.

Kind masters would let the slaves be a part of the family and was given rights similar to that of a son. They worked hard but were treated fairly. They may even free the slave and in the end he/she would have a successful life.

Cruel masters would starve the slaves, give them bad and gruelling jobs and experienced violence. The slave would die young.

5)
Foreigners
The Ancient Egyptian foreigners were dislike by the Egyptians. The main law on foreigners in Ancient Egypt was "Do not destroy foreigners but subjugate and exploit them."

Though well off foreigners became mercenaries for Egypt sitting high up in the social ladder. How much rights given to a foreigner really depended on their occupation in society.

6)
Craftsmen
Craftsmen were better off than farmers and peasants but they were still under government control. They worked in shops and were payed directly by the government. They had the rights of an Egyptian citizen. Craftsmen who lived in Deir El-Medina were given more rights than ordinary craftsmen as they were in charge of building tombs and pyramids.

7)
Scribes
Scribes were extremely privileged people. They worked for the government. Scribes learnt to read and write hieroglyphics, something only them and people of higher status than them could learn. Their job was to record the town harvests and population and anything that interested the government.

The Legacy of Egypt
Ancient Egypt has affected the worlds thinking in many different aspects.

Architecturally Egypt has given the world pyramids, now many modern day buildings are shaped as pyramids. Logos use pyramids. Sphinxes are also used a lot in modern day designs. A lot of buildings are designed like Egyptian temples.

Movies are often based on Egypt a new example is the "Mummy" movies. Ancient Egypt has been the base of many books, comics and other forms of literature.

There are many artworks, mostly sculptures, based on ancient Egypt.