Society of the Ancient Egyptians

The study of the Ancient Egyptian culture is one of the most interesting areas in the academic field. The ancient Egyptian Society can be visualized through the many paintings inside the various excavated tombs and the innumerable documents written by the ancient Egyptians themselves, that have been uncovered at excavation sites. These documents and paintings shed a considerable amount of light on the lifestyle, societal structure and norms of the society that existed then.

Hierarchy in Society:

Egyptian Society was divided into classes. On the top of the hierarchy was the Pharaoh, who was considered to be God and worshipped as such. All the land belonged to him and he was the rule maker. Then there was the class of Priests and Priestesses. This class enjoyed a very favorable position with the ruler as the ancient Egyptians were highly orthodox and religious and believed in a number of rituals and customs that only this class of people could perform. Not only, the religious work, the priest class also played the role of advisors to the Pharaoh. The next rung in the social ladder was occupied by the craftsmen and the merchants. Next in line were the farmers and peasants and last came the slaves. It is to be noted that wealth was concentrated in the upper three classes mainly. The peasants and slaves suffered a lot of hardships and poverty.

Status of Women:

The women in Egyptian Society enjoyed equal legal and economic rights. Women in that Society had the right to own, sell and buy property; they had the right to own slaves; they were equal contracting partners in a marriage or divorce; they could adopt children; they could take up legal matters with higher authorities. Women could also inherit property in ancient Egyptian Society.

Marriage:

Egyptians married for the purpose of extending their families and hence it was more of a social arrangement and this arrangement regulated property and its inheritance. The society accepted a couple to be married as soon as they started living together. There were no legal registrations of marriage.

Clothes, Fashion and Entertainment:

Ancient Egyptian society has always been known for its fashion and entertainment sense. Every civilization has its own dress codes and modes of entertainment, but perhaps none as vocal as that of the ancient Egyptian society. The paintings on the tomb walls in many tombs show that the people during that age were very sensitive to changing dressing styles. As the upper class adapted a new fashion, the lower classes followed pretty soon.

Entertainment during that period ranged from physical activities like hunting, wrestling, archery, fishing, etc. while there were a number of board games that were enjoyed by both men and women. Other forms of entertainment were dance and music. It has been suggested that in the society of the ancient Egyptians, professional dancers were engaged to entertain guests. Musical instruments were also much n vogue and preferred.

Thus it is evident that the ancient Egyptian Society was far more advanced than many other civilizations during and after its time.