Ancient Egypt history of the strongest people
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The ancient Egyptians were an intelligent,
social, active, and peaceful
people. Despite the many hardships that challenged
their re- markable civilization, they maintained their pride, optimism and love of life. Their priorities were centered on their gods, their families and their work.
It has often been written that no other ancient people cherished
life as dearly as the Egyptians and that no other, at any time
in history, devoted so much attention to planning for death. Life was so precious to them
that
they
sought to extend
and preserve their
lives throughout all eternity. Preparation for the next life began as soon as one was well- established in the present.
The
afterlife was regarded as a continuation
of their temporary existence on
earth.
Life in Ancient Egyptwas not easy; the lifespan of the average
citi- zen was about 35 years.
Life
expectancy was higher
for the upper
classes, who were spared a life of strenuous physical
labor and were
healthier, as they enjoyed a better diet. Ramses the Great is believed to
have lived to the
ripe age of 96, while Pepy II, a 6th-dynasty
pharaoh, lived to be 100 years old. The work of a pharaoh often
went
on through- out his lifetime and was taken over by an heir, in turn.
The gods, or neteru, and Egyptians of every class lived by the laws of Ma’at. A concept and a deity personifying truth, order and justice,
Ma’at was, in mythology, the daughter of the sun god
Ra. She was
rec- ognized by the single white ostrich feather
she
wore upon her head. Ma’at was the embodiment of the harmony
that prevailed in this life and
the next. Life without Ma’at was inconceivable; actions contrary to the concept were punishable by law.
No other civilization experienced
less change in its culture and no other did so much to uphold the laws of
decency, honor and order throughout its history.
The citizens were divided into
five social classes
as
determined by their profession. The royalty, of course, came first; they were followed
by the Vizier or chancellor, High Priests and the nobility. The third class comprised government officials, scribes (or Sesh), priests, doctors
and engineers.
Artisans, craftsmen, soldiers, merchants, and skilled
laborers constituted the fourth class. The poorest level of society and the largest class was comprised of unskilled laborers and
fishermen, followed by servants (or Hemu), with slaves at the very bottom of the
social scale.
Slaves were mainly brought
in from foreign lands, Asia, or Nubia.
Caucasians and people of color alike might be
captured as prisoners of war, and then sold into slavery. Citizens could also
sell
themselves into slavery — and then buy themselves out of it. However, slaves and ser- vants were treated well
and
compensated with food and lodging, in
addition
to receiving
such provisions
as linen and oils. Some
even owned their own property. A member of the poorest class could rise to the position of the highest official with the proper education, training
and determination. Such is the popular story handed down from the
9th Dynasty entitled The
Eloquent Peasant.
The story revolves around a peasant who made his modest living
by trading goods such as
salt
and herbs. From this, he was able to pro- vide for his family. Each day, he and his heavily-laden donkeys would
travel the same route to the local villages.
One day, however, he crossed paths with a workman who had in mind feeding his family through
less-honest labor. The workman blocked the path
with a large piece of
cloth, closing the route that the peasant was about to
traverse. The peasant had no choice but
to drive his donkeys off the road, trampling the margins of the workman’s cornfield. The two men
began to argue, and the workman beat the peasant and stole all his goods. Humiliated
and distraught, and with no witnesses to
come
to his aid, the peasant
took the matter before
the
High Steward and explained his misfortune.
The peasant related his tale in a most articulate and expressive manner; he was asked
to return
the
following day, so that his words
could be recorded by the royal scribes for the pharaoh to hear. The
peasant presented himself the following day,
and again for nine more
days, hoping to see his goal
of justice finally served. As the High Stew-
ard read the scribe’s account of the peasant’s tale, the pharaoh was
most amused, and even touched.
Meanwhile, without the peasant’s
knowledge, the
pharaoh was having his family looked after, as a reward
for his entertainment and in compensation for the unfortunate incident.
On the tenth day, the peasant lost heart, believing that his words were falling on deaf ears. The High Steward realized it was time to reveal the pharaoh’s true motives and intentions to the dispirited peasant. The
workman was stripped of
his belongings, which were
given to the peas-
ant in reward for his words of wisdom, honesty and fairness. The peas-
ant, as the story goes, eventually became a
trusted
minister and chief overseer to the pharaoh.
The tale is emblematic in that it illustrates the feasibility
of ad- vancement for those who
were educated and skillful. This was the
equivalent of the modern-day college degree. In Egypt, thousands of years
ago as well as today, talent was recognized. It has been estimated
that in ancient Egypt the literate population was between 1% and 5%
quite a high
number, in an age
when writing was a fairly recent in-
vention — and a
large number of commoners
were at least semi-
literate. Proof remains in the form of graffiti inscribed at rock quarries
where men worked and in the villages where they lived.
From the 26th Dynasty
on, literacy increased among the
population.
Boys were educated
by priests in the temple schools. Students had to master about
700 hieroglyphs; by the end of the Pharaonic Era, nearly 5000 different
symbols were in use.
Professional scribes enjoyed several privileges, including exemp- tion from paying taxes and from performing
manual labor, for life. Scribes were among the most respected members of society and were free from the fear of unemployment,
as this
qualification made them
candidates for many jobs within the royal service, nobility, administra-tion, army, temples, state and governmental offices. A scribe could rise
to a
position of authority in law, taxation, or diplomacy, as well as be-
coming a skilled architect
or engineer. Scribes were better- compensated than sculptors, draftsmen and artists.
Among the many duties of
the scribe were the recording of
daily activities, contracts, and census figures, and drafting
correspondence
and memorial inscriptions. The
scribe also kept records of food sup- plies, tax surveys, routine reports,
animal and grain inventories, special
events and the all-important
annual level of the Nile.
One particular scribe and army
chief named Horemheb, who lived during the New
Kingdom under the reign
of
Tutankhamen, went from being a military leader to being pharaoh of Egypt. Having no heir,
Horemheb appointed another military leader as his successor — Ram-
ses I,
who launched the 19th Dynasty.
Unlike any other ancient civilization, women were regarded as almost equal to men. They
were highly respected in ancient Egypt; so- cial
status was determined
by
rank and not gender. Egyptian women
enjoyed more freedom, rights and privileges
even than those of Greece, and myriad goddesses were venerated throughout Egypt’s
history.
Showing disrespect
to a woman, under the laws of
Ma’at, meant going against the basis of Egyptian beliefs and ultimate
existence.
A woman could even be legal heir to the throne, although it was
the man she chose as husband who became ruler and pharaoh. It was her
duty to preserve and to pass on the royal bloodline.
Women enjoyed
many legal rights. They
participated in
business transactions and owned, managed
and sold land and private property. Women could arrange adoptions, liberate slaves,
finalize legal settle- ments
and execute testaments. They could testify in court and bring
suit against other parties,
and they could represent themselves in legal
disputes, without the presence of a male relative
or representative.
Many
“professional” positions were open to
women, such as mourner, weaver, baker, midwife and advisor to
the pharaoh.
They could also hold high positions in
the
temple, as dancers or high priest-
esses
— a highly respected position.
It was neither unusual nor forbidden for the self-made woman to
rise in status and position. One remarkable non-royal woman was Ne-bet. She was the wife of a nomarch
who lived during the 6th Dynasty. Nebet held
the most prestigious
administrative title
of Magistrate, Judge and Vizier to the Pharaoh.
Although much less frequently than their male counterparts, women did find work as scribes and as doctors. Records exist of female
physicians, going as far back as the Old Kingdom. One such woman
was Lady Pesheshet, who lived during the 5th Dynasty. She held the
title of “Overseer of Physicians,” according to the inscription on her
stela (in an Old Kingdom tomb, discovered
during the 20th
century of our era). Lady Pesheshet is regarded by scholars as the first female phy-
sician in recorded
history.