The egyptian social level is ironically just like a pyramid. The man on top is the Pharaoh, he is wealthy and is in charge of making his land thrive and ensuring the survival of his people.
Government officials such as viziers, priests, and noblemen are on tier two of the pyramid. They are the upper class, have authority, and can afford more than one wife. Following them would be the soldiers and scribes, who are apart of tier three and four. They would be considered the uppermiddle class. On tier five and six, we have merchants and craftsmen. They are labeled as the lowermiddle class. Below them we have the peasants and servants. These are apart of tiers seven and eight and are the lower class. They serve to everyone else and did not get to enjoy any luxuries. Work was tough and life was not enjoyable. Now egypt is mainly broken into two classes. You are either rich or you are poor. Work
In ancient Egypt, daily life revolved around the Nile river. The Nile had a yearly flooding that lead to rich fertile land along it’s banks. This brought good harvest and wealth to the land.
Ancient Egyptians built homes in the village and countryside with mudbrick. Most were field hands, farmers, craftsmen, and scribe writers. They grew and raised their own food and traded for the foods and goods that they could not produce. Agriculture is very important in Egypt.
Nowadays, wives would also work to help support the family. Jobs are hard to come by since only a small area offers work but the population is so dense.
Courtship, Dating, Marriage
Egyptian children were wedded off according to their parents. The parents met and arranged with the groom and agreed on conditions. The bride price is called Shep en shemet.
Sometimes children were allowed to date freely. The lower class married sooner at about the age of twelve and the upper class married a little later. They married within their social class and race did not matter.
During a marriage, spouses had to sign an agreement. The paper stated that the wife was to receive an allowance from her husband and is allowed to keep all her goods. She was also entitled to a third of all of his assets. Divorce was an option, but not many couples did it. They often had their family members help them sort out their problems. Divorces took place by simply stating the annulment in front of witnesses. The wife gets full custody of the children and then she is free to remarry. The now exhusband would have to support her until she is remarried.
Although egyptians love to party, not much information can be found about an actual ceremony or celebration that takes place. Marriage between older men and younger female often took place when his previous wife was no longer in the picture. Family
Ancient Egyptians were big on family. You should always have pride and respect for your family. The eldest child had the honor and duty to care for his parents and assure they receive a proper burial. Upon death, the son would receive the family land and the daughter would inherit family goods. Egyptian villages tended to be crowded, and poorer Egyptians often lived with their whole family in only one room of a house, with other poor families living in the
other rooms. The wife and mother of a family is also very highly regarded and respected. It is often said that a pharaoh’s wife or mother is the true ruling government of the land.
It is hard for genealogists to different in family links because the word used to designate mother, is also used for grandmother. The word used to define son, grandson, and nephew were all identical as well. Childbirth and children were celebrated and both male and female babies were desired. This is because they had a high rate of infant mortality. Children are so treasured that they would pray to gods and ancestors to be fertile. If this did not work, they would adopt.
Nuclear family, a husband, wife,