Social Classes In Ancient Egypt

Decent Essays
Only one person had the highest social class throughout a period of time, and that was the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh was the leader of upper and lower Egypt. He made laws and talked to the gods for the people. Some of the social classes also had to do with religion. Next came the Vizier. They watched over the tax collection, as well as monitoring the government records that were kept by the scribes. Along with the vizier were the nobles that held government jobs, and the priests of the temples.

Women weren't allowed to pick their own husband. Their parents picked for them. Women Ancient Egypt did have more rights than women in other Ancient times but they still weren't treated equally by men. Some became High Priestesses but that was rare.

Slaves

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In Egypt, at the top of the social standing was the pharaoh, who was looked at as a leader and considered a god. In Mesopotamia, the king was at the top, who is looked at as a leader as well. Next in Egypt were the high priests and priestesses who served the leaders, and similarly in Mesopotamia, the governors took care of the kingdom’s territories. Another step down in Egypt were the nobles, who fought the pharaoh’s wars. Next in the Egypt organization were merchants, scribes, and artisans, who made items to be traded, and in Mesopotamia, the next level down was the aristocracy, who were priests and traders as well.…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the ancient world, the status of women and roles varied considerably from one civilization to another. Generally, women should be a household servant and do not have any power in politics. However, Egypt was the only exception in which Hatshepsut who was the very first pharaoh as a woman during the New Kingdom time. In the society, there are many similarities and differences between different cultures. For example, in the Spartan society, women were allowed to own property and they’re freer than women from other countries because they’re allowed to go to the city.…

    • 314 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Priest have their own class system and were kept to high expectations like being refraining from alcohol and being celibate. Failure to do any of these thing would often end in death or serious punishment. Nobles were most often inclined to tribute from commoners in the form of foods and goods. Noble status was passed on through family lineages. Only the nobles were aware to show off their wealth by wearing jewelry, decorated capes, etc.…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    A social class is determined by fame, wealth, skills, and birth. One can change rank through recognition, increase or decrease in wealth, or marriage. The monarch was basically kings and queens, During this era the ruler was Queen Elizabeth I. During this Era, Nobility was the smallest of the social classes, There were only 50 noble families. Nobles are people that own land of property.…

    • 249 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Society during this time was flexible for what it was. The Tang Dynasty had eight social classes but an individual could rise up through lots of hard work and determination. The order of the social classes went Emperor, aristocracy, bureaucracy, eunuchs, clergy, peasants, artisans/traders and lastly slaves. The exception to this rule would be that if the Emperor rose to power through other means that weren’t hereditary, the aristocracy may have more power than the Emperor himself. To ensure the classes would be enforced, laws were made that dictated what each class possess (cite source).…

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    learn about how the rich and poor ancient Egyptians eat, dress, and some fun activities they did! Let's start with the life of the poor! The poor are also peasants. The poor didn't have as many food selections. They didn't eat meat.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Religion In Ancient Egypt

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, civilizations have been established due to the geography and climate in a certain area. Civilizations tend to arise in regions that are inhabitable and capable of sustaining life (Nate Sullivan).Whether they were located close to the mountains or the deserts, every little aspect of their surrounding effected them culturally and politically. Hominids, which were two-legged pre-human predecessors were said to be the first humans on earth, however it was not till later on that scientist found records of any kind. After the Neolithic Revolution, humans began to raise livestock and harvest food instead of hunting and gathering. The regions were so suitable that kingdoms were made.…

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Historians and archeologists have found evidence of human civilization in the Nile Valley dating as far back as 120,000 years ago. Over time, population began to grow and divide itself into two kingdoms, Upper and Lower Egypt. Around 3150 B.C., a pharaoh from the Early Dynastic Period gained control of both kingdoms uniting them to form the Egypt known today. With a population of 90 million, it makes Egypt the third most populated country in all of Africa. Roughly, 20 percent of this population lives within 20 kilometers of the Nile River.…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    which reflected their social class and therefore power and how much control they had in the ancient Roman society. Then if the dead person had any military rewards or crowns then they would get carried out to show their achievements that they had made during their lifetime. Eventually the corpse was then carried out on the couch; the body was usually carried out on the eighth day after death. If the body was cremated then the ashes would be placed into an urn (a small clay jar) and the urn would be placed into the tomb, located outside the city walls.…

    • 1663 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    China has been seen as a land of mystery to us in the west. It has been able to withstand the change of the civilizations closest to it, such as India and Russia. It has also made itself a major player in the world economy. How did it become a civilization? There are 7 characteristics that a group of people need in order to be considered a civilization.…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The rights of women in ancient Egypt were significantly different compared to most ancient civilizations because ancient Egyptian women had the rights to manage, own, and sell private property, acquire possessions, and could file any legal case. At this time, basic human rights were appointed to both men and women living in ancient Egypt. All citizens of Egypt viewed and treated women completely equal to men on all standards. In the ancient times of early Egypt, women had the right to manage, own, and sell private property.…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Social Class Issues in the Roman Empire Before the second century BCE, Roman society consisted of a Patricians class, an aristocratic class which hereditary relationship determined entrance to class. The second class stood as the Plebeians, also known as the common people. A member of one class could not move up or down in between the classes because marriage of different classes was illegal. The Plebeians began to fight this injustice in 494 BCE and this event was called the Conflict of Orders. The Conflict of Orders lasted over 200 years and took three sessions of Assembly.…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Because of their great reliance on the gods the second highest in command were the high priests. These men were said to be in direct communication with the gods, so as was with the Pharaohs, they were treated with the highest respect. As well as priests, nobles were a very high authority. They were the great landowners of egypt, these were the men that the general labourers paid taxes to, and answered to as they owned the land the labourers lived on.…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life In Ancient Egypt

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Life in Egypt Today, Egypt’s high environmental, temperature, and migration levels are still the same as it was back in 1967 and even later than that. However, there are many other things that make this country what it is today. "For example, the expanded irrigation of desert areas after the completion of the Aswan High dam in 1970s; which has increased soil salinity and aided the spread of waterborne diseases”(Malefic, Asante; 2002 “Culture and Customs of Egypt. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press”). But, what about the evolutionary lines for both the governmental and religious cultural history of this country; do they play a big role in this country?…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ancient civilization is full of many different stories and different ways of living. The ancient civilizations that we have studied such as Ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Eqypt, and ancient Greece are all very unique in their own ways but the greatest one in my opinion would be Ancient Egypt. I chose ancient Egypt for various reasons. The most obvious reasons would be that the Egyptians did not have to be sent off on their own at a young age to learn how to survive and learn how to go to war like the ancient Greeks. Another thing that the Egyptians did not have to do was live by the Hammurabi code like in ancient Mesopotamia.…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays