The New Kingdom was a very significant period in Egypt whereby society changed dramatically as a result of expansion and new foundations of political, military, administrative and religious matters. However, it is also a period which highlighted much of what is known today about non- royal people everyday society, as a result of archaeological evidence. This essay examines how women were depicted in everyday society, particularly drawing on how gender was represented and constructed through archaeological evidence of funerary equipment and daily life settlement. Gender itself is quite a controversial term in the 21st century, for this reason its must be redefined and reflected on the political, social and cultural time period, by examining
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Funerary equipment
In looking at how women were represented in New Kingdom Egypt, archaeological evidence is pivotal in understanding how gender is represented. The afterlife being so heavily intertwined within everyday society, for Egyptians, preparation played quite a significant aspect …show more content…
However, women did have distinct roles and responsibilities as seen through daily activities that are portrayed in settlements and spaces such as temples, households, royal households, and menstruation spaces. In exploring the role of women in New Kingdom Egypt, marriage and having children is depicted to be the expected outcome of females across all levels of society, including the non-royal elite. Although their is no archaeological evidence in the New Kingdom of marriage associations, Demotic documents from later periods, suggest any type of formal ceremony of marriage or the binding of a man and woman. Reflecting marriage itself to be quite informal through documentation of agreements of property ownerships, and insurance of protection and support that is provided for the female. Thus suggesting quite an subordinate position of the female to be assured shelter and protection, however also the expected duty of producing offspring in return and as service to her husband. As depicted at Deir el Medina, where the first room of the house was reserved as a birthing room, as portrayed through evidence of wall paintings and imagery associated with fertility, as well as evidence of figurines and shrines of fertility goddesses, such as Bastet and Isis.; Furthermore, archaeological evidence of birthing bricks, providing strong
.
Funerary equipment
In looking at how women were represented in New Kingdom Egypt, archaeological evidence is pivotal in understanding how gender is represented. The afterlife being so heavily intertwined within everyday society, for Egyptians, preparation played quite a significant aspect …show more content…
However, women did have distinct roles and responsibilities as seen through daily activities that are portrayed in settlements and spaces such as temples, households, royal households, and menstruation spaces. In exploring the role of women in New Kingdom Egypt, marriage and having children is depicted to be the expected outcome of females across all levels of society, including the non-royal elite. Although their is no archaeological evidence in the New Kingdom of marriage associations, Demotic documents from later periods, suggest any type of formal ceremony of marriage or the binding of a man and woman. Reflecting marriage itself to be quite informal through documentation of agreements of property ownerships, and insurance of protection and support that is provided for the female. Thus suggesting quite an subordinate position of the female to be assured shelter and protection, however also the expected duty of producing offspring in return and as service to her husband. As depicted at Deir el Medina, where the first room of the house was reserved as a birthing room, as portrayed through evidence of wall paintings and imagery associated with fertility, as well as evidence of figurines and shrines of fertility goddesses, such as Bastet and Isis.; Furthermore, archaeological evidence of birthing bricks, providing strong