Women in Ancient Egyptian Society
In the society of ancient Egypt, women were treated differently than women of other ancient societies manner. ancient Egyptian society gave women the greatest opportunities of Mediterranean societies in relation to their economic, legal and social positions. They enjoy the same legal, economic and social rights Egyptian men. Although the main source evidence is limited, it is still possible to use evidence found in temples, tombs monuments, works of art and surviving texts to establish the role of women in Egyptian society.
ECONOMIC RIGHTS OF EGYPTIAN WOMEN
Egyptian women enjoyed the same economic rights as men and therefore were able to take economic decisions on their own. A woman in ancient Egypt was able to own property in their own right and, if married, could own property jointly with her husband. The property acquired a woman on her own was hers to dispose of what he wanted, and that have been acquired during the marriage became "joint property". If the husband should have any joint property, which was legally obligated to reward his wife with the same value.The property owned a woman can own, manage and sell slaves included, livestock, land, property and servers. Women obtained this property by using property obtained employment through loans or as gifts from inheritances.
Like other ancient civilizations, there were a number of jobs available for Egyptian; However, these tasks he saw occupy various jobs according to their social class. Women in the lower classes not only worked inside the house, attending to household chores and child care, but also had to work out tending cattle and work in the field, especially during harvest. Occupations as skilled weavers, mourners, musicians, curators, composers, singers, dancers, brewers, bakers and were also available for women.There were professional positions available for women with studios such as priestesses, managers or supervisors. Educated and wealthy women in some cases became judges, supervisors, regulators, physicians, and even prime ministers because of their ability to read and write. If a woman performs the same work as a man, who received the same rations and goods as a man received for this work, and therefore their salaries made a valuable contribution to the wealth of the family.
The staff of women was also reflected in women being treated like men in the legal system. Women could act as plaintiffs, defendants and witnesses in court without having to go through a male representative as was usual for women in other societies practice. Women had the right to sue and may also enter into contracts including legal agreements regarding marriage, divorce, property and employment. A woman was also responsible and accountable for any transactions or agreements entered into your account. These economic and legal rights of equality were not limited to a social class and were available at all levels of Egyptian society.
A particular contract Egyptian women entered a contract was self-enslavement. Women entered into these contracts for different reasons, to pay a creditor or to ensure financial security and provisions, and sometimes a woman could include their children in the implementation of this provision. One of these contracts, in which a woman joins the temple Saknebtynis says, "I am your servant, along with my children and my children's children. I will not be free in your precinct forever and ever. You me it will protect; Are you going to keep safe, to guard me you I will prevent sound;. you will protect me from all demons, and pay them what 1¼ Kita copper until the end of 99 years. " An Egyptian woman was able to negotiate and satisfied with the terms of a contract of self-enslavement before entering into this agreement freely.
There is no evidence of marriage ceremonies, but contracts survive by which man and woman made a marriage agreement. While Egyptian women could gain some wealth, they entered CONTRACS marriage with her husband to make sure that the father of her children would provide for them and their children's future material. These treated only with economic concerns contracts and documented how the husband would be responsible for feed and clothe his wife and children and the right of children to inherit his fortune. Because this was documented as an annual responsibility of husbands, who were known as "annuity contracts" and entered into directly husband with his wife. If the marriage should end, she was entitled to her dowry and even a third of the community property accumulated during the marriage and any divorce settlement written in the marriage contract. These contracts protected economic and legal rights of women.
INHERITANCE
An Egyptian woman had the same rights as a man and this enabled him to inherit property on the same basis as a man. A woman could inherit property from her husband and family, and if her husband pre-deceased, who inherited a third of the commons. If her husband wanted more or even all of their wealth that could produce a "paper house" imyt-PR, which was a legal document for the donation of the property (Tyldesley, ND) they are inherited. A husband could also legally adopt his wife as a "child" if you do not want to give any of his property to his brothers, and so his wife could inherit all his wealth if there are no children or part of two thirds if there were children.
Because of their legal rights, an Egyptian woman could act on their own to do his will. You could also make a will and leave his property, which had been obtained independently of her husband, her children. A will written by a noblewoman Naunakte states, "I am a free woman of Egypt have raised eight children, and have provided them with everything right for your situation in life." (Bingham, 2007: 9). He could make a will leaving her husband's property to their children and relatives and, if he wanted, he could disinherit their children, but only of the goods brought to marriage and the third part of the joint property.
Societal expectations on women in ancient Egypt include his roles as wife and mother, his public conduct, and his clothes and appearance. While a woman was legally responsible for their own actions in ancient Egyptian society, which was often seen as dependent on her husband, who is expected to take good care of it as indicated in the literary text "instructions Vizier Ptahhotep "" when thrive and found his house and loves his wife with ardor, filled his belly, clothe her back; ointment relieves your body Gladden her heart all the time living; it is a fertile field for their Lord "(. Johnson, 2002). Egyptian society believes that a happy and contented family life should be the norm and that this could be achieved by a husband and a loving wife and caring for each other, in accordance with the principle of Maat, universal harmony.
The work of managing the house was the woman. She cared about children, prepared, clean food, and also engaged in the business of finding food for the family did not grow and barter of surplus food they had grown. In rich and middle-class households, officials did much of the work around the house, while women, especially the rich, women were light. As lovers of family, women of ancient Egypt, regardless of class, appeared to be also responsible for the happiness of the home, both in life and death. In a letter found in a tomb, a widower believes his misfortune was the result of his wife punish him from beyond the grave and he asks her to believe that he is innocent of any wrongdoing, "What bad thing have I done to thee that step should come to this evil ... "(Nardo). In Egyptian society importance of women as lady of the house, it was such that the Egyptians believed they could punish her husband in the afterlife for any offense he had hidden from her.
Egyptian women place a high value on personal appearance, grooming and hygiene. His condition is defined by their dress, with upper-class women who wear clothes, elaborate makeup and jewelry to distinguish themselves from the lower classes who dressed simply. elaborate headdresses, in particular, meant the social position of women. Education also distinguishes women with upper-class women the ability to read and write and middle class women and professional men not so much, while poor women are illiterate.
Through the inscriptions on the walls and monuments, wall paintings, tomb paintings, statues, sculptures, documents, and papyrus, Egyptians recorded how they treated women in ancient Egypt. Inscriptions and wall paintings depicting women and men attending banquets together and hunting and fishing together are evidence of them enjoying a social life together. Tombs decorated with paintings of women dead elaborately dressed in the latest fashion and containing perfumes, cosmetics, toiletries and other life were the expressions of affection of men for their wives. Egyptian women were free to go alone in public, either working in the fields, in the workshops of roots, or travel and were not confined to the house. In an inscription, Ramses III says, "I have activated the wife of Egypt to go their own way, their travel is spreading where he wanted, without anyone assaulting her on the way" (Picone, North Dakota)
EQUALITY
Egyptians believed in equality between men and women and, when the historian Herodotus visited ancient Egypt, was so surprised by this equality, which was so different from other ancient societies, who wrote of the Egyptians: "They have reversed the ordinary practices of humanity "(Fletcher, 2011). survivors accounts and contracts documented this equality between men and women indicate that Egyptian women received the same rations as men for performing the same job. Isis Papyrus showed humanity give gifts to give so much power and honor of women as men did. Other papyrus detail how a woman was able to acquire the independent wealth of her husband. An annuity contract that is in one of Ptolemy "file family" Siut details how a woman, when a couple divorced, received their fair share of the assets of the couple. These documents indicate how Egyptian men treated women as equals.
Egyptian women were not subordinate to men in marriage or divorce. Unlike other ancient societies, Egyptian women were free to choose men who were married and could also divorce their husbands. Marriage was very important to the Egyptians, love and affection between husband and wife was important, and for all kinds of Egyptians, marriage was the norm.
Artistic representations show men and women as equal happy. Sculptures and murals and statues paintings express all obvious affection between Egyptian men and women. documentaries and literary men instructed on how to treat their wives, giving them love and protection texts. Art and historical documents found in the graves shows how women have economic and men the same legal rights.
Temples, inscriptions, murals and statues depicting powerful female deities paintings indicate a society that values men and women equally and that women were not subordinate to men in ancient Egypt. female goddesses such as Maat giving balance and end of all things, Hathor the mother goddess, the goddess of love and healing, and Isis that as Hathor, had protective powers, were some of the female deities honored alike with male deities. These female deities were as important as the male gods in everyday life as was the Egyptian goddess Bastet, one of the most popular of all Egyptian gods, who presided over the health and safety of women, childbirth and home. Men and women in ancient Egypt Bastet honored equally and this is significant to illustrate the high esteem in which they held women.
