Ancient Egypt: Government, Society, Legacy

Ancient Egypt was governed by a Pharaoh, he--or in very rare cases she--was not only king but a god. He was referred to as the"Son of Re". This means he was a direct descendant of the Sun god.

At the end of their lives Pharaohs went through many spiritual ceremonies to see if they were worthy enough to be with the gods.

In New Kingdom Egypt, the Pharaoh ruled over all the land of Egypt, including the old Upper and Lower Egypt. His role with Egypt was to make and enforce the law, appease the gods, carry out his religious duties and to construct great temples and maintain them.

The Pharaoh had a courtier, this was his personal assistant. They usually worked up to this position by ambition and education.

He couldn't do this on his own; he had a right hand man called a vizier. The Vizier represented the Pharaoh. From middle kingdom onwards the Pharaoh had two Viziers. One was from Lower Egypt and one from Upper Egypt.

He lived by the Pharaohs policies and was not given his say about Egypt's policies. He reported to the Pharaoh on how Egypt was fairing therefore he had to know enough on the Nile and agriculture.

Below the Viziers were several levels of government. The main ones were treasury, granary, royal works, cattle and foreign affairs. These departments were filled with scribes and officials.

Nomarchs played a large role in Egypt, they were like Pharaohs except they only governed over provinces or Nomes. Mayors and local governments reported to them.

There isn't much evidence of law in Egypt but scholars do know that Medjay were the police of Egypt. They enforced the law and arrested criminals. The criminals were sent to court. They appealed to the Court of Listeners. Egypt's government was a very complex one.

The Egyptian Society

1)
The Nobility
The Egyptian nobility was by far the wealthiest and most powerful of the public of Egypt. They sat just below the Pharaoh. The Nobles were usually of royal blood and were in the thick of the politics. They had the rights to pay tribute to the Pharaoh. The Nobles had great status in Egypt and benefitted from the donations to the gods.