What is your social Class?
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These are different types of crowns that the pharaoh wears.
The geography of our land in Egypt has provided us with many advantages and as our civilization developed we formed a society of many classes. We are famed for our immense tombs made for our pharaohs and like those tombs, our social classes are also arranged in the shape of a pyramid.
Levels of the Social Pyramid
At the top of this pyramid, of course, we have our all powerful pharaoh, our god. He has power over everyone in our society. He has the job of protecting us from foreign attacks or rebellion and he makes laws to keep Egypt peaceful and ordered. Everyday, the pharaoh wears a great amount of jewelry and after he looks perfect, he goes to his daily meeting. After all is discussed, he goes to the sanctuary and asks the god, Amen-Re questions. He prays and afterwards, a butcher will cut a bull’s throat as a sacrifice to the gods. Then, the pharaoh is to have lunch and tour the city. Finally, he returns to the temple for a sunset ceremony and returns to his home to sleep. This class may also include the queen and the royal family, however, they do not have as much power as the pharaoh.
The class under includes nobles and priests, as most nobles are government officials. The vizier, is the chief minister and he checks if taxes are being collected. This very important job requires the rare skill in Egypt to read and write. The priests job is to please the gods. Being a part of the government allows the nobles to profit from the tributes for the pharaoh. The nobles often become wealthy from the donations to the gods, as everyone, including the pharaoh donated.
Soldiers are the next class and they fight in wars or stop domestic uprisings. However, when Egypt is at peace, they made sure the peasants, farmers, and slaves whom build the pyramids and such elaborate architecture, did their jobs.
The middle class is composed of the artisans and the merchants.
The last lowest and the largest class is made up of farmers and slaves. Slaves are captured war enemies and take part in building. They also attend to the pharaoh and nobles. Farmers raise animals, tend to their land, make sure the canals and reservoirs are in order, work in stone quarries, and work in the building of royal architectural structures. They have to pay taxes that can add up to more than half of their annual harvest.
How can you get higher in the social pyramid?
There are ways to go up a level or more in the social pyramid. You can marry someone of higher status or just work your way to success through your job. Even if you are a slave, you still have a chance of freedom by being loyal to your masters. Your family can save enough money to send a child to a village school to learn trades. If they learn how to read and write, they have the potential to be a scribe and maybe even work up to a government position.
How does your gender affect your status?
All in all, females have much of the same rights that males do in our society. A middle-class woman has the right to own and trade property and even propose marriage or divorce their husband. You can even sue at law as a woman. If a woman were to bring their own property into their marriage, it is still their possession, but your husband may use it. If your husband were to die, you will inherit two-thirds of his community property while the rest is distributed to your children and his siblings. Your rights as a woman really depends on your social class in general.
Levels of the Social Pyramid
At the top of this pyramid, of course, we have our all powerful pharaoh, our god. He has power over everyone in our society. He has the job of protecting us from foreign attacks or rebellion and he makes laws to keep Egypt peaceful and ordered. Everyday, the pharaoh wears a great amount of jewelry and after he looks perfect, he goes to his daily meeting. After all is discussed, he goes to the sanctuary and asks the god, Amen-Re questions. He prays and afterwards, a butcher will cut a bull’s throat as a sacrifice to the gods. Then, the pharaoh is to have lunch and tour the city. Finally, he returns to the temple for a sunset ceremony and returns to his home to sleep. This class may also include the queen and the royal family, however, they do not have as much power as the pharaoh.
The class under includes nobles and priests, as most nobles are government officials. The vizier, is the chief minister and he checks if taxes are being collected. This very important job requires the rare skill in Egypt to read and write. The priests job is to please the gods. Being a part of the government allows the nobles to profit from the tributes for the pharaoh. The nobles often become wealthy from the donations to the gods, as everyone, including the pharaoh donated.
Soldiers are the next class and they fight in wars or stop domestic uprisings. However, when Egypt is at peace, they made sure the peasants, farmers, and slaves whom build the pyramids and such elaborate architecture, did their jobs.
The middle class is composed of the artisans and the merchants.
The last lowest and the largest class is made up of farmers and slaves. Slaves are captured war enemies and take part in building. They also attend to the pharaoh and nobles. Farmers raise animals, tend to their land, make sure the canals and reservoirs are in order, work in stone quarries, and work in the building of royal architectural structures. They have to pay taxes that can add up to more than half of their annual harvest.
How can you get higher in the social pyramid?
There are ways to go up a level or more in the social pyramid. You can marry someone of higher status or just work your way to success through your job. Even if you are a slave, you still have a chance of freedom by being loyal to your masters. Your family can save enough money to send a child to a village school to learn trades. If they learn how to read and write, they have the potential to be a scribe and maybe even work up to a government position.
How does your gender affect your status?
All in all, females have much of the same rights that males do in our society. A middle-class woman has the right to own and trade property and even propose marriage or divorce their husband. You can even sue at law as a woman. If a woman were to bring their own property into their marriage, it is still their possession, but your husband may use it. If your husband were to die, you will inherit two-thirds of his community property while the rest is distributed to your children and his siblings. Your rights as a woman really depends on your social class in general.