Social Condition and

Administration
Government
• Government and religion were inseparable
• Pharaoh was the head of the state and divine
representative of the Gods
• Religion and Government brought order to the society
• Construction of temples, laws, taxation, organization of
labours, trade with neighbours, defence
• Pharoah was assisted by hierarchy of advisors, priests,
officials and administrators- responsible for the welfare
of the state and people
Social Hierarchy
• The stability of the Egyptian society was not
possible without the co operation of all levels
of the population
• Pharaoh was at the top of the social
Hierarchy
• Next to him the most powerful Vaziers, the
executive heads of the bureaucracy
• Under him is the high priest, followed by the
royal overseers(administrators)
• 42 district administrators carried out the
Pharaoh’s orders
• The bottom of the Hierarchy were the
scribes, artisans, farmers and labours
 Pharaohs
• The word Pharaoh came from the Bible
• First used by Joseph and Moses in the second
book of Kings
• Use this term to the Egyptian Kings prior to the
Eighteenth dynasty
• They considered themselves to be living gods
who ruled with all power
• Middle Kingdom- Not considered as living gods
• To reinforce their image as powerful divine
rulers Pharaohs represented themselves in
writing and sculptured reliefs on temple walls
• But not all pharaohs were men
Royal Women
• Royal mother, wives and daughters derived
their status from their relationship with the
King
• Kings had many wives and the royal family were
large
• Most prolific was Rameses II who had over eight
wives and over 100 children
• To keep the royal blood line pure the king often
married within their family, a sister or half sister
• In few cases they married their daughters ,
although it is not clear whether these marriages
were true conjugal unions
Status of royal women
• The status of the royal women is evident from
the Egyptian art
• One of the oldest royal insignia worn by the
queen is the vulture headdress
• The vultures wings and body were spread
over a tightly fitted cap, and the head jutted
out at the front
• The Uraeus (cobra) head could be substituted
for the vulture head
• Both the Vulture and the cobra served to
protect the wearer from harm
• They were the most characteristic marks of
kingship and a symbol of divine queenship
• Another royal symbol worn by women from
13th century dynasty was a pair of falcon
plumes on a circular support
• The girls born to the royal wives were given
the title ‘kings daughters’
• Royal wives were called as the kings
principle wives – but principle wives were
not all ways by royal birth. Eg. Queen Tiy
wife of Amenhotep III, Tutankhamen's
grandfather
• Daughters of the foreign kings were also
wed to the Pharaohs in diplomatic
marriages
• Not all these women had children by the
king- some of them also got engaged in the
household duties of spinning, weaving etc.
• Some queen became very powerful – like
Nefertari, Tutmose II ruled with her half
sister Hatshepsut, Greeco Roman period -
Cleopatra
Bureaucracy
• It was conceived by Egyptians over 5000 years
ago
• The Bureaucracy in the old kingdom helped the
growth of the Old Kingdom
• Vizier, the executive head of Bureaucracy was
the second in hierarchy after King- Prince or
person of exceptional ability
• Translated as’ superintendent of all works of
the King’
• Vizier – Supreme Judge- ruled on all petitions
and grievances
• Royal commands passed through his hands to
the scribe in his office
• Office despatch orders to the heads of distant
towns and villages
• He dictated the rules and regulations related
to the collection of Taxes
• The King was surrounded by the court, friends
and favoured people who are administrators
• Positions usually filled on the basis of heredity
• Ardent wishes of the administrators was to
climb the Bureaucratic ladder through Weighing of the Heart Book of the Dead written
promotions and hand it to their children on papyrus showing the Weighing of the Heart in
• Many concepts of the modern Judicary points the Duat using the feather of Maat as the
the the Egyptian measure in balance / British Museum
• Were councelled to obey their superiors, not
to contradict or challenge the wisdom of
those in charge
• The are expected to have tacts and good
manners, faithful in delivering messages,
display humility at the verge of subservience
• This may be the reason they were called as Maat was both the goddess and the
‘civil servants’ personification of truth and justice. Her
ostrich feather represents truth