Social conditions in ancient Egypt
Social conditions in ancient Egypt 2-----18
The family in ancient Egypt, as in other countries, was the primary nucleus of society. Family ties were the strongest social ties in ancient Egypt, and marital relations were close and strong. In fact, there is no indication in the history of the people that the rights of the wife were neglected or belittled. The Egyptians were among the most keen people to make their wives happy and to treat them kindly. The famous sage (Ptahhotep) enumerated in his teachings some marital duties and recommended their performance, including his saying (If you are sane, build yourself a house, love your husband dearly, give her her food, and provide her with clothes, And he gave her perfumes, so that her heart would expand as long as she lived, for it is a fruitful field for its owner, and beware of quarreling with her, and do not be harsh with her, for with gentleness you can possess her heart, and work on her well-being so that your serenity lasts and your hours are connected.)
Thus, the relationship between a man and his wife was based on pure affection and mutual love. It is true that the man, by his nature, was a guardian of the woman within the limits of what protected her honor and preserved her dignity. But it is also true that the woman in ancient Egypt enjoyed many rights and attained broad freedom, perhaps greater than freedom. Women in some societies of our time would go out to the markets, buy and sell, attend banquets and parties, and practice music and singing. They were also closest to being on an equal footing with men, as they had the rights of inheritance, testimony, ownership, and contracting. In fact, in most of the ancient Egyptian eras, there was no fundamental distinction between a man and a wife, to the point that the throne in ancient Egypt was only passed through the woman. Indeed, the Egyptian woman was destined to reach the throne itself, as happened in the days of the queens (Nitocris)) And ((Sobekneferure)
And ((Hatshepsut)) and ((Ta-Usret)).
Thus, women in ancient Egypt reached a degree of progress that their counterparts in the ancient Near East did not reach, and they occupied a high place in ancient Egyptian society...


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