The Role of Women
Women had a distinct role in Deir el-Medina. It is known that Egyptian women were treated the best out of all other major civilizations of this time. Family was an important part of life for the Egyptians, and joy and happiness with the family was a life goal for most people. Egyptian women were very fortunate in their rights, and they were lucky enough to be on equal status with men regarding laws. Women could They could own property, borrow money, sign contracts, initiate divorce, appear in court as a witness and even become Pharaoh. Women were also given a lot of emotional support from their husbands, and their children were looked at as part of the family and not viewed as being good for labour purposes.
A woman's class status in ancient Egypt was based on her relationship with her male relatives. The most important woman was the one that was married to the owner of the tomb, or the mother of the tomb owner. It was rare for a woman to be buried in a tomb of her own and she was usually buried in the tomb of either her husband or another male relative.
In terms of marriage, the Egyptians were monogamous, with the exception of the Pharaoh who usually had multiple wives. It does not appear that there was any official marriage ceremony for them , but rather that they would agree to marriage privately and would set up a house and live together straight away. There have been records of divorce, however adultery was forbidden in their culture. Evidence has been found however that some men fathered children only when their wives could not conceive, from a servant girl. Women played a role where inheritance was concerned, but it was regarded as a lesser role than the males of the family. Inheritance was passed down from father to children, and when a marriage occurred, the family property was then recorded by a marriage settlement. A woman could bring a portion of her property into the marriage, and could write a will indicating who she wanted to leave her property to when she died. It also appears that a woman had the right to her property in the event of divorce. The title that non-royal woman had was 'mistress of the house', which was considered a sign of respect. There is also speculation that this title could have meant the term 'Mrs' in today's society. It was expected in Egyptian society for the man to be the head of the house, but they were also expected to stay out of their wives household business and trust that they would do a correct job. There were many tasks for a woman to complete in the household, as the food had to be made from scratch. Women would even have to grind the bread grain by hand. The most important job for all women was to be a mother, and to deliver a child safely. Because of the high death-rates, women would often have many religious aids in order to help with the delivery of the baby, and they would also have offering prayers to the fertility gods for extra protection. Women could also start their own form of businesses, doing things like selling clothes and foods. Business women were highly respected within the community and this made it easier for them to earn money, meaning that the household income would increase and the family could then afford greater things.
Royal women had a different role from common women in Egyptian society. Royal women were trusted to carry out religious and political roles in Egypt. They also had another important role, and this was viewed as the most important of all their roles. It was their job to provide an heir to the throne. Depending on the relationship that a Royal woman had with the Pharaoh, whether it be daughter, mother or wife, they earned a status. The most important women were the wives and mothers of the Pharaohs. There was not a word for Queen in Egyptian society, instead royal women were referred to the role of the specific royal women. It was not uncommon for a wife of the Pharaoh to be related to him. She could be a cousin, a sister or a half sister. This was not viewed as it is in today's society. Pharaohs also had many wives as they were viewed as godly. Some common women even had the opportunity to become royal women. This was if they belonged to the rich end of society or if they were members of the official class.
If the wife of the Pharaoh outlived the Pharaoh, she would then act as regent for the new Pharaoh if he was too young to rule by himself. It was also possible for the children of the Pharaohs concubines to become Pharaoh, as seen with Thutmose III, who was the son of Isis, a concubine of Thutmose I.
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A woman's class status in ancient Egypt was based on her relationship with her male relatives. The most important woman was the one that was married to the owner of the tomb, or the mother of the tomb owner. It was rare for a woman to be buried in a tomb of her own and she was usually buried in the tomb of either her husband or another male relative.
In terms of marriage, the Egyptians were monogamous, with the exception of the Pharaoh who usually had multiple wives. It does not appear that there was any official marriage ceremony for them , but rather that they would agree to marriage privately and would set up a house and live together straight away. There have been records of divorce, however adultery was forbidden in their culture. Evidence has been found however that some men fathered children only when their wives could not conceive, from a servant girl. Women played a role where inheritance was concerned, but it was regarded as a lesser role than the males of the family. Inheritance was passed down from father to children, and when a marriage occurred, the family property was then recorded by a marriage settlement. A woman could bring a portion of her property into the marriage, and could write a will indicating who she wanted to leave her property to when she died. It also appears that a woman had the right to her property in the event of divorce. The title that non-royal woman had was 'mistress of the house', which was considered a sign of respect. There is also speculation that this title could have meant the term 'Mrs' in today's society. It was expected in Egyptian society for the man to be the head of the house, but they were also expected to stay out of their wives household business and trust that they would do a correct job. There were many tasks for a woman to complete in the household, as the food had to be made from scratch. Women would even have to grind the bread grain by hand. The most important job for all women was to be a mother, and to deliver a child safely. Because of the high death-rates, women would often have many religious aids in order to help with the delivery of the baby, and they would also have offering prayers to the fertility gods for extra protection. Women could also start their own form of businesses, doing things like selling clothes and foods. Business women were highly respected within the community and this made it easier for them to earn money, meaning that the household income would increase and the family could then afford greater things.
Royal women had a different role from common women in Egyptian society. Royal women were trusted to carry out religious and political roles in Egypt. They also had another important role, and this was viewed as the most important of all their roles. It was their job to provide an heir to the throne. Depending on the relationship that a Royal woman had with the Pharaoh, whether it be daughter, mother or wife, they earned a status. The most important women were the wives and mothers of the Pharaohs. There was not a word for Queen in Egyptian society, instead royal women were referred to the role of the specific royal women. It was not uncommon for a wife of the Pharaoh to be related to him. She could be a cousin, a sister or a half sister. This was not viewed as it is in today's society. Pharaohs also had many wives as they were viewed as godly. Some common women even had the opportunity to become royal women. This was if they belonged to the rich end of society or if they were members of the official class.
If the wife of the Pharaoh outlived the Pharaoh, she would then act as regent for the new Pharaoh if he was too young to rule by himself. It was also possible for the children of the Pharaohs concubines to become Pharaoh, as seen with Thutmose III, who was the son of Isis, a concubine of Thutmose I.
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