Social Hierarchy in Ancient Egypt

1. Pharaoh  
2. Vizier
3. Nobles and Scribes
4. Government Workers
5. Farmers 
6. Peasants and Slaves 

• In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh was the overall ruler of the people and land. Besides having control over all aspects of government and commerce, he was also a religious leader. In the eyes of the people the pharaoh was a living god. It is important to note that not only were the pyramids built to grant pharaohs a safe passage into the afterlife, but also to insure them of their wealth. 

• A vizier was the right hand man of the pharaoh. They were the second most powerful official in ancient Egypt and selected from the ranks of nobles and scribes. A vizier was responsible for overseeing many government projects such as state archive reports, construction projects, and the state judiciary system.

• Peasants made up the majority of the Egyptian population. Peasants typically worked on farms or served in the homes of the higher class. Some peasants even worked on the pyramids, even though pyramid building was typically left for the slaves. In regards to Ancient Egyptian slaves, most were prisoners of war. 

Morsi vs Egypt part 2

Disruption in Egypt is front page news again today.  In response to President Morsi's decree days ago disbanding Egyptian courts (which was included in my blog yesterday), Egyptian judges have called a strike, the New York Times reports.  President Morsi had issued an edict exempting his decrees from judicial review.  Morsi believes that the judges are not impartial and that the judges will allow a time limit to complete a new constitution lapse, leaving the country without a fundamental law.  The judges believe that Morsi is grabbing power and the absence of both a constitutional parliament and a judiciary will result in a huge step backward to another dictatorship.  Egyptians just overthrew a dictator in President Mubarak in the spring of 2011 and many Egyptians fear that Morsi is not in fair of the democracy they want.

     Morsi was recently instrumental in helping build the truce between Israel and Gaza.  He was praised around the world for his actions.  However, now his friends a denouncing his actions in limiting the power of the judges, further complicating the matter is the fact that most of the judges had been appointed by his predecessor, President Mubarak, leaving their motives open to question as well. 

     In the meantime, Egyptians have taken to the streets again, protesting Morsi's decrees and seeking democracy.  Once again, we are witnessing in Egypt the pain of moving toward democracy. 

Morsi Vs. Egypt

Newly and democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt has put his country into chaos again, just months after the spring uprising that unseated President Mubarak, reported the Washington Post and most major newspapers today. Morsi made decrees which he claims are intended of defend the revolution that led to Morsi’s election this June, including disbanding the constitutional courts.  Some people think that Morsi’s decree are an action designed to reinstate a dictatorship.  Morsi defending his actions by claiming that he was  “against judges and prosecutors for doing too little to address the corruption and abuses of Mubarak years.”

            The Obama administration is criticizing these actions. “State Department officials said the United States was seeking an explanation for the new move, which removed all judicial checks over Morsi ‘s actions."

            As a result to Morsi’s actions, the country has turned once again into complete chaos. Egyptians are taking to the streets in protest, setting buildings on fire and throwing rocks. Some people claim to fear for their lives and have resigned their jobs. They do not want to be associated with Morsi.

            Morsi claims his actions are to protect the work of a committee appointed to draft a new constitution. Morsi stated that he would remove his over abundance of power once the constitution is written and a legislature is elected.

Entertainment in Ancient Egypt

Egyptians found many ways to entertain themselves after work. Researchers have obtained numerous artifacts and other forms of evidence to support their physical and leisure activities. Men typically participated in physical sports such as fishing, swimming, wrestling, boxing, and long distance running. These physical sports often were used to elevate a man’s physical prowess in the community. Board games were also popular. These board games were often times made out of wood, stone, clay, or drawings scratched on the ground.

One of the most common games was Senet, which was played on a board of thirty squares divided into three rows of ten squares. The overall objective of the game was to move your piece around the board in an S-shaped pattern until you reached the far end. This game required strategy and chance. It is importance to note that Senet had religious significance, as this game portrayed one’s journey through the underworld.

Fashion in Ancient Egypt

The most popular material used to make clothes in Ancient Egypt was white linen. Considering Egypt’s warm climate this light weight material was ideal. Egyptian men typically wore short skirts; while women wore robes or fitted dresses. In terms of dresses the majority had some sort of strap to cover a women’s chest. Egyptian children hardly ever wore clothing until they reached puberty. Another material used to make clothing was wool. However, due to their religious beliefs about animals, wool, a material which came directly from an animal, was not allowed to be worn in temples or any other place of worship.

 

In addition, it is important to note that clothing styles varied based on a person class and occupation. For example, Viziers and other members of the upper-class wore full-length robes, jewelry, and leather sandals. Whereas members of the middle class such as farmers wore only loincloths. Poor people wore very little clothing, because they could not afford it.

Ancient Egyptian Religion

Religion had a prominent role in early Egyptian societies. The communities each created their own gods to pray to until Egypt started to unify.  When Egypt unified, citizens loyalty went to pharaohs.  Pharaohs were the top priests in the country and under them were priests that stood in for him/her at local temples.  Deep inside the temples held gods, which ordinary people could never get too.  The gods and priests guarded the societies against chaos and created pleasant lives in the "next world."  Some of the familiar gods are: 

Anubis

Thoth

Horus

Osiris