The early Egyptian society
was shaped somewhat like a pyramid. At the top of the
pyramid was the pharaoh. Below the pharaoh were government
officials, soldiers and scribes. They organized taxation,
supervised agriculture and irrigation systems, and
represented the pharaoh in the law courts. All scribes and
officials, were respected because they could read and write.
Next came a smaller group of merchants, doctors, artisans
and other workers. At the bottom of the pyramid were farmers
and very last came the slaves. Those captured in the war had
no rights at all. People believed that the gods gave them
their positions in society. Women were found on all
levels of the social pyramid. They had the right to buy and
sell property and other powers that many women in our own
country did not have in our early history however they did
not take part in government business.
