Social
Hierarchy:
The social hierarchy of ancient Egypt
was used to rank people into different social classes. The hierarchy was used
based on a system of importance or authority. Your place on the hierarchy was
based on your job as well. Women were known to be low in the hierarchy. A hierarchy
usually started with the pharaoh because they were the most important and had
the greatest authority.
Following the pharaohs are the
government officials which are the nobles and priests then the soldiers,
scribes, merchants, artisans, farmers and then, finally, the slaves. The slaves
were the least important and helped the wealthier people with household and
child raising jobs. Moving up the chain were the farmers, the farmers raised
wheat, barley, lentils, onions, and other vegetables from irrigating the Nile. The
artisans would carve statues and acted as the artists. The merchants would bargain
for people and would accept bags of grain until coins started coming about. Scribes
kept records, told stories, wrote poetry and were in charge of writing medical
or anatomy book. They were considered doctors to some extent and were supposed
to write medical diagnoses. The scribes wrote their books in hieroglyphs. Next came
the soldiers, they used wooden weapons with bronze tips and might ride
chariots. The upper class which were also known as the white kilt class, were the
priests, physicians and engineers. Then at the very top were the religious or
political leaders, the pharaoh, they were known as the “lord of two lands” they
owned all land, (upper and lower Egypt) and were in charge of the military. They
were also known as the “high priests of every temple”.
The hierarchy was a way to rank people
in Egypt and no one would over rank another person. Every ranking on the
hierarchy was treated a different way as well. The slaves and the lower class
were not treated nearly as well as the pharaohs and upper class. If you were in
the lower class, you were seen as less important or littler then the upper
class. The pharaoh was all powerful and was treated with the greatest amount of
respect. Once the pharaoh died there would be a new pharaoh and no one would be
able to overpower him or her.
The Nile
River:
The Nile River was a major provider
for the people of ancient Egypt. All Egyptian life centered around the Nile. Its
water was used for drinking, irrigating crops, bathing, and transportation.
The Egyptians invented the sail boat
as a way of transportation. The sail boat was known as one of their technological
advances. The sailboat was a way for the Egyptians to move around the Nile
River. They could use the sailboat to fish, collect fresh water or even just
for entertainment.
The Egyptians all lived around the Nile because
they used its water for drinking and bathing. Every July the Nile was known to
flood but then in October it would leave behind fresh soil. Managing the river
required technological breakthroughs in irrigation. The delta, which was near
the Nile, was a broad, marshy triangular area of fertile soil. The Nile River
flowed south to north and was one of the longest rivers. The Rivers water
helped the Egyptians to grow crops and was a great source for them to get fresh
water.
