Ancient Egypt

People

Ancient Egyptian government was dominated by a single man, the Pharaoh (king). The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was a living god. This gave him absolute control over the affairs of the Empire and his people. The Pharaoh could not be a female and when the pharaoh died the next male in the family becomes the new Pharaoh.

His viziers (advisers) were directly responsible to the Pharaoh. They were in charge of the nomes (provinces) of Egypt. They were almost always priests. The officials had other names including officials, prime minister, tax collector, chief treasurer, the minister of public works and the army commander. They were noble and did not need to pay tax.

The citizens were people who were born in Egypt. They could own land and made money but they had to pay tax and follow the Pharaoh’s laws. The citizens have some rights but they sometimes had to fight in the war.

The slaves were captured men from outside Egypt and prisoners of law. They had no rights and had to do everything their masters told them. They could be freed but could not be a citizen or own land and could not make money. Slavery was not common until they became noteworthy during the new kingdom.

System of Government

The Pharaoh made all the rules and laws and also with the help of the viziers. The people of Egypt could not have a say in the making of laws. The vizier made sure everyone had a fair chance of justice. The officials make sure there were no problems and if there was, they reported it to the pharaoh.

The people were expected to tell one of the officials if there were any lawbreakers. The law being based on Ma’at, which stood for truth and justice, is fair to all people (except slaves).The people who were caught stealing would be taken up to the court (The Pharaoh, viziers and officials).