Ancient Egyptian Government depended on two main factors, which are the pharaoh and agriculture, as the pharaoh was an essential part of the Egyptian government and was the one who managed the officials most of the time and most of the officials received orders directly from him, and the Egyptian government contained some stories and novels from the period of the ancient Egyptians, and we will look with you through our article on the most prominent stories, so follow us.
Officials of Ancient Egyptian Government
Ancient Egyptian Government was divided in a sequential manner and represented the authority in a systematic manner that indicates politics in ancient Egypt, as the authority was organized in a way that enabled the leaders to implement and perform their functions with high efficiency.
The Pharaoh was the greatest authority as he was allowed to delegate authority and trust to individuals who were placed in the management of Egypt as a whole well, and the government relied mainly on small officials who were the backbone of ancient Egyptian civilization, the most prominent of whom were:
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The Minister
The minister was the second official in charge of the Ancient Egyptian Government after the Pharaoh and he had to perform some duties such as advising the Pharaoh and implementing his orders, and he was also the chief judge and dealt fairly and implemented the law on all people, and it was also his duty to appoint many officials in the government and supervise them on behalf of the Pharaoh.
Other judges brought him very complex cases to rule on them fairly, and ministers were depicted in ancient Egyptian civilization as wearing white, which is a symbol of neutrality.
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Treasurer
The treasurer or treasurer was responsible for the wealth of the Ancient Egyptian Government and his favorite thing was collecting taxes, as the ancient Egyptian economy was based on barter systems and goods, not money, and people paid taxes in the form of agricultural crops, cows, jewelry, silver and precious stones, and the government in return carried out public works for roads and maintained peace in the country and also saved food in the event of famine.
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General of the Armies
As we mentioned earlier, the pharaoh was the head of the Ancient Egyptian Government, but the general of the armies or the commander was the commander of the armies in Egypt and advised the pharaoh in times of war and in the field of national security, and the military commander was the right hand when it came to securing the conditions of foreigners who resided in Egypt.
The commander of the armies also helped the pharaoh in external violations that were taking place with other Mamluks and he was the only person the pharaoh trusted to take care of him against enemies and invaders of lands and he participated in wars if necessary, and he also participated in trade to help Egypt maintain its sovereignty.
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Soldiers
The soldiers’ job was to fight in wars or calm internal conflicts In times of peace, the soldiers’ job was to supervise farmers, peasants, and workers who were assigned to build structures such as palaces and pyramids.
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Workers and Traders
Skilled workers, especially doctors and craftsmen, formed the middle class There were many types of work available to the Ancient Egyptians, as they could easily obtain a stable job.
Artisans made and sold jewelry, pottery, tools, and papyrus products. They also designed authentic Egyptian products for foreign and domestic trade.
Therefore, there were many people who wanted to buy goods from merchants and craftsmen, They were called small traders who sold these goods to the public at retail.
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Slaves and Farmers
Slaves and farmers were at the bottom of the social ladder of the Ancient Egyptian Government. Slaves were among the first people to be captured by war and were sentenced to extreme labor according to what the pharaoh wanted and delegated to them.
Farmers were required to raise animals, tend farmland, and check reservoirs and canals for repairs. Farmers also quarried stone and built monuments.
They had to pay their dues, which amounted to 60% of their annual crop, which was estimated by the pharaoh.
Facts about the Ancient Egyptian Government
- The pharaoh was the supreme authority in the Ancient Egyptian Government.
- The vizier was the most powerful government official in ancient Egypt.
- The ministers were second in power after the pharaoh.
- The people also paid taxes on valuable materials and agricultural products.
- Egypt was divided into several provinces, each of which had a governor.
- The government worked to manage construction projects such as the pyramids.
- The government stored and distributed tasks to the people and workers during times of famine that the country was going through.
Documents about the Ancient Egyptian Government
A lot of information about the Ancient Egyptian Government was in the form of tomb inscriptions, as their tombs included inscriptions detailing the titles of government officials and some events in their lives.
Some pharaohs also allocated tombs for their officials, which greatly helps in identifying the people who served certain pharaohs.
The tombs also revealed some of the changes that occurred to senior government officials, as many pharaohs were appointed as bureaucratic officials and some of them were appointed as men to serve in the army.
Legal documents were also found that include cases of tomb raiders, and these documents indicate the steps that were taken by the government to punish them and prevent further raids that were occurring at that time.
In conclusion, we have learned with you today about the Ancient Egyptian Government and the most prominent officials in the government, each of whom had an important job, and we hope that you like the article.
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