Women in Ancient Egypt

 

Maids were for the mistress, manservants for the master of the house. Sexual segregation seemed to be wide spread, even in the temples - it was mostly women who served goddesses, and men who served gods. Some of the job titles women could hold were "Supervisor of the Cloth", "Supervisor of the Wig Workshop", "Supervisor to the Dancers of the Pharaoh" and "Supervisor of the Harem of the Pharaoh". From this, it is known that these were female-linked occupations. One woman, Lady Nebet, even managed to get the powerful position as Vizier - the right hand 'man' of the pharaoh - but it is known that her husband performed the duties of this role. Other women managed to become 'stewards' and 'treasurers'.

Women's Beauty, Hygiene and Fashion

In Egypt, cosmetics was not a luxury, it was a way of life! Men and women followed the latest fashions in both hairstyles and make-up. Cosmetics, more so, was life or death in Egypt - kohl to rim the eyes was (almost) equal to sunglasses today!

Everyone, from the poor to the pharaohs, had make-up... the difference being the range and quality of the products used. As for hair, rich Egyptians shaved their heads and used wigs to keep up with the latest styles - these wigs were even made of human hair! Perfumed oils were used to rub into the scalp after shampooing (if they had their own hair), and perfumed fat was placed on top of the head (seen in many party scenes), to melt into the hair and give off a pleasing scent.

Due to the climate, Egyptians had a fixation for cleanliness - so much so that foreigners (thought to be dirty) and those who didn't have access to much personal hygiene were despised. Men and woman shaved and plucked off all of their body hair using tweezers, knives and razors, be them of flint or metal (they used oil as shaving lotion - moisturising oils were also rubbed into the skin as protection against the harsh, hot climate). Not only was this for beauty, but it also rid the Egyptians of body lice. To clean themselves while bathing, the Egyptians used natron (which was also used when mummifying the dead), followed by linen towels for drying. The rich had facilities in their places of residence while the majority of Egyptians bathed in the Nile (which was also used for drinking, cooking water, laundry and sewerage - water-bourn diseases were thus common). The Egyptians even had deodorants! As for menstruation, there is very little written (men did not find this important enough to write about), but there is evidence that the Egyptian women used folded pieces of linen as sanitary towels that were laundered and reused. The term 'purification' and 'cleansing' were used to describe menstruation, and men tried to avoid contact with women at this time - it was seen as ritually unclean.

 

Nudity in ancient Egypt, when in its correct place, was not offensive or uncomfortable. Various jobs required that people went nude - fishermen and other manual labourers for instance - as did ones social status - the very poor tended to go nude.

Female servant girls, dancers, acrobats and prostitutes went around their jobs totally or semi-nude.

The high class, though, seemed to love showing off their clothing and the latest fashions - the fashions changed much over time, but always the outfits appeared with jewellery... necklaces, rings, anklets, bracelets. Even the poor wore jewellery (though not of gold or precious gems), which was not only decorative, but usually a good-luck symbol or protective amulet.

Women and Law

When it comes to law, legal correspondences show that (in theory) women stood as equals to the men of the same class. Egyptian women could inherit, and also purchase and own property and slaves, and sell them as she wished. (Though if she was married, her husband had some say in these matters). She could make legal contracts, start law proceedings (and hence, be tried for crimes) and borrow and lend goods. She was allowed to live life as a single woman, without male guardians. (In the rest of the ancient world, men dominated women, so this is very, very different from the norms of the rest of the world!) One of the reasons that this freedom might have occurred, is because decent could be passed through either the male or female lines - a pharaoh could only become pharaoh if he married a woman of royal blood, since it was the women who carried the royal line!

In marriage, assets acquired together by the couple were shared - a wife was entitled to a share of these communal assets. She could pass on her own assets, and her share of the marital assets, to her children as she saw fit. (The poor, though, were not treated the same as the rich, man or woman. An Egyptian peasant woman was usually married at 14, she took care of her family through most of the year... yet she was also expected to toil away with the men folk during certain important agricultural periods! She was usually a grandmother by the age of thirty. It was a hard life for the poor, women or otherwise. She probably had very little time for going to court or making wills!)

I am a free woman of Egypt. I have raised eight children and have provided them with everything suitable to their station in life. But now I have grown old and behold, my children don't look after me any more. I will therefore give my goods to the ones who have taken care of me. I will not give anything to the ones who have neglected me.

- Lady Naunakhte's Last Will and Testament

In his will a husband could pass the full amount of his assets on to his wife (rather than his siblings or children). He could even adopt his wife to make sure that his siblings could not inherit his assets - she was then entitled to both the wifely portion of his goods, as well as the potion given to his children!

My husband made a writing for me and made me his child, having no son or daughter apart from myself.

- Nenufer, Wife of Nebnufer

Ancient Egyptian Women

Egyptian women had a free life, compared to her contemporaries in other lands. She wasn't a feminist, but she could have power and position if she was in the right class. She could hold down a job, or be a mother if she chose. She could live by herself or with her family. She could buy and sell to her hearts content. She could follow the latest fashions or learn to write if she had the chance. She loved and laughed and ate and drank. She partied and got sick. She helped her husband, she ran her household. She lived a similar life to that of her mother and grandmother in accordance with ma'at. She was an ancient Egyptian woman with hopes and dreams of her own... not too different from women of today.