Over the centuries and ages, women on this planet have suffered from commodification and servitude. With the Industrial Revolution[1] in Europe, the world began to pay attention to the importance of women as an essential instrument of production, which prompted women to fight for their civil, political and social rights. However, we have to ask a question: Have women, since the dawn of history, been under the power of men and come behind them?
What is the status of women in ancient civilizations? How did the ancient civilizations on the planet look at women? And how did the status of women develop or recoil?
In order to answer this question, we must start with the first human civilizations that dealt in this regard. It is the ancient Egyptian civilization[2].
The goddess Maat[3]: one of the foundations of ancient Egyptian civilization, if not the most important. It is a symbol of harmony and balance in all paces of life. One of the most important tasks of the king, who was an intermediary between the divinities and the people, was to adhere to these ideals. The King was meant to be an example of how to live a balanced life. We can say that Egyptian art, architecture, religious practices, and even Egyptian governmental bodies carry a form of symmetry in balance and this is also evident in gender roles throughout the history of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Ancient Egyptian civilization created and formulated a special place for the Egyptian woman, because she is considered the main partner in the religious and worldly life of the society, according to the theory of creation and formation found in the Pharaonic religious culture, which stipulated equality in the law, which is considered complete.
First: Inheritance Laws:
- Since the Fifth Dynasty, the woman joined the list of heirs, even though she did not have any right to inherit her husband in previous ages.
- The mother also inherited her deceased son, despite the presence of his father alive.[4]
- During the Fifth Dynasty, the wife was able to make wills without the need for her husband’s permission.
- A girl had the right to inherit from her parents in ancient Egypt. At the beginning of the ancient state, the girl was given a share exactly equal to that of the boy, without any discrimination.
- Among the commandments that have also reached us is the will of the Minister (Nikaurea), and in this will we find that girls receive a share equal to that of males.
With the increase in the influence of the regional rulers at the end of the era of the Old Kingdom[5] and the beginning of the first transition period, the privilege of the eldest son appeared, where the feudal system[6] worked to concentrate money and not distribute it among the heirs.
This money has been passed on from generation to generation and is not divisible. The daughter’s share within what belongs to the older brother is considered to be owned by her. It is worth mentioning that such a habit is still followed by some Egyptians in Upper Egypt.
Upon the death of her male sisters, her share passes to her children, and the estate does not pass to the daughter to manage it, even if she is the eldest of her sisters.
There are those who believe that the daughter inherited from her father’s money that he previously obtained away from the inheritance. As for the money that passed to him through the inheritance, she has no right to it, because if it is moved to her, she would inevitably fall under the guardianship of her husband, who does not belong to the family.
As for the woman’s right to her husband’s inheritance, the husband had the right to bequeath to his wife all or part of his estate in return for this money to be transferred to their children. Minister Nikaurea has recommended the greater part of his money to his wife.
Beginning from the era of the Fifth Dynasty[7], the wife became among those who had the right to inherit from the husband, even if he did not leave a will.
In the era of the middle[8] and modern[9] states, women’s rights were determined upon marriage by virtue of agreements concluded with her by her husband, and these agreements made the spouses’ property joint money between them at the ratio of one-third to the wife and two-thirds to the husband, and it is clear from this that the wife used to bring money that was a dowry.
In the era of the modern state, women had the right leave a will to their sisters and brothers.
The husband could put his wife in the place of his daughter and transfer to her two-thirds of the property on the grounds that she is his daughter in addition to her own third, and this was defined by the will (adoption).
[1] https://www.britannica.com/event/Industrial-Revolution
[2] https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/ancient-egypt-hittites/a/egypt-article
[3] https://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/maat.html
[4] https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/examining-the-lives-of-ancient-egyptian-women/#:~:text=Generally%20speaking%2C%20ancient%20Egyptian%20women%20were%20equal%20to,matters%20of%20property%20disputes%2C%20inheritance%2C%20marriage%20or%20crime.
[5] https://www.memphistours.com/Egypt/Egypt-Wikis/Egypt-History/wiki/The-Old-Kingdom-of-Ancient-Egypt#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9COld%20Kingdom%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20timeline%20during%20the,consider%20the%20third%20dynasty%20as%20a%20critical%20period.
[6] https://www.britannica.com/topic/feudalism
[7] http://dictionary.sensagent.com/Fifth%20dynasty%20of%20Egypt/en-en/#:~:text=Hellenistic%20Period%20The%20Fifth%20Dynasty%20of%20ancient%20Egypt,Dynasty%20dates%20approximately%20from%202494%20to%202345%20BC.
[8] https://www.worldhistory.org/Middle_Kingdom_of_Egypt/
[9] https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/New_Kingdom_of_Egypt
