The Role and Lives of Women in Ancient Egypt

Video

Kelly Macquire
by
published on 15 March 2022

In Ancient Egypt, compared to many other ancient cultures, women had it pretty well off. They were fairly equal in all things except for their occupations where men were in positions of authority like part of the government, the king, a general, and head of the family, and women worked in domestic spheres. With that being said, women still held considerable autonomy, power and authority. Women could marry who they wanted then choose to divorce them, they could hold land and property, travel, and to some extent, choose their profession. Not to mention female deities oversaw important responsibilities in Ancient Egyptian religion or, as it is known today, mythology.

It was not only as clergy (like the God's Wife of Amun) that women could hold respected positions in society, no! Once a woman completed her training and became a scribe, they could choose to become a priestess but they could also become a teacher or a physician, in fact, female doctors were highly respected in ancient Egypt. However, becoming a scribe was long, hard work so most men and women who became scribes probably came from a family of scribes and followed the occupation of their mother or father.

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— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
0:53 Women in Ancient Egypt
1:56 Women in Egyptian Mythology
4:51 Women's Work in Ancient Egypt
6:14 Women at Home in Ancient Egypt
7:57 Queens of Ancient Egypt
10:28 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Women in Ancient Egypt https://www.worldhistory.org/article/623/women-in-ancient-egypt/
God's Wife of Amun https://www.worldhistory.org/God's_Wife_of_Amun/
Serket https://www.worldhistory.org/Serket/
Nephthys https://www.worldhistory.org/Nephthys/
Ancient Egyptian Religion https://www.worldhistory.org/Egyptian_Religion/
Isis https://www.worldhistory.org/isis/
Great Female Rulers of Ancient Egypt https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1040/great-female-rulers-of-ancient-egypt/
Daily Life in Ancient Egypt https://www.worldhistory.org/article/933/daily-life-in-ancient-egypt/
Love, Sex, and Marriage in Ancient Egypt https://www.worldhistory.org/article/934/love-sex-and-marriage-in-ancient-egypt/

— WATCH NEXT —
Hatshepsut: the Forgotten Woman who was a King of Egypt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qw-_IHkKoI
The Roles, Rights and Lives of Women in Ancient Greece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ASzrpGZ-k&
Cleopatra VII Philopator: the Last Queen of Ancient Egypt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6bM6ElVO5k
The Ptolemaic Dynasty of Ancient Egypt: From Ptolemy I to Cleopatra VII https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qi_yw5-qCg
Akhenaten, the Sun Disk and the Amarna Period of Egypt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb9pHlwj-p4

— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://worldhistory.typehut.com/the-role-and-lives-of-women-in-ancient-egypt-images-and-attributions-8771

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Egyptian_kitchen_Berlin_2.jpg
Photo: Andreas Praefcke - self photographed
Public Domain - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain

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About the Author

Kelly Macquire
Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Macquire, K. (2022, March 15). The Role and Lives of Women in Ancient Egypt. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2731/the-role-and-lives-of-women-in-ancient-egypt/

Chicago Style

Macquire, Kelly. "The Role and Lives of Women in Ancient Egypt." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 15, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2731/the-role-and-lives-of-women-in-ancient-egypt/.

MLA Style

Macquire, Kelly. "The Role and Lives of Women in Ancient Egypt." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 15 Mar 2022. Web. 03 Dec 2024.

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