Women & Men in Ancient Egypt By: Jay Antoine

HOUSE WIVES & It was taken for granted in the ancient world that the head of the house was the man. The true meaning of this fact for women varied considerably from one place and time to another, and the impact was much greater if the law drew a distinction between a man and a woman. Marriage and offspring were always considered desirable, but in some societies wives were simply domestic servants and offspring acquired importance only when they grew up.

HOUSE WIVE CONTINUED Undoubtedly there were a number of very strong willed women who disregarded custom and ruled their families with the sheer force of their personalities, but they were the exception.

NOTES. Of course, they were also equally subject to whatever responsibilities normally accompanied those rights. 2. Love and emotional support were considered to be important parts of marriage. Egyptians loved children as people and not just as potential workers and care-takers.

Egyptian women were fortunate in two important ways:

Painting of women in ancient Egypt This tomb painting illustrating the reunion of a husband and wife in the after- life shows the very real affection that was considered the norm in Ancient Egypt.

Women in Egyptian Art & Women in Egyptian Art Queen Nefertari From the formal paintings on tombs, the Egyptian stereotype of a woman was that of wife and mother, the husband being the head of the household. She worked indoors (mostly), out of the Egyptian sun, so her skin was lighter than that of her male counterparts. (When she died, she was painted green, as were the men, as this was the colour of rebirth.) Women were seen to be slim and beautiful, even though a fat stomach in men equated with wealth and power (the rich could afford to eat more than the poor!) Noble women did not work in these paintings, but women are seen to be dancers, musicians, acrobats, sacred 'prostitutes', maids, kitchen staff, field workers and much, much more.

Women art continued Ture unlike painting, usually only showed noble or influential people. When women were in a sculpture, she was usually part of a husband-and-wife or family group, with the wife physically.

Art