Centralized Government And Bureaucracy By:Victoria Almeida, Hernando Castano, Rachel Glassman Amin Jafarov, and Kirill Pirogov

Government and Bureaucracy Egyptian government was divided into different levels The main levels of the government were: The Pharaoh Government officials Soldiers Scribes Other important positions included: Army Commanders Chief Treasurer Minister of Public Worth Tax Collectors

The Pharaoh The Pharaoh = earthly embodiment of the god Horus, son of Amon-Re The Pharaoh’s divinity allowed him to perform religious rituals, rule with divine right. was expected to rule by principles of Ma’at (the goddess of equilibrium of the universe) Throne was passed down to eldest son If there was none, it would be passed down to a son of another wife Pharaoh owned all the land, the people and their possessions Any personal wealth was considered generosity of the king Hatshepsut: One of the four women to rule Egypt at the time considered to be the first powerful female leader Female Kings = Daughter of Re and associated with the vulture goddess

The Pharaoh CON’T When Hatshepsut died Thutmosis III took the throne Brought a lot of wealth to Egypt He Had died of an illness and reigned for only 14 years

Government Officials and Scribes Government officials included: Viziers, Priests and Nobles Vizier was the Pharaoh’s right hand man Viziers were usually appointed by the Pharaoh himself, being promoted from scribe to Vizier Priests role in religion differed from the modern priest They did not preach beliefs as nobody denied Egyptian Religion The Priests were instead used in daily and festive religious rituals Priests offered material and spiritual services to the god of his temple

Government Officials and Scribes (Con’t) Nobles Army Commanders Led the army Usually done by the Pharaoh but he sometimes appointed a commander Chief Treasurer Responsible for government’s wealth Minister of Public Worth In charge of building canals, monuments, pyramids, etc Tax Collectors Collected taxes Scribes Few people could read and write fluently The people who could had the chance to be scribes By having the skill of literacy they had many positions open to them such as: Tax Collector Architect Vizier

(I AM) The Law Yes, Judge Dredd joke. I know. The Egyptians had a strict law code that applied to everyone, regardless of class or gender. Wasn’t really a law code Egyptian laws were based on precedents set by the pharaohs. The pharaohs were governed by religious principles in accordance with Ma’at, in their decisions. Ma’at was the goddess of law and order. Egyptian laws were relatively fair and humane. Punishments were severe. For example, men who raped freeborn women had their...appendages cut off.

The Law II Two levels of court: the local court, which was called a Kenbet, and the Great Kenbet. Kenbets consisted of the local elders and presided over small cases and minor disputes, like thefts of freeman property. The Great Kenbet was their equivalent to our Supreme Court They governed the more serious crimes of murder, tomb robbery, and treason. Great Kenbets were lead by either the pharaoh himself or his vizier. In the new kingdom, oracles functioned as lawmen. Two slips of paper were put in front of an idol, and whichever paper the idol pointed at was right.

Egyptian Military Context Mainly concerned with defence Surrounded by deserts 4 main threats Fortresses and outposts were built to defend from all directions Cities had no walls or other defenses Main army was called into action if an attack was large scale The Pharaoh led battles, and soldier figurines were buried with them for protection in the afterlife

Egyptian Military History Old Kingdom No professional army, main weapon - the bow Nubians were the main threat First Intermediate Period Civil wars, which weakened Egypt Middle Kingdom Period of expanding and controlling borders Second Intermediate Period The Hyksos invaded Memphis New Kingdom Several invasion attempts War chariot developed Late Period Alexander the Great invaded Egypt

Egyptian Military Structure General Sections of the Armed Forces Infantry - Lower class conscripts, volunteers and mercenaries Chariotry - Upper class Navy - Elite middle class Old Kingdom No professional army, military not prestigious Second Intermediate Period Horses, chariots and composite bows introduced Late Period Greek weapons and tactics used after Greek invasion

Traditions Ancient Citizens relied heavily on traditions Some traditions were: Burying their dead with scrolls to have wisdom in their afterlife Mummification of their dead to help the soul of the person finds it way back to its body Marrying their siblings to keep bloodlines pure and keep outsiders out

Government in the Economy Government regulated and collected taxes Taxes were usually taken in the form of grains Agriculture contributed to Egypt’s wealth Egypt’s wealth was defined by their abundance of food supplies Temples were a big part of the economy Not only for worship, Egyptians stored grains and goods in temples