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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. (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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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