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Image Gallery
Statuette of a triad of women from Egypt
This limestone statuette depicts 3 standing women, holding hands and standing against a black slab on a plinth. From Egypt, precise provenance of excavation is unknown. Second Intermediate Period, 1650-1550 BCE. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London (With thanks to The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL).
Questions & Answers
Could women rule in ancient Egypt?
- There were queens in ancient Egypt - such as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra VII - but this was generally frowned upon because the first divine king, the god Osiris, was male and so Egyptian monarchs were also.
Did women have equal rights in ancient Egypt?
- Women had nearly equal rights in ancient Egypt. Men were the heads of households and so were considered authority figures in other areas, but women could be supervisors, priestesses, overseers, and scribes.
What were some of the jobs performed by women in ancient Egypt?
- Women in ancient Egypt were basket-weavers, bakers, brewers, cooks, musicians, dancers, launderers, as well as scribes, estate managers, priestesses, artisans, weavers, professional mourners, and waitresses.
What was the most powerful position a woman could hold in ancient Egypt?
- After the Middle Kingdom, the most powerful position a woman could hold in ancient Egypt was God's Wife of Amun, the female counterpoint of the High Priest of Amun.
Add External Link
External Links
Women's Legal Rights in Ancient Egypt
lib.uchicago.edu
Women of Ancient Egypt [ushistory.org]
ushistory.org
Digital Giza | Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
fas.harvard.edu
