Ancient Egypt: The Role Of Women In Ancient

Not to be mistaken with matriarchical societies (which are completely controlled by females and exclude men), matristic societies value both males and females. Both genders work together equally in social and economical endeavors. Most of the religious figures are goddesses, and they people believe that came from mother earth and greatly value nature. The people in the society value the traditional female values of nurture and attachment to the earth. In early human social organization, women were in charge of gathering food, which amounted to most of the food supply.

Hatshepsut VaLynn Transmeier Did you know that Hatshepsut was the only female pharaoh in Egypt? Hatshepsut had a lot of accomplishments during her time of ruling. She has a lot of facts about her life. Hatshepsut also made many temples.

In ancient Egypt all women were considered house wives. Their main roles in society were to bare sons and take care of the household. Even though women’s jobs seem unimportant, men and women were both considered as equals in ancient Egyptian culture. In history, a few women were considered above men and had large impacts on Egyptian society. Why is this?

[20] While African American women did receive wages for their work many free and enslaved African American women held jobs that were more physically difficult and daunting than white working class women. [21] Like white Northern women, white Southern women often found employment from the government. They worked in the treasury department as clerks as well as the Clothing Bureau and post offices. They also were able to be teachers and found jobs at school houses working with children of different age

Throughout our ancient history, women have portrayed various different roles in different ancient civilizations. Whether it was taking care of their children and men at home, working in the fields, or doing hard labor, these women shaped the way women act, and the roles they portray today. The Han Dynasty was one of those ancient civilization where women portrayed different roles. During the Han Dynasty, which lasted from about 206 BCE to 220 CE, women led very limited lives as compared to men, similarly to many other ancient civilizations (Bowman). They were viewed as the bottom of the power hierarchy in addition to the gender hierarchy.

Women are thought to have made decisions based on emotion and their rational instinct, but men are thought to have a mindset which is the total opposite. This is where a goddess like Ishtar is a huge example to the gender division; although she is a woman, she is seen to use her mind more like a man. The role of the mother is not necessarily pointed out throughout their culture, but in the Epic there are references to the mother, who is a divine goddess, who gives Gilgamesh his two-thirds god. Sex is a huge role in the culture and even in the religion of Mesopotamia during this time period. Sex, an emotional and instinctive act, is what makes a man mortal in this culture.

They compared Christ with women, saying that men were inferior. If women disagreed with this they were challenging the stereotype. Marriages during this time were arranged. Women had very little, if any, influence in choosing the man they had to marry. Women were meant to marry young, then immediately begin childbearing and household

Five professions were also possible, namely: priesthood, midwifery, mourning, dancing, and music, priesthood being the highest position conferred upon Egyptian women (Watterson 1991:38). Roman women were also dressmakers, nurses, midwifes, and could hold a religious position, that of a Vestal Virgin, priestess of the Roman goddess, Vesta (Clark 1981:198). It is evident that Roman women were relegated in society and led a more sheltered life compared to Egyptian women. 5. Conclusion

Not only the colonized Egypt had affected the shaping of the Egyptian identity, but also the people themselves had a role in shaping it through the festivals they practice, the public colloquial music they used to listen to, the films they produced, and in addition to that, the tradition food that they were famous and well-known for. All of that made Egyptians have some things in common, things that relate them to each other, and relate them to their nation,

2. Economic and legal standing Both the Roman and Egyptian societies in the ancient world were predominately ruled by the male gender, men were the rulers and lawmakers, in ancient Egypt, however, women were their own mistress and were accorded the same legal rights as men from the same social class. When it came to property and locus standi, women in Egypt enjoyed similar freedom in performing legal acts as women do in today’s modern society. All landed property was passed down through the female line, from mother to daughter. Egyptian women, irrespective of their marital status, could inherit, buy, and sell property.

In Greek epics, tragedies, and mythology women are portrayed in various ways. Women are mainly considered to be weak and less important than men, but there are some women who are shown to be strong and heroic, despite the reputation that was placed onto them in Ancient Greek civilizations. There were two particular women that were strong and took the roles of their husbands while the men left to fight in the Trojan War. These two women were Penelope, wife of Odysseus, and Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon. These two women were different in how they chose to rule while their husbands were at war and how they acted once they got back.

atshepsut is a name that many of us have never heard of, nor learned to pronounce. She was a great leader of ancient Egypt in the 18th dynasty. She was one of the few ancient women to acquire such power and deserves credit for all of achievements. Kara Cooney wrote, “The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt:” to provide an insight into the life of an extraordinary female leader who is often greatly overlooked. Cooney very much admires Hatshepsut’s elegant and strategic rise to power along with her successful incumbency.

The Goddess that I chose is Ma’at. Most of the Egyptians believe that Ma’at was a goddess with an ostrich feather on her head carrying a scepter in one hand and an ankh in the other. Other Egyptians believe she is a winged goddess. Ma’at is the goddess of truth, justice, and harmony. Ma’at was believed to be connected with the balance of things on Earth.