Ancient Egyptian Marriages

2 Pages 461 Words

Ancient Egyptian Marriages

Although many marriages were arranged by families, we know from poetry that ancient Egyptian spouses did love and respect one another. Even though Egyptian women in ancient times were considered the subordinate sex, they could inherit, control or dispose of property in their own names, and could sign contracts. Their career options were limited to working as a servant, weaver, laundrywoman, shop manager, mourner, singer, dancer, musician, prostitute, or doing secondary priestly functions in the temples.
From the poetry analyzed in class, one gains a sense that Egypt was predominantly a patriarchal society. The poems suggest that women were used as tools for the man’s pleasure. Sex became something that was expected of women and it is difficult to know for sure if sexual passion was part of the female experience. However, in the poem “My heart is not yet happy with your love” (292), there is a mutual consideration between the man and woman in regards to their love life. The speaker is informing their partner that even though there is something lacking in their relationship, he or she will not leave the other no matter what.

Some believe that the first people in the world to make marriage laws were the ancient Egyptians. A contract was drawn up between the husband and the bride's father, ensuring the property rights of the wife and children. The contract was between the husband and wife. They did include clauses such as a provision for the payment of alimony if the husband later insisted on a divorce. A woman who failed to give her husband a son might be divorced, or the husband would take a concubine and have children by her. The wife would then adopt these children as her own. Most girls married young, between the ages of twelve and fourteen, and their husbands tended to be older, in their twenties. Marriage had no legal or religious constraints. It was more of a private agreement to...