BSN 2 A

TURAS, VICENTE III

CALALANG, ALIAHNA MARIE
CALBE, AMEERAH
NABONG, SHIEANNY LYN
PERALTA, JONNAH MAE
ANCIENT EGYPTIANS FAMILY LIFE

Marriages were not arranged among the lower classes and there seems to have been no
formal marriage ceremony. A man would carry gifts to the house of his intended bride and, if the
gifts were accepted, she would take up residence with him. The average age of a bride was 13
and that of a groom 18-21. A contract would be drawn up portioning a mans assets to his wife
and children and this allotment could not be rescinded except on grounds of adultery (defined as
sex with a married woman, not a married man). Egyptian women could own land, homes, run
businesses, and preside over temples and could even be pharaohs (as in the example of
Queen Hatshepsut, 1479-1458 BCE) or, earlier, Queen Sobeknofru, c. 1767-1759 BCE). The
historian Thompson writes, "Egypt treated its women better than any of the other major
civilizations of the ancient world. The Egyptians believed that joy and happiness were legitimate
goals of life and regarded home and family as the major source of delight. Because of this
belief, women enjoyed a higher prestige in Egypt than in many other cultures of the ancient
world. While the man was considered the head of the house, the woman was head of the home.
She raised the children of both sexes until, at the age or four or five, boys were taken under the
care and tutelage of their fathers to learn their profession (or attend school if the fathers
profession was that of a scribe). Girls remained under the care of their mothers, learning how to
run a household, until they were married. Marriage was the common state of Egyptians after
puberty and a single man or woman was considered abnormal.
The higher classes, or nobility, lived in more ornate homes with greater material wealth
but seem to have followed the same precepts as those lower on the social hierarchy. All
Egyptians enjoyed playing games, such as the game of Senet (a board game popular since the
Pre-Dynastic Period, c. 5500-3150 BCE) but only those of means could afford a quality playing
board. This did not seem to stop poorer people from playing the game, however; they merely
played with a less ornate set. Watching wrestling matches and races and engaging in other
sporting events, such as hunting, archery, and sailing, were popular among the nobility and
upper class but, again, were enjoyed by all Egyptians in as much as they could be afforded (save
for large animal hunting which was the sole provenance of the ruler and those he designated).

Feasting at banquets was a leisure activity only of the upper class although the lower classes
were able to enjoy themselves in a similar (though less lavish) way at the many religious
festivals held throughout the year.
REFERENCE: http://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Culture/