Women Of The Bible “Egyptian Slaves and Marriage” Marriage was a very important part of ancient Egyptian society. Some people say it was almost a duty to get married. Compared to todays world, Egyptian marriages were very different. Husbands could marry more than one wife, and people of close relations (first cousins, brothers and sisters, etc.) could also wed one another. For the most part, however, incest was frowned upon, except in the royal family, where incest was used to safeguard the dynastic succession (next in line to be Pharaoh). There was no age limit as to when people could be married, but generally a girl did not get married until she had begun to menstruate at about the age of 14. Some documents state that girls may have been married at the age of eight or nine, and a mummy of an eleven year-old wife has also been found. Marriage required no religious or legal ceremony. There were no special bridal clothes, no exchange of rings, no change of names to indicate marriage, and no word meaning wedding. A girl became universally acknowledged as a wife after she physically left the protection of her fathers house and entered her new home. The new husband in no way became the new wifes legal guardian. The wife kept her independence, and still kept control her own assets. Although the husband usually controlled any joint property obtained during the marriage, it was acknowledged that a share of this belonged to the wife. If and when the marriage ended, she could collect her share. If the husband died while married, the wife got one-third of her husbands property. Re-marriage after widowhood was very common, and some grave sites indicate three or four marriages between one person. Divorce was a private matter, and for the most part, the government did not interfere, unless upon the request of the divorcees. Almost any excuse could be used to end a marriage, and an alliance could be terminated at will. Anyone who had drawn up a marriage contract would have to honor those terms, and those who hadnt could, if they wished, could invest in a legal document. Legal cases, however, were very unusual. Most marriages ended with the wife moving back to the matrimonial home, returning to her family, therefore setting both parties free to marry again. The more intimate parts of married life were very important to the Egyptians. They saw life as a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Much of their theology was based on the cycle-principal. Pregnancy was very important to ancient Egyptian women. A fertile woman was a successful woman. By becoming pregnant, women gained the respect of society, approval from their husbands, and the admiration of their less-fortunate sisters and sterile friends. Men needed to prove their manliness by fathering as many children as the possibly could, and babies were seen as a reason for boasting. Although the mechanism of menstruation was not fully understood the significance of missing periods was clear, and many Egyptian women were able to determine if the were pregnant or not. If women were not sure, they could go to a doctor, who would perform a detailed examination of the womans breasts eyes, and skin. If a woman was sterile and could not produce babies, many men solved this problem by divorcing them. But this treatment was harsh, and for the most part, frowned upon. A more publicly-accepted way of solving the problem of sterility was adoption, and due to the short life expectancy and high birth rate, there was always a supply of orphaned children. A mother named her child immediately following birth, thereby making sure the child would have a name in the afterlife in the unfortunate case of a miscarriage. The Egyptians feared the second-death even more than the first one. The second-death was the complete obliteration of all earthly memory, which is why names were so important to the Egyptians. Spells were painted on the coffin of the deceased to ensure nobody would forget him or her. Many people say the Egyptian time was a good time to live. It seems that it was, at least, a nice place for women to live. It was filled with equality for them, and gave them some basic rights that todays society is lacking. Ancient Egyptian pharaohs are said to have made a constant demand of provincial governors for more beautiful servant girls. King Kashyapa of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka had as many as 500 women of the harem (Orodha). They are depicted in the Sigiriya Frescoes and referred to in graffiti on the Mirror Wall there. Comment(s); As you can see by the write-ups on Egyptian slavery thus far, Egyptian slaves were treated quite differently than Israelite slaves. As we research more and more concerning slavery, women and the way they were viewed/treated in Egypt, itll become more and more apparent that Hagars mindset and heart never left Egypt! Until the next write-up, Be Blessed!
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 15:39:59 +0000
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