The Position of Women as Seen in the Wills in the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20442373 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mariko SUITA (Uppsala University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2003 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 103-117 |
| Publication date | 2003-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Bulletin of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0030-5219 • E-ISSN: 1884-1406 |
| Publisher | The Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.5356/jorient.46.103 |
| OpenAlex | W2334536623 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
The purpose of the present paper is to examine the position women held in the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt. In the beginning of the last century, the heiress theory predominated in Egyptology. This theory held that, among royalty, the fixed and movable property was inherited through the female line. This applied also in private families. The position of women was therefore considered to be as high as that of men. In the 1960's, G. Robins published a paper denying the heiress theory. In the present paper, focus is placed on the disposition of the property in wills, imyt-pr in order to establish a conclusion about the actual status of women. I will examine the four wills, those of Metjen (Mtn), Khenemti (Hnmti), Ni-kau-ra (Ni-k_??_w-r_??_) and the sisters Pepi and Buwt (Ppi, Bwt).The wills address two types of property. One is property for the family; the other is the funeral foundation, which consists of arable lands given to the person who makes offerings for the deceased. The foundation could be given to only one person; it was not allowed to distribute among several people.The will disposes of the rights that the testator possessed, and shows his wish for his family to make offerings for him. The will thus has a legal function and also suggests religious desire.In ancient Egypt, anyone could make a will regardless of sex. Although women could make a will, fewer women did than men. I focus on the passages relating to women in the four wills. The emphasis is on the female priesthood of the funeral foundation. Women who became priests were able to possess the same status as men
Business · Egyptology · Foundation (evidence) · Genealogy · Political science · Position (finance) · Property (philosophy) · Settlor · Sociology · Stipulation · Wife · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classics · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy
| Highly cited | No |
|---|