Ancient Egypt Government
Ancient Egypt Government
In ancient Egypt, the head of government was Pharaoh.
The ancient Egyptians said "Pharaoh", not the pharaoh. That's because there was only one pharaoh at a time, and Pharaoh owned everything. You did not own your home or your jewelry or your food or anything else. Pharaoh owned everything.
Each pharaoh had an army, a police force, and a huge number of ministers and government officials to help him rule the country. The most important of these helpers was Pharaoh's right hand man, his Vizier.
The Vizier received reports from every top official every day. Every day, the Vizier gave Pharaoh a concise report on what was happening all over Egypt.The ancient Egyptian legal system was based on common sense. The Egyptian goddess Ma'at was the goddess of justice. Basically, the law followed the teachings of Ma'at, according to the priests, about what was right and wrong. No remains of written laws have been found. However, since the ancient Egyptians loved lists and wrote everything down they could, it would not surprise historians to learn they did write down (codify) some laws at least. Were the laws fair to all people? Probably.A serious case would be if you were found guilty of something and your punishment was exile. If that was your punishment, your children would be exiled with you. If you believed the punishment did not fit the crime, you could plead your case in front of the Vizier. The Vizier could reverse the decision of the lower court. The Vizier also had the power to find you guilty, but give you a lesser punishment. But, if you simply brought your case in the front of the Vizier to buy yourself some time, your punishment could be increased rather than decreased.