Ancient Egypt Government
By Almasi Cooper
Who's The Boss?
Ancient Egypt didn't have presidents or kings or governors. They had pharaohs. There was only one pharaoh at a time. If you lived in the Egyptian times you didn't own anything the pharaoh owned all of the stuff.
The Bodyguards
Every pharaoh had an army, a police force and a large amount of ministers and government officials. They helped the pharaoh to rule the country. But above all of them stood his vizier. Just like a secretary.
The Vizier
The Vizier collected reports from the other officials. The Vizier gave the pharaoh completed reports everyday. The reports included what was going on all over Egypt.
Pharaoh
Ruler of Egypt, believed to be child of Re, the sun god
Vizier
The highest government official. The pharaoh's secretary
The Army
The protection of the pharaoh
The Law and Order System
The Laws and Legal Systems
The legal system in the Egyptian times were based on common sense. The law followed the teachings of Ma'at, the goddess of justices. No written laws have been found. But the Ancient Egyptians loved to write everything down. It would not surprise me if the historians found out they did write the laws down.
Highs and Lows
The Egyptians had a court system. There was a high and a low court. The lower court was made up of a group of elders from each town. The supreme high court judge was the pharaoh, who assigned his vizier to hear the cases and act as a judge.
The Final Decision
When a dispute was settled in lower court, both sides were heard, and a common sense decision was made by the lower court based on the facts presented. However, if you did not like the decision of the lower court, you could come before the Vizier on a first come, first served basis, and present your case again.
The Punishment
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.