At an early period the form of government in Egypt became an
hereditary monarchy, of a peculiar kind. The power of the king was
restricted by rigid law and antique custom, and by the extraordinary
influence of the priestly class. The soil was held by the priests,
the warriors, and the king.
=Their Kings.=--The Egyptian monarchs appear to have used their
authority well and wisely; we rarely hear of insurrection or rebellion,
and many received divine honors after death for their beneficence and
regal virtues. The common title “Pharaoh” is derived from the Egyptian
word “Phra,” the sun.
=Social Castes.=--The body of the people were divided into castes, not
rigidly separated, as in India. The members of the different orders
might intermarry, and the children pass from one caste to another by
change of the hereditary occupation. The castes were: (1) priests; (2)
soldiers; (3) husbandmen; (4) artificers and tradesmen; (5) a
miscellaneous class of herdsmen, fishermen and servants. The priests and
warriors ranked far above the rest in dignity and privilege.
=The Priests.=--The hierarchy in Egypt was the highest order in power,
influence and wealth. To the priestly caste, however, many persons
belonged who were not engaged in religious offices. They were a
landowning class, and the solely learned class. In their possession were
all the literature and science of the country, and all employments
dependent, for their practice, on that knowledge. The priesthood thus
included the poets, historians, lawyers, physicians, and the magicians
who did wonders before Moses. They paid no taxes, had large landed
possessions, exercised immense influence over the minds of the people,
and put no slight check even on the king.
=Soldiers and Warriors.=--Egypt had an army of over four hundred
thousand men, mainly composed of a militia supported by a fixed portion
of land (six acres per man), free from all taxation. The chariots and
horses were famous: the foot-soldiers were variously armed with helmet,
spear, coat of mail, shield, battle-axe, club, javelin and dagger, for
close fighting in dense array; and with bows, arrows and slings for
skirmishing and conflict in open order. The soldier was allowed to
cultivate his own land when he was not under arms, but he could follow
no other occupation.
=The Lower Castes.=--The castes below the warriors and priests had no
political rights, and could not hold land; to-wit, The husbandmen who
tilled the soil paid rent in produce to the king or to the priests who
owned it; and the artisan class, which included masons and the usual
tradesmen, whose occupations are recorded upon the monuments. The
herdsmen were the lowest class, and of these the swineherds were treated
as outcasts, not permitted to enter the temples, or to marry, except
among themselves.