The Old Kingdom of Egypt lasted roughly 2700-2200 B.C.E. There are many unique characteristics of the Old Kingdom that are important to know about when learning about life long ago. A few of these consist of early social structures, the pharaohs, and mummification.
Social structure was very different from how it is today. The general basis of social structure is how much respect and wealth you have. In the Old Kingdom, the bottom of the social pyramid was slaves and servants. These unskilled workers made up the “caste” below the lower classes. The lower class was made up of about 80% of the population. Consisting of farmers and herders. Just above the farmers are the skilled workers. Traders, artisans, shopkeepers and scribes. Typically lesser government officials, merchants and craftspeople. Scribes were in charge of writing, and recording. Craftspeople produced goods. With the large emphasis that the Egyptians based on religion, it was to no one’s surprise that near the top were the priests. Otherwise known as “nobles” priests and viziers, these were the people who ruled just below the pharaoh. Nobles helped run the government and temples. The pharaoh was at the top of the social pyramid. As he was believed to be god.
The pharaoh was the one who ruled over Egypt. When the pharaoh dies, the son will become the new pharaoh. Because the Egyptians political system was highly theocratic (“relating to or denoting a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god”) the pharaoh was both king and a god. Essentially, the pharaoh was a manger for the gods. As god, the pharaoh was blamed for the welfare of crops, annual flooding, control of disease, etc. The pharaoh was responsible for making profitable trade decisions, and keeping peace. The pharaohs were so highly respected that the pyramids of Giza were giant tombs for the pharaoh’s afterlife journey. In the pyramids are everything a pharaoh would need in the afterlife. These things would consist of food, water, clothes, and other personal items.
Before the pharaoh was left to rest in the tomb, a very long ceremony was performed on the corpse of the deceased. The goal of the process called mummification was to preserve the body so later, the soul may leave and return when desired. As well as give a body for the pharaoh in the afterlife. Human bodies naturally decompose from the inside out after death. Thus leading to the first stage of mummification. The brain is first mashed with a sharp spike in a smoothie that is then flushed out of the nose. They then pour resin into the skull to preserve the shape, and keep the part of the brain that didn’t make it out away from decomposing. Next was the removal of the rest of the organs. These organs were heavily salted and jarred. The body was then embalmed. The outside of the body was washed, salted and then cleaned again. To mask the stench, 35 days later, tree resin was poured over the body. Finally, the corpse is wrapped in linen and placed into a coffin. While most of whom were mummified were pharaohs, some animals such as cats, birds, and crocodiles were mummified as well. This is because those animals were believed to be symbols of the gods.
Overall, in the Old Kingdom, the Egyptians had many unique characteristics. With pharaohs as gods and farmers in the lower class, we can see how life was vastly different for each individual. Looking up to the pharaoh for guidance and prosperity of the land, and then a great ritual performed on the body of the pharaoh after death. We are given an inside look on how life may have worked some 3000-5000 years ago.