JOrge

                                        Government officials by:Jorge Garibay

                          Every civilization is built upon rules and regulations. In ancient Egypt, government revolved heavily around a single figure, the Pharaoh, who the people believed to be a living god. This status basically granted the pharaoh (who was, in almost all cases, a man) virtually limitless power and control over his subjects.

    The type of government in ancient Egypt was a theocracy. Even in the New Kingdom, when Akhentan forced the people to put aside the 'old gods' in favor of a single god, religion and government were tightly entwined. A good number of the people carrying out the Pharaoh's decrees where priests and holy men. This group formed their own social class as they were given preferential treatment before other citizens and were a kind of nobility in their own right.

    The government structure of ancient Egypt involved other officials, including viziers, army commanders, chief treasurers, the minister of public works, and tax collectors, all of whom answered directly to the pharaoh. There were also governors of specific pieces of land who answered to the vizier.

    Taxation existed under the government of Egypt , though mostly in the way of goods and labor. Citizens were drafted into the military when necessary, or into forced labor to pay labor tax, depending on what needed to be done at the time. In much earlier times, during the Old Kingdom , the kings often controlled all the resources and only gave them to those able to pay taxes and remain loyal to their leaders, despite being despotic.

    When it came to laws, many of them involved punishments to fit crimes. In a religious country, right and wrong were most likely clearly defined, and doing 'wrong' was not just a general bad idea, but it brought disgrace on one's entire family. Punishments for wrong doing were as lax as caning or as severe as dismemberment or various executions.

    During intermediate periods where the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt dissolved and chaos ensued, the centralized governments broke down. At a later time, the ruling class of one area would manage to take over the rest of Egypt and once again reinstated unity in the country. These periods would last usually for a few decades to a hundred years or so before things would be brought back mostly to normal.

    In the several thousand year span of Egyptian history, the general way of governing was quite consistent. Things only seemed to change in large ways when parts of Egypt were invaded, or someone chose to overthrow the government. Perhaps the mix of politics, religion and the belief that the pharaoh was infallible and a deity was what allowed Egypt to remain the powerful country that it was for such a long time.