Rewind a few thousand years and the Pharaonic wife was considered to be the happiest and most pampered, in her marital life, when compared to the Romans or the Greeks. Marriage used to receive a special mutual sanctity from both partners, for the wife was devoted in serving her family and in taking care of her husband without neglecting her femininity, and the husband truly appreciated everything she did for him and his children.
The Egyptian and Pharaonic archeologist, Christian Koor, confirmed that the simple Egyptian woman, living in the countryside, enjoyed a happy and fulfilling life. Society granted her a natural and intuitive equality to man while keeping in mind her essential role as a mother, a partner, and a housewife.
Good enough for him = good enough for her!
Many paintings of the ancient Egyptian era display a woman, as a worker in the fields, working alongside her husband and collecting crops.
The ancient Egyptian civilization did not neglect womens issues especially in the context of the marital contract and in formulating laws that considered the rights of both partners. Marriage was called “making a wife” or “taking a wife”, and the father and future husband’s opinions were the foundations of Pharaonic law. However the mother’s opinion was not ignored, as one Egyptian girl echoed in her Pharaonic prose: “He is not aware of how much I miss him and how I long to hold him so I send a word to my mother to save me…”
The marital contract called for loyalty and respect from husband and wife and gave the wife, in case of a divorce, the right to retrieve her belongings that she’d taken with her to the husband’s house on the night of the marriage. Nevertheless, marriage for the ancient Egyptians was unfavored and seldom occured. One of the most beautiful and distinctive endorsements of the role of a woman in an Egyptian man’s life, whether a king or a farmer, was the strict adherence to burying the wife beside the husband in the same grave. For ancient Egyptians, husband and wife were partners for life, and death did not separate them – they remained lovers in the after-life. Moreover, although no law existed demanding fidelity and commitment from the husband, it came naturally for a woman to be treated in a generous manner.
Spoil me rotten, husband dear…
The Pharaonic wife was showered with love and affection from her husband. One wise ancient Egyptian philospher once wrote: “Do not shout in her face when she returns from the market for she has spent her energy to fetch you that goose. So do not cry in her face asking her where she has left this and where she has left that, but cover her back and body with perfume and fill her stomach with food (an invitation of generosity from the man). And fill her with romantic words by telling her that she is your favorite cow (to be described as a cow, the ancient Egyptian’s goddess of beauty, was to be given the best compliment).”
Another advised men:”If you are looking for wisdom and happiness, love your wife and life partner and take care of her, for she will take care of your house and children and water them with her love. Cherish her as long as you live, for she is a gift from God who has answered your prayers. Feel her pain before she does, for she is your children’s mother… You are responsible for her happiness in front of your creator. You have sworn an oath in front of the Gods’ shrine that you will be a brother, a father, a partner, and a friend of your wife and lover.”
Love me beautiful
Thanks to man’s nurturing, the Pharaonic woman excelled in many ways. She was a female in the true sense of the word when it came to taking care of her house and looks. She managed to find successful ways to tame the wild and fuzzy nature of her hair by using natural products such as olive oil and herbs. Finally, to highlight her beauty, she paid special attention to find the finest ingredients for eye liners (el kohl) and perfumes.
