Marriage in Ancient Egypt
Abstract
The main goal of marriage is for a man to have a family and a home in which he feels comfortable and independent, but for early marriage, specifically in ancient Egypt, other goals are perhaps the most prominent among them as we believe the existence of a united family with high values that are the nucleus of a discreet and creative society. Because of the importance of the family and its role in building an effective unified society, all the sages of ancient Egypt advised early marriage for both sexes in order to have children. The most important factor remains the lack of prevalence of obscenity that may disintegrate the family and thus the disintegration and collapse of society. Early marriage also urged religious and social norms. The concept of general marriage is represented by a relationship established by custom and religion between two heterosexual people in the form of a husband and wife to form a new family, and the sons of this marriage are legitimate children. Also, the husband in the ancient Egyptian society was distinguished by the good treatment of the wife and his distancing from all the causes of discord and division, so that he does not need a sage to recommend his kindness to his wife and her love, as this was of his nature. In order for the Egyptian to express his love and appreciation for his wife, he called her Nabt Bar (nbt-pr), meaning the lady of the house. This expression has been found in almost all texts from different eras, which indicates the wife’s great position and her care and management of her home affairs. Marriage has decrees, including engagement. Engagement throughout the ancient Near East means that a young man applies to marry a girl through her family, and the procedure is in accordance with the prevailing customs and traditions of every society, and it is rarely found a girl who applies to marry a young man, or it is found a young man and a young woman married without parental consent.
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