Jobs in ancient Egypt
Jobs in ancient Egypt varied over the years, spanning a history estimated at 3000 years or more before Christ. The first job titles to appear were from the era of the First Egyptian Dynasty, shortly after the invention of writing.[1][2]
Details
Titles and jobs continued until the Roman period, and each person of high rank was interested in mentioning the titles and jobs that he performed during his life in his tomb, usually on a stone plaque placed in or in front of his tomb. That is why many ancient Egyptian titles are recorded on monuments, temples, and statues. They indicate the job or jobs of their owner.[3][4]
Jobs diversified and multiplied with the development of ancient Egyptian civilization, indicating the development of the governmental system and administrative systems in Egypt since ancient times. Titles indicate official jobs in the state and the work that a person performed during his life. They were a source of pride in life, and to ensure resurrection and access to eternal life after death.[5][6]
List
A list gives several important governmental positions in ancient Egypt in alphabetical order. We know of several thousand of these titles, but some are mentioned only once, and a few are mentioned several times. and these are the ones we present in this list. These titles were of great importance in the administration of the ancient Egyptian state and they explain to us the social structure in ancient Egypt and the system of government and its change over time.[7]
| Title | In hieroglyphics | translation | Job | When did it start appearing? | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unicode | <hiero>K3:N36</hiero> | County chief; literally “canal digger” | County manager or estate manager | Since the first family | Ward, Nr. 637 | |
| I finished my home | <hiero>bit:t-xtm</hiero> or <hiero>bit:t-S19</hiero> | King's seal bearer | since first dynasty | Ward, Nr. 1472 | ||
| I want to go out | <hiero>H-Xr-b</hiero> | High Priest | since first dynasty | Ward, Nr. 1202 | ||
| I want to go out | <hiero>H-Xr-b-Hr:tp</hiero> or <hiero>W5-Hr:tp</hiero> | Chief Temple Reader | ||||
| I forgot to tell you | <hiero>D1:T28-M23:X1</hiero> | Head of the Royal Court | since ancient times | Jones, S. 788, Nr. 2874 | ||
| Haraib war | <hiero>D2:F34-S42</hiero> | City Governor | First and third family | Jones, S. 732, Nr. 2665 Serrano, S. 16. | ||
| I'm coming | <hiero>F4:D36</hiero> oder <hiero>F4-X1:D36</hiero> | Governorate Director | (Hati) is a title, a prince from the royal family | Since the first family[8] | Ward, Nr. 864 | |
| I hope you believe me | <hiero>F4:D36-A1:N35-R14-X1*X1:N25-O49:X1*Z1</hiero> | Mayor of West Thebes | The highest administrative position in West Thebes. | The twentieth Egyptian family | Helck: Verwaltung, S. 236–237. | |
| I will come to you | <hiero>F4:D36-N35-O49:X1*Z1</hiero> | Mayor of Thebes | The highest administrative rank in Taiba (the capital). | New Kingdom of Egypt، Late period | Helck: Verwaltung, S. 236–245. | |
| I hope our cup is full | <hiero>HAt:a n:kAp:n Z4:N25</hiero> | Governor of Byblos]], (City in Lebanon today) | Governor of Byblos during the Middle Egyptian Kingdom | The Twelfth Egyptian Dynasty and The Thirteenth Egyptian Dynasty | Ward, Nr. 882 | |
| Ham Bao Nkhn | <hiero>U36-G29-(G43)-E18-O48:O49</hiero> | Shepherd of souls in Nakhn | Second highest rank in Old Kingdom of Egypt، It was special for the king's son. | Old Kingdom | Ute Rummel: Pantherfell, 2009 | |
| Ham Neter | <hiero>R8-U36</hiero> | Priest of God / Servant of God … |
A title of priest serving a particular god. Or serve a certain deceased pharaoh |
Since the early Old Kingdom |
Wildung: Die Rolle ägyptischer Könige..., S. 44–49 | Wildung: Die Rolle ägyptischer Könige..., S. 44–49 |
| Hamet Neter (You are Amun) | <hiero>nTr-N42:t-Ba15-n:t-i-mn:n-Ba15a</hiero> | wife of amun | Originally: Pharaoh's chief wife, perhaps the one who bore the heir to the throne. | The Eighteenth Egyptian Dynasty - Twenty-sixth Dynasty | ||
| Ham Neter Tebi En Amon | <hiero>nTr-Hm-T8-n-i-mn:n</hiero> | The first servant of Amun | high religious position | Since the beginning of the eighteenth dynasty | Ward, Nr. 364 | |
| Emira Akhinouti | <hiero>m:r-a:Xn-nw:t-y</hiero> | Chairman of the Council | Middle Egyptian state | Ward, Nr. 72 | ||
| Emira Khetimitu | <hiero>m:r-xtm:t-G4</hiero> | Head of the Seal Campaign | Since the Middle Kingdom | |||
| Emira Cat Net Neso Jmj-r3-k3t-nbt-nt-nsw |
<hiero>m:r kA:t nb:t-n:t-sw-t:n</hiero> | Manager of all Pharaoh's works | In the Old Kingdom, the director of the construction of the pyramids | Ward, Nr. 401 | ||
| Emira is radiant | <hiero>m:r-A12-Z3</hiero> | Chief of Army (Commander-in-Chief) | Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and also in the specializations of civil facilities | since Old Kingdom | Ward, Nr. 205 |
References
- ↑ "Petrie, William M. Flinders [Oth.]: The royal tombs of the first dynasty (Part I): 1900 (London, 1900)". digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
- ↑ "Ancient Egyptian Roles".
- ↑ "8 Facts About Ancient Egypt's Hieroglyphic Writing". HISTORY. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ↑ Mark, Joshua J. "Jobs in Ancient Egypt". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ↑ Beamte und Soldaten: Die Verwaltung in der 26. Dynastie in Ägypten (664-525 v. Chr.) (Europäische Hochschulschriften. ASIN 363132586X. Search this book on
- ↑ Mark, Joshua J. "Jobs in Ancient Egypt". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ↑ "Jobs in Ancient Egypt: The Professions That Built a Civilization". Egypt Tours Portal. 2024-12-14. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
- ↑ فلندرز بيتري, فرنسيس غريفيث: The royal tombs of the First Dynasty. 1900: Part 1. (= Memoir of the Egypt Exploration Fund. Vol. 18, ISSN 0307-5109). Offices of The Egypt Exploration Fund, London 1900, Digitalisat, Tafel XXII, Nr. 32. Archived 2019-12-17 at the Wayback Machine
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