Vizier
Vizier of Egypt
The Ancient Egyptians lived in a well ordered culture and society which
was administered by law enforcers, judges and courts. All classes of
society paid taxes which in turn paid for the government and army. The
Pyramid of Power started with the Pharaoh who was the absolute ruler of
Ancient Egypt.
The role of the Vizier in Ancient Egypt was an extremely important one,
equivalent to a Prime Minister.
He was the highest court official and the deputy of the Pharaoh.
Successful ministers and especially the vizier, were rewarded by large
grants of land from the royal domain. The vizier therefore became
extremely wealthy.
The vizier wielded great power in
Egypt and was both feared and respected. The Egyptian name for a vizier
was 'tjaty'. During periods of Ancient
Egyptian history a vizier was made a god and another vizier became
Pharaoh.
History of the Vizier
During the 4th Dynasty of the Old
Kingdom, the vizier was exclusively a son of a king, but from the 5th
Dynasty this was no longer the case. The powerful position of vizier
could be obtained by an Egyptian of non-royal lineage. From the 18th
dynasty onward, the office was split between a northern and southern
vizier, both holding an equal amount of power. Towards the end of the
Middle Kingdom there was a virtually dynastic line
of viziers when the role was passed on from father to son.
The Role of the Vizier
The vizier was traditionally the
head of the government administrators, the court officials. However as
his power grew a vizier might also be the chief priest. One of the later
titles held by a vizier was the High Priest of Heliopolis. Important
documents were only considered legal if they had the seal of the vizier.
The role of the vizier was therefore quite varied and changed through
the various generations. Through the ages of Ancient Egypt the Vizier was responsible
for the following:
-
The appointment
of government officials
-
Master of Works
for the royal monuments including labor and resources
-
Hearing major
legal disputes
-
Controlling
civil order
-
Controlling the
food supply and distribution
-
Conducting a
census of the population in order to collect taxes
-
Taxation
-
Managing
important industries
-
Controller of
the Archives - All important legal issues were documented
including wills, trials, deeds, census lists, conscription
lists and inventories
-
Recording
rainfall and water levels of the Nile - Nilometers were
gauges which were set up to measure water levels. Levels
above and below the average indicated catastrophes such as
floods or famine. Good years indicated the level of taxes
which could be obtained from the farmers
The Vizier Imhotep
A famous Egyptian vizier was called Imhotep. Imhotep was the vizier and
architect of Pharaoh Djoser and was responsible for the famous Step
Pyramid. Imhotep achieved such a high position in the court that he was
later deified. Imhotep was regarded as the Son of Ptah, the Lord of all
Builders. Scribes began a tradition of sprinkling a drop from their
water bowl in honor of Imhotep whenever they started work. The signature
of Imhotep the famous vizier and architect can still be read today. The
hieroglyphic signature of Imhotep can be found in the Egyptian Museum in
Cairo on the base of a statue of King Djoser.
The Grand Vizier Ay
The name of the vizier during the
reign of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten was Ay. He was believed to be a
native Egyptian from Akhmim. Ay was the son of Yuya, who was a nobleman
in the court of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and was the father of Tiye, the
chief Queen of Amenhotep. So although he was a commoner Ay was raised in
the royal court circles of the New Kingdom was the uncle of the heretic
Pharaoh Akhenaten. He rose to become the Grand vizier of Tutankhamun,
King Tut, and after the boy-king's untimely death became Pharaoh of
Egypt.
The Vizier &
Egyptian Society - The Social Pyramid of Power
The Pyramid of power, which provides and
overview of the social structure and jobs undertaken in Ancient Egypt was as follows:
The Pharaoh
The Great Royal Wife
Members of the immediate Royal Family
Vizier
Noblemen
Army Officers
Court Officials
Priests and Priestesses
Scribes
Artists
Craftsmen
Foot Soldiers
Labourers
Vizier
Each section of this Egyptian website addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details
of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of Egypt, the Ancient Egyptians and of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, King Tut.
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