Ancient Egypt | Social Structure, Classes & Hierarchy

What social classes made up Egyptian society? The ancient Egyptian social structure consisted of six main Egyptian social classes. At the top of the hierarchy was the ruler, or pharaoh. Most pharaohs of ancient Egypt were men, but there were a few very powerful female pharaohs. When the pharaoh died, the power over the dynasty was passed down through the family bloodline, usually to the first-born son. The next powerful groups were the high government officials, and then the nobles and priests, who were appointed by the pharaoh. The soldiers and scribes were the next social class, followed by the merchants and artisans. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the peasants and the slaves.

Depiction of a pharaoh from ancient Egypt

The government officials came next in the social Egyptian hierarchy. Often nobles, or people related to the pharaoh, served as government officials, and they were also chosen by the pharaoh. The government positions were as follows:

The nobles in ancient Egypt were in the next elite class of people in the Egyptian hierarchy and consisted of people related to the pharaoh. Only nobles were appointed to serve in government positions or other important roles, such as scribe, physician, or military general. The priests were tasked with pleasing the gods by leading the religious ceremonies and rituals. One very important ritual was mummification. Some priests specialized in the preservation of a person's body after death, called embalming, usually of the upper class. Ancient Egyptians believed the soul and the body stayed together in the afterlife; therefore, the body needed to be preserved.

A scribe was considered to be a high-level role in the Egyptian hierarchy because scribes could read and write, which was not common in ancient Egypt. They were tasked with keeping written records, mainly government documents. They used a form of picture writing called hieroglyphics that involved hieroglyphs being painted onto papyrus (an ancient paper made of a reed plant) or etched into stone. The soldiers fought in any wars that arose and took care of domestic disputes or uprisings. Sometimes soldiers also served as overseers of construction and farming.

Ancient Egyptian writing, hieroglyphics, etched in stone

The artisans and merchants made up the middle class of the Egyptian hierarchy. The artisans were people who had a specialized trade, such as craftsmen and physicians. The merchants were the shopkeepers. They would buy in bulk from the traders and artisans and sell to the public.

Most of the population in ancient Egypt was made up of peasants and enslaved people. The peasants were the laborers that did work such as farming, raising livestock, and keeping up the canals. The peasants paid heavy taxes to the government, sometimes more than half of all they produced. Peasants had the potential to move up in the social structure. The enslaved people were captured during war, were considered property, and directly served the royal family or upper-class citizens.

The ancient Egyptians had a very specific and well-organized social structure. There were six classes of society: (1) the pharaoh, or king, (2) government officials, (3) nobles and priests, (4) scribes and soldiers, (5) artisans and merchants, and (6) peasants and slaves. The pharaoh, or the king, was at the very top of the Egyptian hierarchy. The most powerful person next to the pharaoh was the vizier, who was the top government advisor. The rest of the elite included the royal family, other government officials, and priests. Another important government role was the head treasurer. This official oversaw collecting taxes, but unlike modern times, taxes were often paid in grains, animals, or textiles. The priests oversaw special religious ceremonies and rituals. One important ritual was embalming the body after death during the mummification process to keep the soul and body connected into the afterlife. Soldiers had a dual purpose in the Egyptian hierarchy. They fought battles in times of war, but in times of peace they were often tasked with overseeing laborers that were working on such things as farming and construction. The lowest class of the social structure was made up of the peasants and slaves. Peasants were the laborers and paid taxes. Peasants could move up in social status, but slaves could not. Slaves were people captured during war and were considered to be property of the upper class.