Life as a pharaoh
They ruled over ancient Egypt and were immortalised by their tombs and statues, but what was life really like at the top?
One of the most important distinctions between the pharaohs of ancient Egypt and other rulers throughout history is that the pharaohs were revered as gods, and this meant they were treated as such.
The pharaoh was truly believed to be an incarnation of the god Horus, and they were therefore seen as a spiritual link between the ordinary Egyptian people and their deities.
Thus, from the moment they became pharaoh, their rule was celebrated with great fanfare, with the festivities celebrating their coronation lasting for an entire year. After the pharaoh had attended the burial of their predecessor, there would be elaborate feasts, offerings to the gods, and grand processions down the River Nile.
A further celebration would eventually occur around the 30th year of their rule (assuming they made it that far), known as the Sed festival. This would commemorate the continued rule of the pharaoh and renew both the spiritual and physical energy of their reign. The pharaoh would normally wear an animal tail attached to their kilt during the festivities, and would have to run laps to prove their fitness to rule. After the first Sed festival, the celebrations would be repeated every three years or so.
Of course, to ensure that their dynasty flourished, pharaohs would be expected to marry, and this would often be to a close relative in order to keep the royal bloodline pure. The pharaoh could have multiple wives, but only one would be the ‘great wife’ or queen consort, and it was the children of this spouse that would take precedence as heirs.
Having plenty of partners sometimes led to pharaohs having a startlingly high number of offspring: Ramesses II (r1279–1213 BC), for example, is believed to have had at least eight official wives and fathered more than 100 children.
In some cases, even women could rule, though generally this was because she was acting as regent for a son thought too young to take the throne. But Hatshepsut (r1473–1458 BC) was one female ruler that bucked this trend. Hatshepsut took on the title of pharaoh rather than queen, as well as other traditions normally reserved for male rulers, including wearing masculine clothing. She commanded the same respect and treatment as her father Thutmose I and husband Thutmose II had before her.
Cultivating an image
At every stage of their rule, the pharaoh would be well tended to. Upon waking each morning, they would be cleaned, groomed and dressed by their many servants. In fact, they would barely have a moment alone as their every need was catered for. They didn’t even need to physically exert themselves, either, as they would be carried around on a chair.
Much of the pharaoh’s time would be spent greeting ambassadors, being updated by royal officials on their latest building projects and discussing military issues with generals. If it all got too much, duties could be delegated to the pharaoh’s main advisors, known as viziers. But it wasn’t necessarily all luxury: like many rulers, the pharaoh was expected to be a fierce warrior who could lead their armies from the front. A box found within the tomb of Tutankhamun, for example, features a depiction of the boy king riding in a chariot while attacking the Nubians.
“If it all got too much, duties could be delegated to the pharaoh’s viziers”
Indeed, image was everything for the pharaoh, as when they were dressed in their royal regalia, the people believed the gods were speaking through them. Black kohl eyeliner was worn, which had a dual purpose – not only to help protect their vision from the glare of the sun, but also to invoke Ra and Horus, as the almond-shaped makeup was thought to resemble their eyes. Wigs and fake beards would also be worn, followed by exquisite golden jewellery to ensure they looked the part. Even the soles of their sandals were decorated, sometimes featuring an image of Egypt’s enemies, so the pharaoh would ‘crush’ them as they walked. Similarly, artistic depictions of the pharaoh would show them holding both the crook and flail – symbols of royal power. The flail represented the fertility of the land, while the crook symbolised kingship and the pharaoh as a shepherd of his people.
But their power was also represented in their homes, which would exude style and splendour. The city of Memphis, for instance, had many grand palaces – some of which had their own lakes and parks. Amenhotep III (r1390–1352 BC) also commissioned a complex known today as the Malkata Palace on the west bank of the Nile, near Thebes. This had audience chambers, private apartments, a festival hall and even an artificial harbour nearby.
And when they held great banquets in these palaces, the pharaoh would eat exceptionally well. Beef, goose and antelope could be on the menu, despite meat often being hard to come by for most ordinary Egyptians. Wine was also a speciality, reserved only for the elite.
Honouring the gods
As well as ruling over civil and military matters, the pharaoh also held the position of high priest. It was their responsibility to maintain ma’at – the divine order and justice of the land (personified by a goddess named Ma’at) – as well as to commission temples to honour the gods.
Ramesses II built more temples and monuments than any other pharaoh, including a famous temple at Abu Simbel dedicated to both himself and the gods Ra-Horakhty, Amun-Ra and Ptah. Unlike modern churches, mosques and temples, ancient Egyptian temples weren’t for communal worship and only the pharaoh could make an offering to the gods and carry out rituals there.
In total, the ancient Egyptians are known to have worshipped more than 1,000 gods and goddesses, but when Amenhotep IV came to power in 1352 BC, he attempted to bring in monotheism – the belief in a single supreme deity.
He changed his name to Akhenaten to honour the Aten, who he saw as the one true god. This didn’t last, however, and the Egyptians soon went back to their many deities.
Although it may seem morbid by modern standards, the afterlife was always at the forefront of the ancient Egyptians’ minds, and an important task for any pharaoh was to commission their own tomb. They were revered as much in death as on Earth, and therefore their body needed to be preserved.
The famous Great Pyramid at Giza was built as the final resting place for Khufu (r2589–2566 BC). It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and – despite its sheer size – was only built for Khufu and his immediate family. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt certainly had their own unique way of ensuring their legacy lived on.
DID YOU KNOW ?
KING OF THE CASTLE
The title ‘pharaoh’ has its origins in the Egyptian term per-aa, meaning ‘great house’ –a reference to the palaces in which the rulers lived. Over time, it began to be used to refer to the rulers as well.
Serving the pharaoh
The rulers of ancient Egypt certainly had plenty of people at their beck and call…
If you worked in the royal household, the role you really wanted was sandal-bearer to the pharaoh. This was one of the most prestigious positions in ancient Egyptian society, as sandal-bearers would accompany the pharaoh on all important royal occasions, and also had the honour of washing the pharaoh’s feet. As a result, they were likely privy to a wealth of sensitive information, including the latest court gossip.
In the early days of the pharaohs, it’s believed that some servants were sacrificed and buried alongside their ruler so they could continue to serve the deceased in the afterlife – death certainly didn’t stop the pharaoh from owning them. However, this practice isn’t thought to have lasted very long, and figurines of servants known as ushabti were buried alongside the pharaoh instead. They were expected to come to life and serve their king after he had died.
Servants within the royal household didn’t have very many rights, but they weren’t usually treated too badly, and were allowed to own property. Prisoners of war, however, could be forced into servitude and had no rights at all. Yet ancient Egypt was not like ancient Rome, and slavery was actually quite rare. Indeed, the image that Hollywood has given us of slaves building the pyramids is a falsehood, and it is more likely that people from all over Egypt would have been summoned to undertake these building projects as a form of national service.