Abstract

This article strives to accomplish three objectives. First, it provides a general overview of jurisprudence and the organization of procedural law in ancient Egypt. Second, it considers several legal topics and how they relate to women in ancient Egypt. Third, it examines, in greater detail, how Egyptian law viewed gender roles and how the law influenced the status of men and women in ancient Egyptian society. The article highlights the special place that ancient Egyptian law occasionally gave to women within the broader legal context. Included among these observations are the following: women served as judges; they testified as witnesses during trials; they had legal authority to own, buy, and sell property; women paid taxes; women owned one-third of the property acquired during marriage, and children inherited their mother’s dowry; women could inherit property and could also make valid wills of their own; and they had capacity to enter into binding contracts. The article demonstrates that the legal status of women in ancient Egypt was unique among ancient civilizations.

摘要

本文力求实现三个目标。首先，它概述了古埃及的法理学和程序法的组织。其次，它考虑了几个法律主题以及它们与古埃及女性的关系。第三，它更详细地考察了埃及法律如何看待性别角色，以及法律如何影响古埃及社会中男性和女性的地位。这篇文章强调了古埃及法律在更广泛的法律背景下偶尔给予女性的特殊地位。这些意见包括以下内容：妇女担任法官；他们在审判期间作为证人作证；他们拥有拥有、购买和出售财产的合法权力；妇女纳税；妇女拥有婚姻存续期间所得财产的三分之一，子女继承母亲的嫁妆；妇女可以继承财产，也可以立下有效的遗嘱；他们有能力签订具有约束力的合同。文章论证了古埃及女性的法律地位在古代文明中是独一无二的。