Harem in ancient Egypt

The harem of ancient Egypt resembles little the “traditional” Harem whose image comes us straight of the harem from the Ottoman Empire: these two institutions have as a common point to be the apartments of the women . The harem is also the place of residence of the “diplomatic wives”, indeed, Pharaon imposed to the kings under alliance, to give him their oldest daughter as a wife, but there was not reciprocal.

In the ancient Egypt, the harem (the ipètnésout ), is the place where the women of the royal family reside: wives, girls, cousins, favorite. It is not only one place of pleasure, but also a place to be able and of education, where the concubines compete of address to extend their prerogatives and to try to place their children at important stations. Contrary to the “Eastern harems” the ancient Egyptian harem was a relatively open place, where the ladies received visit, practiced the craft industry in what the harem was a workshop of weaving of Pharaon, and educated the young girls quite born.

The harem is also a place of secrecies, intrigues, fights for the capacity, of competitions, to see conspiracy (lawsuit of certain members of the harem of Ramsès III). Only the children of the Grande royal wife have, in normal weather, and if they are of male sex, the possibility of becoming crown princes. As long as they are in low age, their education is ensured by tutors inside the harem. The personnel is exclusively male and contrary to the harems of the Ottoman Empire, it does not seem that there was Eunuque.

In fact, in Egypt, there does not exist one, but harems. The main thing is always contiguous to the royal palace of the Pharaon in exercise, but there are generally several of variable size. It seems that the Fayoum, by its green framework, was a ground favourable with these establishments, the “harem of Fayoum” seems to have been partly a “old people's home” for the grandmothers of the nobility.

Composition of the harem

Women:
  • the large royal wife,
  • higher of the harem,
  • secondary wives,
  • the favorite ones ( khékérout-nésout , “ornaments of the king”),
  • the beauties ( néférout ).

Administration (exclusively male):

  • the chief of the administration of the harem,
  • the assistant of the administration of the harem,
  • scribes of the harem (of which the “scribe of the door of the harem”),
  • the guards (of which the “guard of the doors”),
  • servants.

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