Kinship and Family in Ancient Egypt

Understanding the Sources

Setting the Terms

Dynamising Kin Groups

Introduction: Ancient Egyptian Kinship between Relatedness and Material Agency

The early 18th Dynasty was a time of military and political reorganization and consolidation in which significant administrative changes were enacted that were likely designed to support a “powerful and pervasive royal authority” 1 Certainly the offices of viceroy of Kush and vizier were a central feature of this, and the rise of Amun and his priesthood ‐ with newly created positions ‐ was another area which King Ahmose and his successors sought to promote. While initially the kings may have chosen men to fill the positions of viceroy and vizier, and likely several high posts within the Amun precinct, some office-holders were quickly able to establish family dynasties that would last for several generations. This paper reviews the connections, both political and familial, between the viceroys, viziers and various officials of the Amun domain. It seeks to demonstrate the considerable role that one elite family, utilizing heredity, marriage and nepotism, was able to play in controlling a wide range of positions within the burgeoning 18th Dynasty government.

JJ Shirley

Papers

Viceroys, Viziers & The Amun Precinct: The Power of Heredity and Strategic Marriage in the Early 18th Dynasty