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UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology UCLA UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology Title Households Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bn8c9gz Journal UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, 1(1) Author Moreno Garcia, Juan Carlos Publication Date 2012-10-20 Supplemental Material https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2bn8c9gz#supplemental Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California HOUSEHOLDS ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻼﺕ (ﺍﻷﺳﺮ) Juan Carlos Moreno García EDITORS WILLEKE WENDRICH Editor-in-Chief University of California, Los Angeles JACCO DIELEMAN Editor University of California, Los Angeles ELIZABETH FROOD Editor Area Editor Individual and Society University of Oxford JOHN BAINES Senior Editorial Consultant University of Oxford Short Citation: Moreno García, 2012, Households. UEE. Full Citation: Moreno García, Juan Carlos, 2012, Households. In Elizabeth Frood and Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002czx07 8707 Version 1, October 2012 http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002czx07 HOUSEHOLDS ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻼﺕ (ﺍﻷﺳﺮ) Juan Carlos Moreno García Haushalt Maison, Maisonnée The household was the basic unit of ancient Egyptian social organization. Its composition varied, however, depending on administrative or sociological considerations: administrative records focus on nuclear families, while private sources stress the importance of the extended family. Households included not only people linked by family ties, but also serfs, clients, dependants, and “friends,” sometimes encompassing hundreds of people. As for their sources of wealth, households consisted of patrimonial and institutional goods, and strategies were employed to keep and increase resources within the family. Nevertheless, menaces such as debts, shortages, or disputes over inheritances could lead to the disappearance of households—hence the importance of ideological values that tied together their members while celebrating their cohesion, autonomy, and genealogical pride. ﻛﺎﻧ��ﺖ ﺍﻷﺳ��ﺮﺓ ﻫ��ﻲ ﺍﻟﻤﻜ��ﻮﻥ ﺍﻷﺳﺎﺳ��ﻲ ﻟﻠﻬﻴﻜ��ﻞ ﺍﻻﺟﺘﻤ��ﺎﻋﻲ ﻓ��ﻲ ﻣﺼ��ﺮ ﺍﻟﻘﺪﻳﻤ��ﺔ، ﻣ��ﻊ ﺍﺧ��ﺘﻼﻑ ﺗﻜﻮﻳﻨﻬﺎ ﻭﺫﻟﻚ ﺗﺒﺎﻋﺎ ً ﻻﻋﺘﺒﺎﺭﺍﺕ ﺇﺩﺍﺭﻳﺔ ﺃﻭ ﺍﺟﺘﻤﺎﻋﻴﺔ ، ﻓﺮﻛﺰﺕ ﺍﻟﻮﺛﺎﺋﻖ ﺍﻹﺩﺍﺭﻳ�ﺔ ﻋﻠ�ﻰ ﺍﻷﺳ�ﺮ ﺍﻟﻨﻤﻮﺫﺟﻴ��ﺔ (ﺃﻱ ﺍﻷﺳ��ﺮﺓ ﺍﻟﻤﻜﻮﻧ��ﺔ ﻣ��ﻦ ﺍﻷﻡ ﻭﺍﻷﺏ ﻭﺍﻷﻁﻔ��ﺎﻝ)، ﻓ��ﻲ ﺣ��ﻴﻦ ﺭﻛ��ﺰﺕ ﺍﻟﻤﺼ��ﺎﺩﺭ ﺍﻟﺨﺎﺻﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺃﻫﻤﻴﺔ ﺍﻷﺳﺮﺓ ﺍﻟﻜﺒﻴﺮﺓ. ﻟﻢ ﺗﺸﻤﻞ ﺍﻷﺳ�ﺮ ﻓﻘ�ﻂ ﻣﺠ�ﺮﺩ ﺃﺷ�ﺨﺎﺹ ﺗ�ﺮﺑﻄﻬﻢ ﺻ�ﻼﺕ ﻋﺎﺋﻠﻴﺔ، ﻭﻟﻜﻦ ﺷﻤﻠﺖ ﺃﻳﻀﺎ ً ﺍﻟﺨﺪﻡ ﻭﺍﻟﻌﻤﻼء ﻭﻋ�ﺎﺋﻼﺗﻬﻢ ﻭ «ﺍﻷﺻ�ﺪﻗﺎء»، ﻣﻤ�ﺎ ﻗ�ﺪ ﻳﺼ�ﻞ ﺃﺣﻴﺎﻧ�ﺎ ً ﺇﻟﻰ ﻣﺌﺎﺕ ﺍﻷﺷﺨﺎﺹ. ﺃﻣﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺴﺒﺔ ﻟﻤﺼﺎﺩﺭ ﺛﺮﺍﻭﺍﺗﻬﻢ، ﻓﺘﺄﻟﻔﺖ ﻣ�ﻦ ﺍﻟﺴ�ﻠﻊ ﺍﻟﻤﺎﺩﻳ�ﺔ ﻭﺍﻟﻤﺆﺳﺴ�ﻴﺔ، ﻭﺗﻢ ﺍﺳﺘﺨﺪﺍﻡ ﺍﺳﺘﺮﺍﺗﻴﺠﻴﺎﺕ ﻣﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ ﻟﻠﺤﻔﺎﻅ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻤ�ﻮﺍﺭﺩ ﺩﺍﺧ�ﻞ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻠ�ﺔ ﻣ�ﻊ ﻣﻀ�ﺎﻋﻔﺘﻬﺎ. ﻭﻟﻜ�ﻦ ﺩﻭﻥ ﺷﻚ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ ﻟﻠﺘﻬﺪﻳﺪﺍﺕ ﻣﺜﻞ ﺍﻟﺪﻳﻮﻥ ﻭﻗﻠﺔ ﺍﻟﻤﻮﺍﺭﺩ ﻭﺧﻼﻓﺎﺕ ﺣﻮﻝ ﺍﻟﻤﻴﺮﺍﺙ ﺗﺆﺩﻱ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺗﻔﻜﻚ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻼﺕ – ﻭﻣﻦ ﻫﻨﺎ ﺗﺒﺮﺯ ﺃﻫﻤﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﻘﻴﻢ ﺍﻹﻳﺪﻳﻮﻟﻮﺟﻴ�ﺔ ﺍﻟﺘ�ﻲ ﺗ�ﺮﺑﻂ ﺃﻓ�ﺮﺍﺩ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻠ�ﺔ ﺳ�ﻮﻳﺎ ً ﻭﺗﺤﺘﻔ�ﻲ ﺑﺘﻤﺎﺳﻚ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻠﺔ ﻭﺇﺳﺘﻘﻼﻟﻬﺎ ﻭﻓﺨﺮﻫﺎ ﺑﻨﺴﺒﻬﺎ. equated with the notion of the pr-aA “the big he Egyptian term pr (“house” or house,” and Egyptologists such as Lehner “household” being its T have argued that the entire Egyptian state commonest designations) appears should be interpreted as a “household of in administrative documents as the basic unit households” instead of a heavily centralized of social organization, and the rich ideological state (Lehner 2000). However, administrative nuances it bore are particularly evident in its and sociological images of households could inclusion in phraseology for certain territorial diverge widely. Censuses, for example, tended units (e.g., pr 2ww “the domain of [the to focus on nuclear families, thus giving a governor] Khuu”) or even kingdoms (e.g., pr partial and biased picture of Egyptian society 2ty “the House of Khety,” the because their main purpose was to record Herakleopolitan kingdom in the First fiscal information (manpower and resources Intermediate Period). It is not insignificant available in fixed, accessible units) rather than that both the pharaoh and the state were Households, Moreno García , UEE 2012 1 (changing) social structures: “I assessed their remains, as in the case of Lahun, shows households at the (appropriate) numbers thereof and I nevertheless that houses apparently planned have separated out the gangs from their households” for nuclear families were subsequently (statue biography of Amenhotep, son of modified by their inhabitants and adapted to Hapu: Helck 1957: 1834; indeed households the needs of extended families (Kóthay 2001). usually provided goods and manpower to the As for private tombs and statuary, the state: Barns 1956: pls. 24 - 25; Arnold 1990: iconography stresses the central role played by 26). Yet occasional archaeological and textual the owner, his wife, and sons; however, evidence reveals the importance of extended secondary shafts and inhumations were also families and kinship, an aspect hardly evoked arranged for other members of his kin, a at all in official sources (Kóthay 2001; Moreno characteristic mainly visible in provincial García 2006b). This does not mean that mastabas, whose multiple burials prove that households were highly cohesive, hyper- they were often designed for the needs of resilient structures either. Inner and external extended families (Moreno García 2006a: 223 threats tested their endurance and opened the - 232). Finally, it cannot be excluded that way for change: on the one hand, conflicts of dwellings housing nuclear families in villages, interest between the demands of kin and the towns, and cities were in fact grouped by particular ambitions of individuals could lead neighborhoods or residential quarters mainly to the disintegration of a formerly solid inhabited by extended families: a passage in household, whereas heritage concerns might the Instruction of Papyrus Insinger, for instance, encourage special arrangements aimed at the lists the house (at), the extended family (mhwt), preservation of family assets, as in cases where the village/town (tmj), and the province, in brothers held (together) fields and houses. ascending order (Franke 1983: 179 - 195). Other risks, which weighed heavily on the Some archaeological evidence has also been cycles of family reproduction (especially of adduced (Kemp 1991: 308). peasants), and household strategies and their In any case, the collapse of the state at the viability in the long term, were debts and end of the third millennium was followed by serfdom, whereas elite households faced frequent mentions of the extended family (Abt) specific threats such as falling from favor or both in private inscriptions and funerary texts. factional discord—including the murder of Taking care of one’s Abt figures prominently in entire families (Kanawati and McFarlane monumental texts, while some formulae in the 1993). What emerges from these Coffin Texts enumerate the categories of considerations is that the very notion of people encompassed by this term and “household” encompasses a broad range of constituting the household of the deceased; its situations, subject to changes over time, and core was formed by the deceased’s father, that it would be misleading to found its study mother, children, siblings, and serfs (mrt) (CT only on administrative sources. II: 151, 152, 154-155, 164, 181-183; III: 52), as well as by other people related to him by The Egyptian Household social, not familial, links, such as fellow The nuclear family has been traditionally citizens (dmj), companions (jrj-rmnw), friends regarded as the core of Pharaonic social (xnmsw), loved ones (mryt), associates (smAw), structure on the basis of architecture (both and concubines (mt-Hnwt) (CT II: 181-183). civil and funerary), iconography, and Broadly speaking, a distinction was made administrative records. Nevertheless, between his extended family (Abt, including his architectural evidence comes mainly from a serfs) and his dependants, subordinates, and limited number of sites, such as Deir el- acquaintances (hnw) (CT II: 174-177; Urk. IV: Medina, Lahun, and el-Amarna, often 1398: “all his kindred together with the household”), designed by the state according to an a distinction outlined by other sources where orthogonal grid and created to fulfil specific the extended family (hAw, also including the purposes. But a careful re-examination of serfs, bAkw) together with the friends (xnmsw) Households, Moreno García , UEE 2012 2 constituted rmTj nbt “all my people” (Franke owners but also their relatives and 1983: 219 - 220). Other late third-millennium dependants, also considered members of the sources, such as some execration texts, household (Kemp 1991: 309 - 310). “Middle confirm this picture as they also evoke, for the class” papyri and houses show that the same first time, the members of a household principle was operative, although on a smaller instead of the traditional lists of Egyptian and scale, in the households of relatively modest foreign enemies (Koenig 1994: 135 - 137). officials and individuals (Allen 2002; Adams Like the ink inscriptions found on many jars 2007). at the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa, they provide detailed insight into the composition Household Composition and social life of the households of local high The composition of households varied greatly officials, their tombs being foci of rituals and depending on their social status, as the the deliveries of offerings tying together their Egyptian vocabulary displays a wide range of kin as well as a dense web of relations, terms, from those referring strictly to blood including clients and eminent local relations to those including individuals linked personalities (cf., for example,
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