Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2017

 

The Social Status of Ancient Egyptian Women as Reflected in Letters to the Dead (2100-1300 BCE)

(Abstract)

 

Jin Shoufu

 

Letters to the dead from ancient Egypt were written by relatives of the dead when they encountered danger or difficulties, or felt disturbed by the dead. In the letters written by the son to the father and the widow to the husband, the sender usually asked for help, hoping that the dead would make appeal in the afterlife court on behalf of the sender, or make intervention as a supernatural being. In these letters, it is observable that the son played the major role in the family after the death of the father; a widow, in contrast, not only ran into financial difficulties but also suffered humiliation from relatives and neighbors. On the contrary, a widower would claim his innocence in the letter to his dead wife, and recall his affection for her when she was alive, or defend his behavior after her death, trying to ask for her forgiveness. These letters reflect the social status, especially the plight after being widowed, of ancient Egyptian women in the family and in the society in general. According to Jan Assmann's theory of cultural memory, these letters were overshadowed by official documents such as myths, doctrinal documents or autobiographies of the officials. This theory provides a brand new perspective for us in analyzing the controversial topic of the social status of women in ancient Egypt.