While some elements of marriage in ancient Egypt appear on the surface to be similar to those customs of today, other ancient conventions were radically different. Moreover, surviving accounts of marriage customs in ancient Egypt have failed to provide us with a full picture.

As is the case today Egyptian society, saw marriage as being a lifetime commitment. Despite this convention, divorce in ancient Egypt was comparatively common.

Ancient Egyptian society viewed a stable nuclear family unit as the basis for a stable, harmonious society. While members of the royal family were free to marry whomever they chose, a practice justified in part by the myth of the marriage of divinities such as Nut and Geb her brother or Osiris and his sister Isis ordinary ancient Egyptians were encouraged to marry outside of their bloodlines except in the case of cousins.

Incest was discouraged except amongst the royal family, who could and did wed their brothers and sisters. Expectations of monogamy did not apply to royal marriages where a Pharaoh was expected to have several wives.

Boys were often married by around 15 to 20 years of age, while girls were often married by 12 years of age. By this age, a boy was expected to have learned his father’s trade and developed some mastery of it, while a girl, providing she was not of royal lineage, would have been trained in managing the household, caring for children, elderly family members and their pets.

As the average life expectancy in ancient Egypt was around 30 years, to the ancient Egyptians these marriageable ages may not have been perceived to be as young as they appear to us today.

Facts About Marriage In Ancient Egypt

  • Ancient Egyptian society saw marriage as the preferred state
  • Many marriages were arranged to secure personal advancement and communal stability
  • Romantic love, however, remained an important concept for many couples. Romantic love was a frequent theme for poets, particularly in the New Kingdom period (c. 1570-1069 BCE)
  • Marriage was monogamous, except for the royal family who was allowed multiple wives
  • The only legal documentation required was a marriage contract.
  • Prior to the 26th Dynasty (c.664 to 332 BC) women usually had little or no say in their choice of husbands. The bride’s parents and the groom or his parents decided on the match
  • Incest was prohibited except for royalty
  • Husbands and wives could not be more closely related than cousins
  • Boys were married around 15 to 20 while girls found themselves married as young as 12 years of age, hence, marriage between older men and young girls was rife
  • Early dowries from the husband to his wife’s parents were approximately equivalent to the price of a slave.
  • If a husband divorced his wife, she was automatically entitled to about one-third of his money for spousal support.
  • Despite most marriages being arranged, grave inscriptions, painting, and statues show happy couples.

Marriage And Romantic Love

Numerous ancient Egyptian tomb paintings show affectionate couples, pointing to an appreciation of the concept if romantic love amongst ancient Egyptians. Images of couples touching intimately and caressing their spouse affectionately, smiling happily and offering each other gifts are widespread in tomb art. The Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb is replete with romantic images of he and Queen Ankhesenamun his wife sharing romantic moments.

While the most powerful social drives governing the selection of a life partner appear to have been status, lineage, personal habits and integrity, many couples appear to have sought out romantic love as the basis for their relationships. Husbands and wives actively looked to ensure their spouses were happy as the ancient Egyptians believed their union would extend far beyond the tomb into the afterlife and no ancient Egyptians desired to be locked in an unhappy marriage for all eternity.

Greater emphasis appears to have been placed on the happiness of a woman than that of her male counterpart. A man’s social obligation in marriage was to provide for his wife and to please her, ensuring her happiness. For her part, a wife was expected to manage their shared household ensuring it was clean and tidy and to oversee the smooth running of the home. A wife was also expected to ensure she was well groomed and clean and looked after the children instructing them in good manners. Above all else, a wife was expected to be content. For her husband, this arrangement meant that even if he didn’t passionately love his wife, a husband could be content. These reciprocal bonds allowed the couple to lead lives of balance and harmony in accordance with the overarching ancient Egyptian religious concept of ma’at in preparation for the afterlife.

Surviving poems have come down to us exulting in a heavily idealized version of romantic love. These poems include posthumous odes from a mourning husband to his departed wife. However, romance didn’t always survive beyond the grave. These poetic works also feature desperate entreaties from bereft widowers beseeching their deceased wives to cease tormenting them from the afterlife.

As ancient Egyptian culture accorded wives equal status to that of their husbands, a successful marriage hinged on selecting a congenial and compatible wife as a partner. While the husband was considered to be the masters of their household to be obeyed by both their wives and children, the women of the household were in no way considered to be subservient to their husbands.

Men were abjured from micromanaging their domestic households. The domestic arrangements were the domain of the wife. Assuming she was capably executing her role as a wife she could expect to be left to manage their household.

Chastity prior to marriage was not viewed as being an important pre-requisite for marriage. In fact, ancient Egyptian contains no word for “virgin.” The ancient Egyptians saw sexuality as nothing more than an everyday part of normal life. Unmarried adults were free to engage in affairs and illegitimacy carried no stigma for children. These social norms assisted the ancient Egyptians in ensuring life partners were compatible on multiple levels helping to reduce the instances of divorce.