Administrative system of ancient Egypt:
Egypt’s governance system can be described under the following headings :
Central administration (The Pharaoh) : King was known as ‘Pharaoh’ in ancient Egypt. He was the supreme authority of the empire. He was the supreme commander, supreme judge and giver of laws. He was totally autocratic and absolute ruler. The supreme power of the state was centered in his hand. He was considered a representative of the sun god ‘Ray1. Generals, judges, ambassadors, provincial governors and other high officials were appointed by the ‘Pharaoh’. The full responsibility of the central government was on them. The Egyptian governance was completely religious (Theocratic). The king was considered to . be God himself due to being a representative of Sun god. After death, they worshiped him in the temple opposite the pyramid.
Siru : For assistance in administrative work, a council named ‘Siru’ was appointed. But its advice was not mandatory for the Pharaoh.
There was also a Prime Minister and other employees for the administration’s work.
Provincial System : Ancient Egyptian empire was divided into approximately 40 states for administrative convenience. The province was called ‘Nom’, provincial officer “Nomin” or “Nomarch”. His appointment was at the pleasure of the Pharaoh. The provincial governors used to work for implementation of laws, realisation of taxes, ensuring peace and justice. Often the head priest was appointed to this position.
Urban Arrangement: The rule of the great cities of the empire used to be carried out by different officers appointed by the Pharaoh and were directly responsible to the Pharaoh. Intelligence system : Detectives were appointed in the different parts of empire. These detectives used to change their dress and roaming around different places they conveyed different kinds of information to the king. Incidents occuring in different parts of the empire were also reported to the king.
Judicial system : There was no separate class of judges in ancient Egypt. Army officers and often civil (non-military) officers used to fulfil the duties of the judges. The Pharaoh could also be appealed in some cases. In the remaining cases, higher officers used to administer justice system.
The penal legistation was very harsh in the Egyptian society. There was a provision of death penalty for rape, physical torture and some more serious criminal offenses.
