The social classes of ancient Egypt remained rigidly fixed, allowing very few to rise above the station in life to which they were born. Egyptian society imitated the pyramid: The largest number of people lived among the lowest classes of peasants and artisans while a single individual reigned at the apex, exercising absolute power as the king, a representative of the gods on earth. For the pharaoh, daily life was unlike that of any other Egyptian.
In Egypt, kings were considered living embodiments of the nation and of the gods. In temple and tomb paintings, kings were depicted with the head of a falcon, a symbol of the god Horus, who according to myth was the first king of the land. The kings also possessed the power of magical utterance, in which they might summon divine powers by words alone. The ancient Egyptians believed that.....
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