Ancient Egyptian women negotiated their marriage contracts ========================================================== ![Ancient Egyptian women negotiated their marriage contracts](https://vardags.com/images/pictures/_360/55af4edd5bc0ac5c5347621aa68d9b2a.jpeg)As Dr Amanda Foreman has been showing in her BBC series, [The Ascent of Woman](https://www.ascentofwoman.com/), not all societies have been patriarchal - or certainly not as patriarchal as British society in the last few centuries. When it comes to marital contracts, especially [prenuptial agreements](https://vardags.com/family-law/the-importance-of-pre-nuptial-agreements), the women of Ancient Egypt were a step ahead of our times. A collection of ancient Egyptian scrolls on display at the [Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago](https://oi.uchicago.edu/) shows that women could negotiate their terms on marriage. One such contract - an eight-foot scroll 2,480 years old - shows a wife's request that, if the marriage decayed, she would be adequately provided for thereafter. Written in demotic script - a kind of hieroglyphic shorthand - she asked to be given '1.2 pieces of silver and 36 bags of grain every year for the rest of her life'. Emily Teeter, an Egyptologist at the Institute, told the [Atlas Obscura](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-real-housewives-of-ancient-egypt-had-8-foot-long-prenups) website: 'Most people have no idea that women in ancient Egypt had the same legal rights as men'. Egyptian women could sue and be sued, serve on juries and stand as witnesses, regardless of their marital status. They could also own property, placing them well ahead of English women even by the nineteenth century. Crucially, Egyptian women at this time could get divorced and expect maintenance for life - and would set their terms out in writing before the marriage. These contracts were certainly advantageous for wives, according to professor [Janet H. Johnson](https://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190170/), and entirely focused on economics - there were no clauses about conduct during the marriage. Read more about our services for [women](https://vardags.com/team/specialist-divorce-lawyers/divorce-lawyers-women) or our [top divorce lawyers for pre-nuptial agreements](https://vardags.com/law-guide/basic-principles/prenuptial-agreements). "Ayesha Vardag - Britain's top divorce lawyer." ![The Huffington Post](https://vardags.com/images/logo/huffpost.png) "Ayesha Vardag - Woman of the Year"![GG2](https://vardags.com/images/logo/gg2-3.png) "Leading, Magic Circle law firm."Mr Justice Coleridge "A handful of firms dominate the so-called 'glamour' end of the market ... Vardags"The Times "One of the best divorce lawyers in the country"Marie Claire "Ayesha Vardag - 'diva of divorce' for the world's super rich" ![BBC](https://vardags.com/images/logo/bbc.png) "Dr Stephen Bence is a financial genius."Lewis Marks KC "Ayesha Vardag - the Queen of divorce"Daily Mail "Vardags brilliantly argued my case to a resounding victory"Pauline Chai (client) "Britain's top divorce lawyer" ![The Telegraph](https://vardags.com/images/logo/telegraph.png) More Family Law news -------------------- [Top family judges at loggerheads over open courts](https://vardags.com/family-law/mr-justice-holman-and-mr-justice-mostyn-on-openness-in-courts "Top family judges at loggerheads over open courts") [Born in the USA: surrogacy law and pitfalls in the UK](https://vardags.com/family-law/born-in-the-usa-surrogacy-law-and-pitfalls-in-the-uk "Born in the USA: surrogacy law and pitfalls in the UK") [Ancient Egyptian women negotiated their marriage contracts](https://vardags.com/family-law/ancient-egyptian-women-negotiated-their-marriage-contracts "Ancient Egyptian women negotiated their marriage contracts") [Tennessee judge refuses divorce because of gay marriage ruling](https://vardags.com/family-law/tennessee-judge-refuses-divorce-because-of-gay-marriage-ruling "Tennessee judge refuses divorce because of gay marriage ruling") [Meddling grandparents knuckle-rapped in New York courts](https://vardags.com/family-law/meddling-grandparents-knuckle-rapped-new-york-courts "Meddling grandparents knuckle-rapped in New York courts")