Early social structures in Egypt, Aksum, and the Inland Niger Delta

¶ … Social Systems (Egypt, Aksum, and Inland Niger Delta)

This paper makes comparisons between the early social systems of Egypt, Aksum, and the Inland Niger Delta.

Egypt

Society in early Egyptian history was more structured than either of the other two societies to be reviewed in this paper. Egyptian society was structured like a pyramid, according to U.S. History's pages on Ancient Civilizations. At the top of the pyramid the gods were placed; Isis, Ra, Osiris and other Egyptian gods were most revered and respected because Egyptians believed that gods had control of the universe. They could "make the Nile overflow, cause famine, or even bring death" (U.S. History). Leaders called "pharaohs" were also considered gods (in human form), and they had a huge amount of power to enact laws and lead the military, so they were high on the pyramid. In fact the pyramids in Egypt were built specifically to house pharaohs, who were worthy of god-like sanctity. Second on the pyramid were priests and government officials that had been appointed by pharaohs (also called "nobles").

Next in the pecking order were the Egyptian soldiers (who had responsibilities for leadership even in times of peace), followed by Scribes, Merchants, Artisans, and Farmers. Last on the list of the social structure were slaves and farmers (slaves were those captured as prisoners of war) and farmers tended fields, "…raised animals, kept canals and reservoirs in good order" (U.S. History).

The Inland Niger Delta

An anthropology paper from Rice University explains that permanent settlement in the upper Niger Delta was impossible before the 3rd century BC because annual floodwaters made it impossible (McIntosh, et al., 2009). After 1000 B.C.E. herders and farmers raised rice, millet, and sorghum; trade must have been a major factor in helping the economy in Jenne-jeno as artisans were working with iron in 450 C.E., and there was no iron ore in the inland Niger Delta (McIntosh, p. 2). Unlike the writings left by early Egyptians and Aksum peoples, much of what archeologists know about the inland Niger Delta is from digs of archeological sites. There are no written records and in fact McIntosh writes that "…only a small part of the puzzle of the history of Jenne-jeno has been put together so far" (p. 3). The king of Jenne-jeno (Konboro) was converted to Islam around 1180 C.E., McIntosh writes, but not everyone converted. There was resistance to Islam, but why was Jenne-jeno a ghost town in 1400? Much is not known about the gradual abandonment of the city most identified with inland Niger Delta.

In conclusion, it is hard to compare the early social structure of Egypt or Aksum with inland Niger Delta, since so little is really known about the inland Niger Delta's social structure. Judging by what the literature shows, there is far more known about the early social structure of Egypt than either of the other two countries. But when comparing Aksum with Egypt, the first thing that comes to mind is how Christianity was introduced to Aksum, and how well structured the social pecking order was in Egypt. No other civilization built huge pyramids to their kings and leaders as Egypt did.