Social structure of villages from "summary" of The Story of Ancient Egypt by George Rawlinson,Arthur Gilman
Villages provide a unique social environment where people live and interact together. This environment often includes a variety of roles, duties, and functions that people need to fulfill in order to achieve a successful and cooperative society. Understanding the social structure of villages can be a key to understanding its people and their culture.- Depending on the purpose or expectation behind it, the members of a village would be subject to various social structures.
- In ancient villages, communities were organised with a hierarchy based on family kinship and labour.
- Castes also existed in some villages according to status or occupation, determining who could marry whom and interact with other castes.
- Customary law and tribal understanding guided social structures, especially important in rural environments where contact with external populations were reduced and thus more conservative practices thrived.
- Respect for elders and creating strong communal bonds formed the backbone of many village-wide customs; particularly in religious practice.
- The occupations available to each member of the village were closely associated with their social place; legal, military, religious, economic roles were kept separate.
- Variations sprung up as changes occurred due to outside influences, leading to different social structures in adjoining villages.
- Women's rights varied widely between villages but continued to exist in almost all, although usually heavily regulated.
- The elderly were traditionally respected within the community and at times they held positions of authority over younger members.
- Rulers were often appointed by higher authorities such as kings but the decision was also made by popular consensus.
