The vizier, or tjaty, was the king’s top government official. He was the king’s eyes and ears, his right-hand man, his enforcer, and his chief advisor. Though the vizier enjoyed immense personal wealth, prestige, and power, he also carried heavy burdens of responsibility.
He consulted daily with the king about major issues and decisions. He planned the king’s schedule, hired and fired royal household staff, and supervised the king’s bodyguard. As manager of the state archives, he inspected and approved government documents, issued receipts from royal storehouses and granaries, and dispatched palace messengers and diplomats. As acting chief justice of the courts, he judged land disputes. He oversaw the cattle census. Every few months, he toured the country, inspecting canals, reservoirs, and dams. He supervised tree-felling and shipbuilding. He made sure the border fortresses were well-supplied and secure. He organized defenses and ordered counter-measures against border raids. No wonder Rekhmara, vizier of Eighteenth Dynasty king Thutmose III, was known to rise before dawn and wander the streets of Thebes.
The vizier supervised a personal staff of scribes, assistants, couriers, guards, and stewards. Many kings had two viziers-one for Upper and one for Lower Egypt. In the early dynasties, the vizier was usually a relative of the king. The job could be passed from father to son, but only in cases of ability and merit. Kings were advised to appoint only very rich men-who were less likely to be tempted by bribes-as viziers.
Some viziers were also architects, physicians, and astronomers. One of the most famous, Imhotep, was vizier to Third Dynasty king Djoser. Called “Egypt’s Leonardo da Vinci” because he was master of so many subjects, Imhotep was a brilliant architect. He designed the first pyramid, Djoser’s Step Pyramid. He was the first to do large-scale building entirely in stone. Imhotep was also famous as a physician, mathematician, astronomer, magician, statesman, and wise man. He was credited with inventing the calendar. In later years, he was worshiped as a god and was considered a son of Ptah, god of arts and learning.
Like modern bureaucrats, viziers loved to expand their departments. Reporting to the vizier were several sub-viziers, cabinet officers, and department heads. The chief steward, master of the horse, scribe of the recruits, and superintendent of works also reported to the vizier, as did the nomarchs-governors of Egypt’s 42 districts (called names). The chancellor (known as director of the seal) oversaw taxes, trade, and economic affairs. Overseers of the treasury looked after raw materials, tribute, plunder, and commodities. Overseers of the granary managed harvesting and storage of crops.
Egypt’s government was many-layered, bureaucratic, and very expensive to run. It collected heavy taxes and spent lavishly. Huge depart-ments-in charge of farming, granaries, taxes, frontiers, trade, health, the army, shipbuilding, foreign diplomacy, law-had branch headquarters in Upper and Lower Egypt. Each had many sub-departments and regional offices.
Regional officials stationed throughout Egypt and in conquered provinces reported to the vizier. One of the most powerful regional officials was the viceroy of Nubia. He ran conquered Nubia, oversaw military forces and border forts, and kept the southern trade routes open. He commanded a large bureaucracy and ruled independently, far from the king’s eye. This job was usually passed from father to son.
Egypt was divided into 42 nomes (provinces): 22 in Upper Egypt, 20 in Lower Egypt. Throughout Egypt’s history, the nomes were the basic administrative units of government. Nome boundaries were ancient, and nomarchs were descendants of Predynastic tribal chieftains. The nomarch was governor, chief judge, and high priest of the local god or goddess. Each town or city had a Council of Elders that reported to the nomarch.
World History
