A Day In History

Love-Making And Marriage In Ancient Egypt | A Brief History (2022x57)

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Marriages in ancient Egypt were often arranged to strengthen connections between families or for financial advancement. All the same, romantic love was still important to Egyptians and celebrated in poetry from the age. The Chester Beatty Papyri date from 1200 BC and show a speaker praising the beauty of his lover, which demonstrates the idealised form of beauty at the time: “She radiates perfection and glows with health. The glance of her eye is gorgeous. Her lips speak sweetly, and not one word too many. Long-necked and milky breasted she is, her hair the colour of pure lapis.” The speaker refers to this woman as his “sister” – this does not mean that they were related but rather was a term of respect and esteem for women! In fact, marrying one’s family members was frowned upon for most of the population with the exception of the royal family, to preserve bloodlines and royal lineage. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “sisterly love”.