Specialization+of+Labor+-+Class+Systems-+The+Nile+River+Valley+Civilization

 __ ** Class System of the Nile River Valley Civilization- ** __  The social classes of the Nile River Valley were well defined, and quite similar to the classes in Mesopotamia. The highest class in Ancient Egypt was the Pharaoh. Pharaohs were believed to have very strong connections with the gods, or were believed to be gods themselves. The picture below depicts a Pharaoh receiving symbols of power from the gods. The Egyptians truly believed that they were chosen by the gods because they were trustworthy and good. If the gods were willing to trust the Pharaohs, then they should trust them as well. Egyptians feared the gods and they automatically agreed with their judgement. The Pharaoh was often chosen because of his successes either in the military, or the government. The Pharaoh was the absoute ruler in Ancient Egypt, leaving little room for a noble class. The small noble class that they did have, consisted of government workers and military officials. Social mobility was possible because a person could move higher or lower in the system based on governmental services. The third class was made up of the scribes. Scribes were one class higher than the peasants because of their ability to write using heiroglyphics. Most peasants and slaves were not educated enough to do this job. Scribes did not have direct connections to the gods or the government, but they were considered to be moe important than the peasans as a result of their writing ability. The lowest class in the system contained the peasants and slaves. The members of this class performed manual labor, typically for the higher classes, and were not as important. The peasants and slaves did not have much power or money, so they were the lowest. The power and money that the upper classes, especially the pharaoh, can be seen through the Great Pyramids. The Pharaoh ordered the pyramids to be built to keep their authority as the ruler. The peasants, however, were the people who were forced to build the pyramids.This is a perfect example of the amounts of power that the upper classes had over the lower classes.

**__ Specialization of Labor- __**

After the Agricultural Revolution, a surplus of food gave the Ancient Egyptians the chance to focus on other aspects of life. They began to specialize in other crafts such as; metalworking, pottery, architecture, building, stone work, and art. The painting below displays a scene of Egyptian potters, stone workers and metalworkers. Specialization was usually achieved by people of the lower class, such as the peasants. The responsibility of the peasants was to work in the fields and on farms. They provided the food for the society, but when there was too much food, not as many people were needed in this area of work. When they weren't needed on farms, they took up new jobs. Some people even specialized in writing, which caused the development of the scribe class. Not many peasants were educated enough to become a scribe, and they sought positions in other areas of labor. Government workers and military people did not specialize as much as th peasants because they were always need to keep order and protect the society. The Pharaoh's job always remained the same because he was in charge of everything and everyone. Specializtion was very important to the civilzation because it made it more unique. Specialization led to new developments in technoogy, art, and the economy. 

