In ancient Egypt, men and women had virtually equal legal rights. The mother was considered the head of the family. The lineage was strictly maternal and land property also passed from mother to daughter. Of course, the spouse had the right to dispose of the land as long as the spouse was alive, but when she died, the daughter received the entire inheritance. It appears that marriage to an heiress to the throne may well have given a man the right to rule the country. This was also the reason why the pharaoh took his sisters and daughters as wives, thus protecting himself from other possible claimants to power.

Marriages in ancient Egypt were largely monogamous. However, a wealthy Egyptian man, along with his lawful wife, could support a concubine. On the other hand, a woman who had more than one man could also be punished.

Marriage in ancient Egypt was not sanctified by priests, the Egyptians also did not hold lavish wedding festivities. For a wedding to be valid, the man had to say, “I take you as my wife,” and the woman had to say, “You take me as your wife. It is important to add that the Egyptians were the first to wear wedding rings on the ring finger, a custom that was later adopted by the Greeks and Romans.

Ancient Egyptian newlyweds also exchanged gifts with each other. And when they divorced, they could get their gift back (a very good custom). And in the later periods of Ancient Egyptian history the practice of marriage contracts became quite widespread.