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REVIEW BY ROGER FORSHAW
Michelle Middleman’s new book presents a well-structured and perceptive exploration of how individuals attained administrative positions during Egypt’s early dynastic era. Focusing primarily on tomb biographies from the Sixth Dynasty, Middleman uses these inscriptions as a key source to examine the social and institutional systems behind career advancement within the Old Kingdom’s bureaucratic structure.
Challenging long-standing assumptions, Middleman argues that autobiographical inscriptions, once dismissed as formulaic, are far more dynamic and revealing. Rather than simply recording fixed titles, they show how careers were consciously shaped, negotiated, and presented by officials themselves. Her approach reveals how individuals managed and articulated their roles within a system influenced by ideology, family connections, and royal authority. She develops this perspective through case studies from tomb biographies. For example, the Sixth Dynasty inscription of Weni of Abydos, son of a vizier, illustrates how early responsibilities were deliberately structured to support his eventual rise to the vizierate. Similarly, the biography of Nekhabu from Giza highlights apprenticeship and mentorship within the family, showing how kinship networks facilitated advancement.
The study investigates stages of career progression, from education to high office. This path typically began with a formal rite of passage, marking the transition from childhood to adulthood. Training took place either within the royal court or under the guidance of senior male family members, routes that could overlap in preparing individuals for administrative duties.
Building on this foundation, Middleman explores how early appointments functioned as both training and political placements. Initial roles often prepared individuals for prestigious posts, typically within the family line. Yet hereditary succession was not always straightforward. While many high-ranking offices passed through generations, dynamics such as remarriage, additional offspring, or rival claims could complicate inheritance. Tomb biographies reveal disputes, slander, and struggles among relatives, and even royal sons risked losing office if the king withdrew his favour. Although nepotism was widespread, succession was precarious, shaped by a delicate balance of family ambition, royal approval, and institutional control.
While Getting a Job in Old Kingdom Egypt is detailed and research-driven, Middleman’s clear structure and engaging style make it accessible to any reader interested in ancient Egyptian society. Her exploration of how careers were built, inherited, and contested, illustrated by well-chosen biographies, offers a fresh perspective on the workings of power and status in the Old Kingdom. This book will appeal to anyone curious about the social realities behind tomb inscriptions and the lives of those who held office in the age of the pyramids.
Getting a Job in Old Kingdom Egypt: Rites of Passage to Promotion
by Michelle Middleman
Abercromby Press, 2025
ISBN 978 1 912246 30 4
Hardback, £59.95
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