At the top of the political structure was an absolute monarch who
wielded power that was limited only by the ambition, tolerance and
loyalty of his associates--nobles, priests, soldiers, businessmen and
political advisers, and by the willingness of the rural and urban masses
to work and fight for their overlords. A number of the monarchs
(Pharaohs) ruled for long periods--up to sixty years. It was during
these long reigns that the Egyptian Kingdom was organized, strengthened
and unified, the rule of the monarch was safeguarded; ambitious nobles
were placated or destroyed; and the leadership succession was determined
and assured.
The nucleus of the Egyptian Empire was a dictatorship by a
self-perpetuated elite, headed by lords spiritual and temporal. Both
groups held land, accumulated wealth and exercised authority. It was a
government combining the theory of absolutism with the practice of
public responsibility. It was sufficiently arbitrary to get things done.
It was sufficiently inclusive to recognize and utilize special ability.
It was sufficiently structured to carry on from dynasty to dynasty. It
was sufficiently flexible to consolidate scattered communities into the
Old Kingdom, to unite Lower and Upper Egypt, to extend its authority
into Central Africa, the Near and Middle East and parts of Eastern
Europe, thus laying the foundations for history's most extensive and
long-lasting civilization during the period 3500 to 500 B.
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