Women's History Month Highlight 

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A passage from Journey to Nubia and Kemet:  Exploring African History, Culture and Contributions

 

 

Chapter 6: Queens of Kemet

 

     What would you say if I told you that Kemetian women had the right to vote thousands of years ago?  Would you consider the possibility that Kemetian women had what we would consider to be professional jobs as doctors and judges?  History tells us that they did.  In fact, women played a critical part of building Kemet in partnership, or in conjunction, with their male counterparts.  Some historians suggest that there were women in Kemet who should be considered among the greatest leaders of all the dynasties.  It is also fascinating to learn that thousands of years ago, Kemetian women had the right to own property, to have occupations, and to fight and lead in the military.  Women were recognized as a part of the political process, exercising their right to vote.  Women did not vote in the United States of America until 1920.

 

     Women were also known to have professional skills and positions.  For example, one of the world’s first documented female physicians was Peseshet who practiced medicine during the 4th dynasty around 2,500 B.C.  She was called the Lady Overseer of the Lady Physicians.   The tablet on the following page shows some of the instruments she used in her medical practice.