Despite its militarism and bureaucratization, Egyptian society had matriarchal tendencies. Egyptian women were merchants, painters, and poets. Egyptian law fully recognized woman's subjecthood.
A woman could enter into contracts, bear witness, sell, and purchase. Girls had equal access to inheritance and women were often the first to sue for divorce. The Greek historian Herodotus (480-425 BC) said that while Egyptian men sat at home, the women engaged in various business ventures, ran enterprises, and handled all kinds of merchandise.
