Ancient Egyptian Economics

The Ancient Egyptian Economy: A Model of Ethics in Commerce and Government

Excerpt from the book: The Collapse of Civilization -by Muata Ashby

The U.S.A. government took the Ancient Egyptian symbols of the Pyramid and the open eye to represent a supposed new world order based on the past order. However, the similarity between the Ancient Egyptian culture and the U.S.A. or Western culture ends there, in a misuse of a religious symbol that has led to misunderstanding of the ancient tradition and misinformation about the present one. A brief overview of Ancient Egyptian economics offers some insights into a workable form of economy that can demonstrate the vast differences between the economic systems and may also present solutions for current problems. Ancient Egyptian religion used the symbol of the spiritual eye to represent the awakening of consciousness. There was a recognition that in order for that awakening to occur, there needs to be virtue in a human being.

According to Ancient Egyptian ethics, that necessarily means non-stealing and proper distribution of wealth.

Ancient Egyptian Wisdom Teachings:

"If thou be industrious to procure wealth, be generous in the disposal of it.  One is never so happy as when giving happiness unto others."

"An immoderate desire of riches is a poison lodged in the mind.  It contaminates and destroys everything that was good in it.  It is no sooner rooted there, than all virtue, all honesty, all natural affection, fly before the face of it."

"O thou who are enamored with the beauties of Truth, and hast fixed thy heart on the simplicity of her charms, hold fast thy fidelity unto her, and forsake her not: the constancy of thy virtue shall crown thee with honor."

In order to have sustained prosperity, peace and security in a country, that country must be based on ethical principles. The Ancient Egyptians called that ethical principle "Maat." The Ancient Egyptian government is often referred to as a Theocracy, but a more accurate term would be "Ethiocracy" [Ethical-Theocracy]. Theocracy is a form of government based on religious law, but

in Ancient Egypt, the government, as all other areas of society, was under the overall rubric of Maat Philosophy, the Ancient Egyptian theological and philosophical framework of spiritual, social, political and economic ethics. A theocratic form of government can be corrupted if the values followed are not based on virtue and morality. The Christian Catholic Church suffered this problem of amoral government at various periods throughout its history, which led to dissent and the formation of the protestant movement.  Moral theocracy is a kind of shepherding form of government. Morality here means that which is good, i.e. integrity, righteousness, justice, balance, peace, honor and honesty. Morality in the ancient sense cannot be equated with moral relativism or the novel concept of "new morality" or "alternative moral philosophy," which implies sexual freedom, or sexual revolution or situational morality. Maat implies universal moral principles that apply to all, but are not to be forced or imposed on other cultures or nations. In Ancient Egypt the laws had to be based on the philosophy of Maat. Maat is the concept of order, truth and balance in action, similar to Confucianism and Taoism of China and Dharma of Buddhism. The following are injunctions of Maatian order contained in the teachings of the Ancient Egyptian Sage Amenemope.