Hanging on the walls of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago are 8 foot long scrolls with calligraphy written on papyrus. The calligraphy translates to prenups used by Ancient Egyptian women.
The ancient documents date back to 2,480 years ago and is in Demotic script, which is directly developed from the hieratic writing system – a type of hieroglyphs. A prenup was used to ensure the protection of women in case the marriage union did not work out.
According to Atlas Obscura, "1.2 pieces of silver and 36 bags of grain are provided to a 'divorced' woman every year for as long as she lives."
Very few people are aware that women in ancient Egypt had equal rights as men and therefore, had a strong legal base to stand on when needed. Due to the fact that women at the time were seen as equal to men, women had the ability to launch their own businesses or purchase their own land as proven by this ancient document .
Women at the time could legally file for divorce and would be entitled to an annual alimony provided by the ex husband and therefore such prenups have proven to be quite necessary and important to women.
In article written for the University of Chicago Library, Professor H. Johnson, an Egyptologist in the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago explained the significance of such documents and said that these prenups, which could be written before or during a marriage, were "extremely advantageous to the wife" as it guaranteed her legal rights and provided protection and ability to sue if agreements were not met.
Another set of legal document found in Siut, Egypt, enables women to list all properties she brought into the marriage. This document, which is slightly different than other prenups made at the time, enables women, the case of separation or divorce, to be able to legally take back her properties.
Prenups at the time worked just as any legal deposition in our modern day and age. Agreements on both sides of the party were required in front of witnesses. Once both parties reached an agreement on the terms of the contract, they were both legally bound and therefore, if one party did not meet the terms listed, they would be taken into court.
The progressive legislation proved a necessity for women. However, many still lived under a certain societal hierarchy. For instance, men were judged upon their work and the jobs they held but women were judged upon the men they marry or who their fathers were. For this reason, countless women who had prenups requested to be sold into slavery to ensure that they were financially secure without the help of a husband.