Five, marrying an older sister as a wife

Moreover, although the Pharaoh could have many foreign concubines, only princesses with Egyptian royal blood, specifically the Pharaoh's biological sisters, could become queens. Furthermore, only the "pure-blooded" children born from the Pharaoh and his sisters could inherit the throne.

According to the public statements of the ancient Egyptian royal family, since the Pharaohs of Egypt are descendants of the gods, it is necessary to engage in sacred royal intermarriage to maintain the purity and nobility of the bloodline However, behind this grandiose assertion lies a political consideration regarding the succession of royal power

However, due to the sacred laws regarding incestuous marriages, the pharaohs had no choice but to resolutely marry their not necessarily very admirable biological sisters. If one recalls the fates of Cleopatra's two successive husbands, both of whom were her brothers (one was defeated and killed in battle by her lover Caesar, and the other was directly poisoned by Cleopatra), one should not harbor too many beautiful fantasies about the taboo of "marrying a sister as a wife".

According to the aforementioned scientific research findings, consanguineous marriages are detrimental to the healthy development of future generations, and this is undoubtedly a confirmed axiom

Even at the end of the ancient Egyptian civilization, this frenzied and chaotic royal custom was still maintained. For instance, the last pharaoh of Egypt in history, the famous Cleopatra, not only had affairs with Caesar and Antony but also married her two biological brothers in succession

Therefore, in "The Daughter of the Nile," it is rather unreasonable for the Pharaoh of Memphis to force Queen Isis to marry far away in Babylon. According to the customs of the time, if the Pharaoh truly did not wish to marry his own sister, he would typically have to marry her off to a minister or allow her to become a priestess and live a life of solitude. Forcing the Pharaoh's daughter to marry abroad would be an unprecedented "revolutionary initiative," which would undoubtedly cause a national uproar

In fact, during the era of ancient Egypt, not only royal family members engaged in consanguineous marriages for extended periods, but nobles and commoners also highly esteemed such unions. The ancient Egyptians generally believed that consanguineous marriages could protect the family's lineage and prevent ill-intentioned outsiders from entering the family. Marriages between various siblings, such as brother-sister, sister-brother, uncle and niece, were commonplace and considered customary

Allow me to point out one thing: In the ancient times when human civilization had not yet been enlightened, the marriage situations around the world were extremely chaotic. Not only were marriages permitted among collateral relatives, but even direct blood relatives could marry. In that barbaric and ignorant era, marriages between siblings or between brothers and sisters were commonplace, rather than being an exception in ancient Egyptian civilization

As for Pharaoh Amenhotep III of the Eighteenth Dynasty, his practice of incest reached an unprecedented level: his first queen was his biological mother, Tiye, with whom he had two daughters. His second queen was his cousin, Nefertiti. Remarkably, his fifth queen was actually a daughter he had with his mother, Tiye, who also bore two daughters for the pharaoh. The situation had become so chaotic that the lineage within the royal family was utterly perplexing, leaving no clear way to determine the order of succession.

From the perspective of the security of royal succession, this regulation not only prevents dangerous elements from entering the royal family through marriage but also avoids the possibility of the queen's family members usurping royal power as relatives, or even undermining the entire royal institution (this issue was particularly severe during the Eastern Han period in China). Furthermore, it prevents foreign monarchs from claiming the right to inherit the title of Pharaoh by asserting that they married an Egyptian princess or that their mother was an Egyptian princess, which could incite succession wars in Egypt (many succession wars in European history began in this manner, and even the Franco-Prussian War, which occurred much later, was directly triggered by similar claims). This is the fundamental reason why the ancient Egyptian royal family insisted on consanguineous marriages for thousands of years and did not allow women from other families to become queens.

Therefore, during the era of ancient Egypt, the likelihood of infants suffering from genetic diseases increased somewhat, yet it hardly seemed to be a serious issue, as the original mortality rate was already over fifty percent. In fact, children with severe genetic disorders often did not have the opportunity to grow into adulthood. Under the practice of "broad sowing and thin harvesting" by the Egyptian pharaohs, it was generally the case that a few healthy infants would still be born, alleviating excessive concerns regarding heirs.

However, from another perspective, the lifespan of ancient humans was originally quite short. The infant mortality rate often exceeded fifty percent, and the mortality and disability rates among adults due to natural disasters, epidemics, and wars were also considerably high. Up until the eve of the Industrial Revolution, the so-called most civilized and advanced Europeans had an average lifespan that still did not exceed 40 years. In the distant era of ancient Egypt, the average lifespan and quality of life of the Egyptians were even more dismal. Up until the eve of the Industrial Revolution, the so-called most civilized and advanced Europeans had an average lifespan that still did not exceed 40 years. In the distant era of ancient Egypt, the average lifespan and quality of life of the Egyptians were even more dismal

Returning to the main topic, after discussing the practice of consanguinity in ancient Egypt, how should we view this custom, which is a serious violation of modern ethical standards

In the same vein, if a time traveler were to arrive in ancient Egypt and become a prince or pharaoh, he could confidently and boldly engage in relations with his sister and daughter without concern for certain ethical and moral standards that did not yet exist at that time, as well as for hereditary diseases that are trivial in comparison to plagues, wars, and natural disasters—provided that he can overcome the psychological barriers within himself

In summary, the entire history of ancient Egypt can be described as "beginning with chaos and ending with chaos"

If there are many biological sisters, the Pharaoh might be able to select a more favored candidate among them to be his queen. However, if there are only one or two Egyptian princesses in this generation, and their character and appearance are both lacking, then the Pharaoh's marriage arrangements would become quite difficult

It is important to note that ancient Egyptian civilization was an early-maturing civilization. When the Egyptians were still in the transitional phase from a matriarchal clan society to a patriarchal clan society, and the concept of male superiority had not yet fully formed, Egypt had already entered the stage of a civilized state. Therefore, compared to other civilizations that emerged later, the "women's rights" in ancient Egypt were relatively high. For instance, women in ancient Egypt could hold official positions, inherit property, and even take charge of household affairs. Due to the prevailing social norms of the time, it was difficult for the pharaoh to completely deprive the princesses (in fact, their husbands) of their inheritance rights. To prevent conflicts over the throne between sons-in-law and sons, which could lead to national division and turmoil, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt simply allowed their sons and daughters to marry each other to avoid the dispersion of power.

Furthermore, an analogy can be drawn: based on the content of a certain foreign novel, a young soldier on the front lines is seduced by a beautiful prostitute. Although the soldier is very tempted, he is also worried that she may have AIDS. The prostitute, being very experienced, "teaches" this novice by saying: as someone who could very likely be shot dead tomorrow, why should you worry about a disease that will only threaten your life ten years from now?

However, the royal family of ancient Egypt strictly institutionalized the regulation that each pharaoh should marry his own biological sister

In ancient Egypt, due to prolonged consanguineous marriages, many pharaohs suffered from genetic diseases. For instance, the famous boy pharaoh Tutankhamun was a sickly youth, afflicted with a clubfoot and a cleft palate, requiring the aid of a cane to walk—archaeologists discovered over 100 canes in his tomb, evidently prepared for Tutankhamun's afterlife.

In the annals of real history, the marriages within the ancient Egyptian royal family are even more astonishing, with sibling relationships being merely child's play— the first pharaoh of the Third Dynasty was born of a father-daughter union; and the great Ramses II of the Nineteenth Dynasty also took his own biological daughter as his wife

First of all, we must consider issues within the context of their historical background, and we cannot impose modern standards on people from ancient times

Therefore, regarding the practice of consanguinity among the ancient Egyptians, we need not condemn it as a symbol of backwardness, ignorance, or moral depravity, nor should we associate it with any inherent flaws—other peoples living on Earth during the same era were, in fact, generally much more backward than the ancient Egyptians

Indeed, although it is theoretically established that the royal succession in ancient Egypt was determined in this manner, there were occasions when, in times of necessity, some flexibility would be exercised.

In modern literary works, the taboo and immoral practice of incestuous marriages within the ancient Egyptian royal family has always been a topic of great interest. In the lengthy comic "Daughter of the Nile," this aspect is depicted—Queen Isis and Pharaoh Menphis, who ruled Upper and Lower Egypt respectively, were actually a pair of blood-related siblings bound by a marriage contract since childhood

So, why did the ancient Egyptian royal family engage in such forced consanguineous marriages

However, unlike the royal family, among the nobility and commoners in ancient Egypt, the most ideal choice was typically for cousins to marry, followed by second cousins, and then the need for intermarriage between various families was taken into account; only as a last resort would siblings marry.

Descriptions of this nature can be found in Egyptian mythology, Japanese mythology, and even in the Christian Bible. Even among the relatively conservative Chinese, it was not until the Western Zhou period that a strict moral viewpoint prohibiting incestuous marriages gradually emerged

In fact, the royal family of ancient Egypt traditionally practiced a policy of only marrying inwards in international relations—while the Pharaoh himself could take foreign concubines, Egyptian princesses were never allowed to marry outside their own country, and at most could only marry nobles and ministers within Egypt.

In the same era of the "barbaric regions," such as Western Europe before the birth of ancient Roman civilization, a portion of the relatively backward Germanic tribes had a rather vague understanding of the institution of marriage. The men and women of the entire tribe "mated and reproduced like beasts," and most children could not clearly identify their fathers

Indeed, according to the research findings of modern scholars, consanguineous marriages are not advisable—this is not only due to low fertility rates but also high mortality rates among offspring, as well as the frequent occurrence of congenital deformities and hereditary diseases. For instance, the incidence of children with intellectual disabilities among first cousins is 150 times higher than that of non-consanguineous marriages, and the neonatal mortality rate and deformity rate are more than three times higher than those of non-consanguineous marriages. Furthermore, the mortality rate of children from consanguineous marriages before the age of 20 reaches 13.9%, while that of non-consanguineous marriages is only 1.7%. For example, the incidence of children with intellectual disabilities among first cousins is 150 times higher than that of non-consanguineous marriages, and the neonatal mortality rate and deformity rate are more than three times higher than those of non-consanguineous marriages. Additionally, the mortality rate of children from consanguineous marriages before the age of 20 reaches 13.9%, while that of non-consanguineous marriages is only 1.7%.

Here, one can provide a counterexample: the once licentious Roman Empire, after the entire population converted to Christianity in the 3rd century AD, began to strictly enforce monogamy and prohibited various immoral and debauched practices, advocating a lifestyle of integrity and moderation. Logically, this should have led to a higher infant survival rate. However, in fact, according to a census conducted by the Eastern Roman Empire government in the 7th century on the families of Constantinople, the survival rate of infants born in the city at that time was only 60%, with a significant portion of them dying before the age of three.

In other words, the various ethical and moral standards that we modern individuals adhere to today were not invented at that time, and thus there was no question of chaos or disorder in moral conduct

However, as a responsible individual, I feel it is necessary to remind everyone here that there has never been a divine decree stating that the daughter of a Pharaoh must be a stunning beauty, gentle and charming. Instead, she could very well be an unattractive girl with a crooked appearance, a hunchback, or even a limp and blind. Furthermore, there are countless examples of hot-tempered, inherently promiscuous women, or insidious, cruel women within the royal family.