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by the royal family the king's sons, nephews, uncles etc. This is ably demonstrated by the titles given to many of Ramesses II's sons by their father. His son Khaemwaset (who died about ten years before his father) was chief priest of the god Ptah, while other sons were granted positions in other temples and the bureaucracy.

As in many civilisations, the nobility owed (in theory, anyway) their position and power to the king. They were the educated elite, often granted great power by the king. One such title was that of Viceroy of Kush, the governor of the country immediately south of Egypt, known in ancient times as Kush and Wawet (Nubia). The title was officially created in the New Kingdom, but since Egypt was active in the region from the Old Kingdom onwards, it may have been simple formalisation of a role that had been in effect for a long time. The Viceroy of Kush traditionally owed his position to the king, and was responsible for the government of a very large region, including strong military outposts and gold mines. His main role appears to have been that of tax-collector, although in times of emergency the control of the Egyptian army in Nubia seems to have passed to him. Therefore it was a position of great power, and holders of the title were known (misleadingly) is the King's son of Kush'.

Another high official worthy of note was the Tjaty, or vizier. The first evidence for the role of the Tjaty comes from the Second Dynasty (2890-2686 BC) in the Early Dynastic Period. The duties of the Tjaty seem to have consisted of representing the king in much of the day to day government of Egypt. Holders of the title also bore titles pertaining to the construction of royal monuments (Chief of All His Majesty's Works') and active rulership (Chancellor of Lower Egypt'). The Tjaty would not have stood in for the king during the official military and religious duties the king was expected to fulfil, but they did occasionally go to war. Ramesses II (1279-1294 BC) sent his vizier off to collect the rear echelons of his army when the forward elements were ambushed by Hittite chariots at the start of the battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC. During the Old Kingdom, the role of Tjaty tended to be taken by the king's sons, but this does not seem to have continued beyond the Fourth Dynasty.

It was possible for a man or a woman to marry up into power, as evidenced by the general Horemheb (c1323-1295 BC) who rose to the kingship following the short reigns of Tutankhamun and Ay. His

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