Egyptian society had a strictly organized class structure. The majority of people consisted of farmers and craftsmen who were led by the land-owning elite (精英) of officials and priests. Everyone belonged to a group and worked in a team, usually in huge workshops, or "Storehouses", which were controlled by the king and the temples. The organization of society was based on the -servant principle: just as the king was the servant of the gods and was himself the of his people, so was every Egyptian the of one and the servant of another. At the top of this social ladder were the high officials, the intellectuals or "Scribes", and on the lowest rungs were those who did the but heavy work, such as kitchen staff and farm laborers. The heaviest work was done by prisoners-of-war and criminals. A working week lasted nine days and was followed by one day of rest There was no work for almost half of the year, since nobody worked on festival days to honor the gods (and there were a lot of those in Egypt), or other special occasions. Barter, rather than circulated money, was the means of payment. A basket cost so much grain, a stone coffin so many cows or other goods. Taxes were paid in products and grain, but also in work, such as compulsory work for the king. Economic depressions, often caused by famine, could result in social unrest and even strikes. Marriage was held in high regard. Usually couples could enter marriage quite freely, although members of the court and the elite also had arranged marriages. A marriage was a social contract between a man and a woman, and did not involve priests. Legal agreements were made about possessions and inheritances. Because the property rights of a woman were very well organized, divorce was unusual. It was simply too expensive to divorce! The aim of marriage was to create a community and to protect the continued existence of the family. Most Egyptians lived in villages situated near the places where they worked—the huge domains of the palaces and temples, with their store houses, workshops and agricultural areas. There were only a few residential centers that we would call cities. Best known were the capitals Memphis, Thebes and Piramesse, where the government buildings and most important temples were situated. The capital of a province was actually a large settlement around the temple of the local god. Such provincial centers were surrounded by heavily populated villages. Why was divorce unusual in ancient Egypt