Papyrus marriage contract between the priest Pagosh and Teteimhotep

Ancient Egyptian law did not require a marriage to be recorded, but contracts were often drawn up by the husband to establish the rights of both parties to maintenance and possessions.

This papyrus yields a marriage contract between the priest Pakusis and his wife Tetimuthes. It was found in Asyut in Middle Egypt and dates to 172BC. The contract is written in demotic script; a handwritten script that developed during the mid-1st millennium BC for everyday writing. The Greeks called this script ‘Demotic’ because it was the writing of the people.

In this contract the husband agrees to pay a stipulated amount of money within thirty days in the event of divorce. The woman could receive a third of the marriage settlement, or even more. Many contracts stipulated that any children of the marriage would be brought up as the man's heirs. On the reverse of the papyrus is a list of sixteen witnesses to the contract.

At the time that these contracts were drawn up, it was possible for a woman to leave her husband. Reasons for divorce included adultery on either side, failure of the woman to produce an heir, the husband's dislike for his wife or his wish to marry another woman. The wife was entitled to some support from her husband, no matter what the circumstances of the divorce might be. Once divorced, both partners were free to remarry.