Ancient Egyptian society was always very much hierarchical, with the Pharaoh (or king) having absolute power. The Pharaoh was believed to be a god who, after his worldly death, would return to join the other gods. Many theorists, however, are of the opinion that contrary to popular belief, Ancient Egyptian religion was in fact monotheistic and not polytheistic. Such theorists claim that the various ancient Egyptian gods that we have learned of were not really gods, but various attributes of the one God. The point in dividing up his attributes was thought to have been carried out in an effort to make the powers of the one God more comprehensible to the people. Other theorists hold that there were only a few principle gods, and that the many other deities were attributes of these gods. After the Pharaohs, the next most respected group in the society was that of the priests. Their job was to maintain the temples of the gods and carry out services to the dead. Priestesses also existed and were usually in service to the goddesses. Below the priests were the nobility assigned to religious and political levels of provincal government. A certain class of people were servants to the royalty, but the majority of Ancient Egyptians were peasants and artisans. Rural life in Egypt today has remained relatively unchanged since then and many of the tools used were similar to those used today. Medicine, astronomy and engineering were fields in which Ancient Egypt was thoroughly ahead of its time. Dependence on the Nile led to studies of the times of the year when the water would be high or low and hence the interest in astronomy. In order to conserve water for times of need, the Egyptians set about building water shafts and hydraulic systems that might today be looked back upon as being the beginnings of mechanical engineering. The temples and monuments left behind by the Ancient Egyptians are proof of their construction skills, which in certain ways may be considered advanced even by today's standards.