Ancient Egypt and Scribe
Praise of the Scribe's Profession: Egyptian Letter
A scribe was typically a royal or temple official, one of the few literate, and so ranked higher than the illiterate masses. This document is a letter of advice from a high-level government official to his son, exhorting him to learn the skills of a scribe. This document gives us insight into the demanding and perilous existence of the majority of the ancient Egyptian population, as well as the attitude of Egyptian elites toward various types of work.
Source: Lichtheim, Miriam. Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings. Volume 2: The New Kingdom. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1976.
PAPYRUS LANSING
Title
[Beginning of the instruction in letter-writing made by the royal scribe and chief overseer of the cattle of Amen-Re, King of Gods, Nebmare-nakht.] For his apprentice, the scribe Wenemdiamun.
Praise of the Scribe's Profession
[The royal scribe] and chief overseer of the cattle of Amen-[Re, King of Gods. Nebmare-nakht speaks to the scribe Wenemdiamun]. [Apply yourself to this] noble profession... You will find it useful... You will be advanced by your superiors. You will be sent on a mission... Love writing, shun dancing; then you become a worthy official. Do not long for the marsh thicket. Turn your back on throw stick and chase. By day write with your fingers; recite by night. Befriend the scroll, the palette. It pleases more than wine. Writing for him who knows it is better than all other professions. It pleases more than bread and beer, more than clothing and ointment. It is worth more than an inheritance in Egypt, than a tomb in the west.
Advice to the Unwilling Pupil
Young fellow, how conceited you are! You do not listen when I speak. Your heart is denser than a great obelisk, a hundred cubits high, ten cubits thick. When it is finished and ready for loading, many work gangs draw it. It hears the words of men; it is loaded on a barge. Departing from Yebu it is
A scribe was typically a royal or temple official, one of the few literate, and so ranked higher than the illiterate masses. This document is a letter of advice from a high-level government official to his son, exhorting him to learn the skills of a scribe. This document gives us insight into the demanding and perilous existence of the majority of the ancient Egyptian population, as well as the attitude of Egyptian elites toward various types of work.
Source: Lichtheim, Miriam. Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings. Volume 2: The New Kingdom. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1976.
PAPYRUS LANSING
Title
[Beginning of the instruction in letter-writing made by the royal scribe and chief overseer of the cattle of Amen-Re, King of Gods, Nebmare-nakht.] For his apprentice, the scribe Wenemdiamun.
Praise of the Scribe's Profession
[The royal scribe] and chief overseer of the cattle of Amen-[Re, King of Gods. Nebmare-nakht speaks to the scribe Wenemdiamun]. [Apply yourself to this] noble profession... You will find it useful... You will be advanced by your superiors. You will be sent on a mission... Love writing, shun dancing; then you become a worthy official. Do not long for the marsh thicket. Turn your back on throw stick and chase. By day write with your fingers; recite by night. Befriend the scroll, the palette. It pleases more than wine. Writing for him who knows it is better than all other professions. It pleases more than bread and beer, more than clothing and ointment. It is worth more than an inheritance in Egypt, than a tomb in the west.
Advice to the Unwilling Pupil
Young fellow, how conceited you are! You do not listen when I speak. Your heart is denser than a great obelisk, a hundred cubits high, ten cubits thick. When it is finished and ready for loading, many work gangs draw it. It hears the words of men; it is loaded on a barge. Departing from Yebu it is