![]() ![]() ![]() Thoth was, naturally, particularly venerated by scribes, who made a small libation to the god by pouring a drop of water out of the pot in which they dipped their brushes at the beginning of each day. ![]() Thoth was the god of scribes, who were known as the “Followers of Thoth" - hieroglyphics were the "Tools of Thoth." Thoth was the patron of all areas of knowledge, and written treatises of all kinds fell under his care - scriptoria and libraries were attached to his temples.Īccording to one hymn, the "eye of Thoth" watched out for scribes who took advantage of their skill by using it for self-gain. Better is a book than a well-built house, than a well-built tomb." But a book preserves his memory through the mouth of its reciter. It is worth more than an inheritance, more than a tomb in the West. Writing for him who knows it is better than all other professions. Befriend the scroll and the writing palette. By day write with your fingers recite by night. Be a scribe, and your body will be sleek, your hands will be soft. The work done there lasts as long as mountains." A scribal text enjoins youngsters to "plunge into a book as you would into a clear pool of water."Īnother scribal text says: "Be a scribe, and be spared from soldiering. In their tombs, scribes were buried with rolls of papyrus paper and their tools, as well as amulets of a writing tablet.Īn Egyptian proverb states: "What you gain in one day at school is for eternity. Scribes are sometimes shown carrying a woven basket with a lid - their "briefcase" of important documents. Scribal exercises form one of the largest categories of surviving writings from ancient Egypt. Young scribes practiced their art by copying classical texts, didactic exercises, and the religious stories that made up Egyptian mythology. A few examples show where a teacher has corrected the work in red ink. by the stylus, a more robust reed sharpened to a very fine point.Īlthough the majority of written Egyptian hieroglyphics were on papyrus paper, examples have also been found on leather, bronze, gold, ivory, bone, clay tablets, slices of limestone, and bits of pottery.įor schoolwork, young scribes had wooden writing boards, overlayed with a kind of gesso substance, which could be washed and re-used indefinitely. The pen used by scribes to write was initially a thin reed with a soft tip, but it was replaced in the third century B.C.E. Red was used for the names of demons, to mark the beginning of a new paragraph, for emphasis of a word or passage, and for punctuation in some cases. Two important scribes were even revered as geniuses, and later as gods - Imhotep and Amenhotep, Son of Hapu were still worshiped as human deities more than 1,500 years after their deaths.Īncient Egyptian scribes wrote mostly in black and red ink. In fact, several statues of scribes show them with rolls of fat around their bellies, indicators of their wealth and prosperity. Scribes were exempt from active military service, land taxes, and any kind of physical labor. The Egyptians valued learning and literacy above all other skills, including physical strength and military prowess. However, the rewards were well worth it - scribes had very high prestige in ancient Egyptian society. And the training was rigorous - starting at ages four to seven, children labored for at least twelve years to learn hieroglyphics, mathematics, and record keeping. Scribes also learned history, poetry, surveying, architecture, and accountancy as well.Ī scribe was expected to master all the details of administration: what rations a solider should be given, how many bricks were needed to build a ramp, how many men were needed to pull and erect a statue, etc. By the Greco-Roman period, they numbered more than 5,000.īecause the language was so complex, young scribes would attend school for many years to become adept at writing and reading hieroglyphics. In the era of the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom, about 800 Egyptian hieroglyphics existed. The hieroglyphic for "writing" were the tools of the scribe - a reed pen, a brush-holder, a water pot, and a palette. Scribes also collected taxes, settled legal arguments, and designed and organized the construction of public buildings.Įach department of the government had its own special scribes: army scribes, navy scribes, treasury scribes, business scribes, and accountant scribes. People hired scribes to tally their crops, write letters, and draw up business and marriage contracts for them. The majority of the ancient Egyptian people were illiterate - knowledge of hieroglyphics were considered sacred to the deities Thoth and Seshet and usually only royalty, priests, military leaders, and scribes were taught how to read or write. ![]()
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