![]() ![]() ![]() When the son of a scribe had completed his training he would often inherit his father’s job.Ī large number of ostraca and papyrus dated to the New Kingdom were discovered in a pit close to the worker’s village at Deir el-Medina and many more fragments were scattered around the village itself. However, many scribal positions were to some degree hereditary. The restrictions on scribal training appear to have lessened as time passed. The majority of scribal students were boys from middle or upper class families, but there is also significant evidence that boys from lower class families and girls learned to write. Many pieces of correspondence include the phrase “May you be well when you hear this” which strongly implies that in some cases a scribe would actually read the documents out to its recipient – which would certainly be necessary with such a small proportion of the population being able to read or write. Many positions of influence within the administrative hierarchy of ancient Egypt required scribal training, Those who could not read or write could employ the services of a scribe. They were considered to be members of the royal court and as such did not have to pay tax, undertake military service, or perform manual labor. ![]() The scribes not only copied existing texts preserving them for future generations, they also edited existing works and wrote new texts. Scribes were the protectors and developers of ancient Egyptian culture and central to academic research and the smooth running of the state apparatus. The hieroglyphic language of the ancient Egyptians was complex and beautiful and those who mastered it held a valued position in society. There are depictions of scribes (identified by the traditional scribal crossed legged pose and their scribal equipment) dating back to as early as the Old Kingdom. The occupation of scribe is also one of the earliest jobs. The term is more properly translated as “to draw” or “to create” rather than simply “to write” or “to read”. It is perhaps no surprise then that one of the most respected titles in ancient Egypt was “sesh” – “scribe”. In truth, very little happened in ancient Egypt which did not involve a scribe in some manner. Scribes were central to the functioning of the centralized administration, the army, and the priesthood. Scribes recorded magic spells, wills and other legal contracts, medical procedures, tax records, and genealogies. The ancient Egyptians covered their temples and tombs with hieroglyphs, but they also employed scribes to record everything from the stocks held in the stores for workers to court proceedings. It is no exaggeration to say that we owe most of our knowledge of ancient Egypt to the work of her scribes. Statue of Nespaqashuty, son of Nespamedou. ![]()
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