Scribes in Ancient Egypt
The art of reading and writing was one of the most powerful forces in the Ancient Egyptian civilizations. We now know about almost all the facts about Ancient Egypt and its people becasue of their skill at writing and language. Ancient Egyptians were the first people to invent language and writing. Almost all the knowledge that we have discovered about Ancient Egypt was because of the scribes in Ancient Egypt. The ability to write and read was important to the Ancient Egyptians because it gave them superiority over the others that didn't know how to read and write. Learning in the Ancient Egyptian Civilization also divided and ranked people. One who knew how to read and write very well became a scribe, but they had to go through a lot of hard work to acquire the job. When a boy was intended to go to school, it was a very hard task for him to accomplish. Education was hard in Ancient Egypt and it was lots of hard work for the boys. They had to always obey their superiors. Teachers were also very strict in Ancient Egypt because of the tough job they were given. The teachers were responsible for educating the future scribes. Scribes, who will later have the job of putting the actions of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization into words. When boys were aged nine, they had to face more difficullies in education. When a boy of about nine older disobeyed elder or broke any rules, regulations, or requirements, he was hit in order to be disciplined. It was all for a good cause though because scribes were later exempted from all the hard work, trouble, and labour. The Scribe's profession was a princely one because they were treated with about the upmost respect as the Pharaoh. Their writing material was very rich. There was never a lack of food for the scribe, and to add more importance, scribes got all their supplies and food from the royal stores. Later, scribes could become wise men of the court, leader of other men, or an ambassador. Scribes used two types of writing, hieratic and hieroglyphics. Scribes were considered among the high ranking people in the society. Their job was to record history, express everyday life and extraordinary happenings in words. They also kept note of all trades, punishment, and taxes. The Scribes might write letter or draw up contracts for villagers in the society too. Scribes are also responsible for recording harvest in Ancient Egypt. They were also given the job of calculating the amount of food needed for in a tomb for certain people of different ranks. It all seems like a lot of hard work for the scribes, but they were the ones that kept the Ancient Egyptians government working.
By: N.R.
Comments (1)
brentan said
at 1:46 pm on May 11, 2009
this is so beautiful
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