Ancient Egyptian Scribes: A Cultural Exploration [Hardcover]

The modern view of the ancient Egyptian world is often through the lens of a scribe: the trained, schooled, literate individual who was present at many levels of Egyptian society, from a local accountant to the highest echelons of society. And yet, despite the wealth of information the scribes left us, we know relatively little about what underpinned their world, about their mentality and about their everyday life.

Tracing ten key biographies,Ancient Egyptian Scribesexamines how these figures kept both the administrative life and cultural memory of Egypt running. These are the Egyptians who ran the state and formed the supposedly meritocratic system of local administration and government. Case studies look at accountants, draughtsmen, scribes with military and dynastic roles, the authors of graffiti and literati who interacted in different ways with Pharaohs and other leaders. Assuming no previous knowledge of ancient Egypt, the various roles and identities of the scribes are presented in a concise and accessible way, offering structured information on their cultural identity and self-presentation, and providing readers with an insight into the making of Egyptian written culture.

Niv Allonis Assistant Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Hana Navratilovais an egyptologist and author ofThe Visitors' Graffiti of Dynasties XVIII and XIX in Abusir and Northern Saqqara(2007).

An accessible volume, with some illustration, and a must-read for those interested in the lives of the ancient Egyptian 'literati'. Ancient Egypt

This monograph provides a valuable nuancing of our understanding of the scribe's role in Egyptian society. After a brief introduction and a prologue outlining the mechanics of writing in ancient Egypt, the bulk of the volume consists of ten chapters that are each biographies of scribal individuals of the New Kingdom. The individuals at the core of the study rel3}