Through the Eras

LiteratureTEACHINGS OF PTAHHOTEP—PRACTICAL ANDWISEINTRODUCTION: The Teachings of Ptahhotep incorporatesmany of the elements found in the Egyptian literarygenre called teachings. The author set the frame story inthe past and attributed his own words to a great manfrom history. He combined in one document both practicaland lofty wisdom. For example, proper householdarrangements receive as much attention as the importanceof following divine law. Finally, he follows the standardof “perfect speech,” the Egyptian belief in thepower of well-crafted prose.him that this is untrue. It is not clear who wins this debate.The text surprises modern readers since it suggeststhat not all Egyptians believed the traditional reassurancesthat the afterlife was a continuation of life on earth.THE ELOQUENT PEASANT. The author composedThe Eloquent Peasant late in the Twelfth Dynasty(1938–1759 B.C.E.) but set the story earlier in the reignof a King Nebkaure, perhaps the king of this namewho reigned in the Ninth or Tenth Dynasty(2130–1980 B.C.E.). In the introductory story, an officialrobs a peasant on his way to market. The peasantprotests to the official’s superior. Though the superiorintends to rule in favor of the peasant, he insiststhat the peasant return to orate on justice many daysin a row because the peasant is so eloquent. The textplays both on the meaning of justice and the Egyptianlove of oratory. The four papyrus copies of thistext, now in Berlin and in London, all date to the MiddleKingdom. There is no proof that readers of thelater periods knew this text.144 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)