Through the Eras

New Kingdom authors Any and Amenemopewrite of the possibility that evencorrect conduct by individuals does notguarantee that the gods will provide justice.IMPORTANT EVENTSin PhilosophyAll dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) andoccur before the common era (B.C.E.).2625–2585 King Sneferu is the first Egyptian king tocall himself “Possessor of Maat,” stressinghis role in maintaining justice in theworld.2500–2350 The first Egyptian tomb biographies inthe Fifth Dynasty state that the deceasedgave charity to the unfortunate in thename of maat (“right conduct”).The first allusions to Egyptian ideas aboutthe creation of the world are contained inthe Pyramid Texts, the royal funeral ritual.1938–1759 In the Twelfth Dynasty a series of teachingsdescribe maat. Most of these teachingsare attributed to famous men of thepast such as the Fifth-dynasty prime minister,Ptahhotep.The Coffin Texts—spells found on MiddleKingdom coffins—use maat to ensureadmission to the afterlife. They also makethe connection between the creation ofhumans and the god’s tears.1919–1875 The Teachings of Amenemhet I are composedduring the reign of his son SenwosretI. Scholars acknowledge this text as theearliest royal philosophical teaching, andis notable for its cynicism regarding theloyalty of others.1539–1075 In the New Kingdom, kings regularly performthe ritual of presenting maat to thegods as a way of ensuring justice in theworld.In the New Kingdom, the Book of theDead explicitly links correct behavior andadmission to the afterlife.New Kingdom copies of The Teachingsof Ptahhotep, The Teachings of Hordjedef,and The Teachings for Merykare show thatthese Middle Kingdom philosophical textswere still studied in schools.1478–1458 Hatshepsut takes the throne nameMaat-ka-re, which emphasizes that sheis the embodiment of the idea “The soulof the sun god Re is Justice.”Hatshepsut celebrates her coronation inthe Temple of Maat, the first time thetemple is used for this purpose.1390–1352 King Amenhotep III chooses a thronename, Neb-maat-Re, that stresses that heis “The Possessor of the Justice of Re.”1352–1336 Akhenaten and Nefertiti use the presentationof maat (“right conduct”) to theirgod Aten as the primary ritual.1332–1322 The first known text of the Book of theHeavenly Cow describes the ideal worldbefore death entered it. This text comesfrom the tomb of Tutankhamun.1319–1292 King Horemheb creates Egypt’s firstknown written law code that sanctionspunishment in the name of maat.The Egyptian god Thoth is first called the“one who knows mysteries,” establishingthe Egyptian basis for the Greek idea thatThoth presided over secret wisdom.1290–1279 King Sety I takes the throne name Menmaat-Re,which means “The Justice ofRe is firm.”1126–1108 A picture of jackals towing the god’s boatis substituted for the normal phonetic182 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)