Through the Eras

PhilosophySmall statuette of the goddess Maat, seated on a shrine.BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, 37.561E, CHARLES EDWIN WILBOURFUND. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.an overseer of the domain of Maat. The existence of theseofficials suggests that the temple held land and other resources.There are few examples in art of Maat acceptingofferings. This would be the usual Egyptian way ofindicating that Maat’s cult possessed resources on earthas did other gods.LEGAL JUSTICE. Justice, a tenet of any philosophicalsystem, was also part of the right order that maatguaranteed. The prime minister, whose job included dispensingjustice, was a priest of Maat. The law code ofKing Horemheb (1319–1292 B.C.E.), inscribed on a stelestanding in front of the tenth pylon at the Karnak Temple,ordained punishments in the name of Maat. Courtdecisions also found one party to be “the one who is performingmaat,” and therefore the innocent party. Maatalso meant protecting the weak. Tomb autobiographiesthat describe the deceased’s life as the pursuit of maatusually claim that he performed acts of charity for theimpoverished, including distribution of food, drink, andclothing. Any official was expected to do justice by conformingto maat.TEACHING MAAT. A written definition of maat inEgyptian texts has not survived. Yet surviving texts dodescribe the ideal life of living through maat in a seriesof texts scholars call instructions. Instructions exist fromthe Middle Kingdom (2008–1540 B.C.E.) through theRoman Period (332 B.C.E.–395 C.E.). The earlier textsstress guidelines for correct behavior in specific situations.They could include the proper way to behave onthe street, in a public dispute, when appearing before amagistrate, as a houseguest, or as the head of a household.Maat also dictated proper relations with a wife,superiors, friends, and servants. In instructions formulatedfor princes, political advice also took the form ofhow to conform to maat. The Egyptians typically concentratedon specific situations rather than formulatingbroader guidelines.ACTIVE PURSUIT. Though obeying authority wasintegral to maat, not all forms of maat were passive. Theinstructions recognize that individuals must pursue maatactively. Otherwise the forces of chaos could overwhelmthe world. Chaos, according to the pessimistic literaturewritten following the First Intermediate Period(2130–2008 B.C.E.), had temporarily triumphed betweenthe Old and Middle Kingdoms when there wasno strong central government. Only with active effortcan chaos be contained according to these texts.DOUBT. In the Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties(1292–1075 B.C.E.) some writers doubted whetherhumans had any control over maat. In the Instruction of186 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)