Scribes assume positions of importance and influence in the ancient world. Many speak several languages and are skilled in such diverse areas as religious texts, secular work, drawing up building plans, mathematics, translation and administration.
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One of the most important professions in ancient Egypt is that of scribe, a person schooled in the arts of writing. Scribes are considered gifted and highly intelligent. They may know several languages and have excellent understanding of geometry and science.
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They might supervise the inscriptions on massive stone statues. The work itself is done by sculptors or stone workers, who like other artisans are considered manual laborers.
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Although highly skilled, artisans never attain the status of scribes. In ancient Egypt very few are honored for their work. Scribes, especially royal ones, receive honors of the state and elaborate burials.
Scribes might themselves inscribe works such as stelae and boundary stones. Limestone is the preferred rock of carvers in ancient Egypt, followed by sandstone and steatite, or soapstone. Another practice is smoothing a layer of clay over a base, for hieroglyphs.
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In Egypt, writing takes hold c. 3250 BCE. It's invented by the ibis-headed god Thoth and possibly his daughter Seshat. Scribe of the Gods, Thoth is wise in the ways of science and morality. God of the Moon, reckoning, learning and writing, he's creator of all languages.
Writing in ancient Egypt takes three major forms:
hieroglyphic - meaning 'sacred writing', the picture-based first script of Egypt
hieratic or cursive - the main script used from 3rd - 1st millennium BCE. It's usually written in ink with a reed pen on papyrus
demotic script - from c. 500 BCE, for shorthand, commerce and arithmetic
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The hieroglyph for "scribe" is made of stylized representations of the scribe's ink-mixing palette, a vertical case to hold writing-reeds, and a leather pouch to hold black and red ink blocks.
The 'scribe' glyph is in the top row of the text below, toward the right, without the two dots on the box. The marks of this text are impressed into damp clay with a variety of tools, and allowed to air dry.
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As in Mesopotamia, scribes are typically young males of elite or wealthy families. There are exceptions, as female scribes are held in high regard especially as temple priestesses. A scholarship might be given to a talented child of the lower class.
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Sons of scribes follow their fathers in scribal tradition. Children start training as young as five years old. Some school days can last up to twelve hours. Students are given homework on top of it, making for a grueling existence.
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A scribe school master, often running the school from home, has space for only so many students and can charge top price. A hopeful student might have to take an intelligence test. It's about 12 years of study to complete ancient Egyptian scribe school.
Scribes learn mastery of materials such as ink. Ink is an Egyptian invention, as are split nib reed pens and paper from the papyrus plant. The first inks are a mix of black lamp soot and vegetable gum or beeswax.
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Egyptians experiment with other organic matter to make ink of different colors. Red ochre and soot or charcoal makes red or black colored ink. For white, ground gypsum is popular. Papyrus is the preferred writing surface, but clay is also popular.
Hieratic script is used for common documents such as catalogs and official paperwork. The style also finds its way into literature and religious texts. In scribe schools, hieratic script occupies a larger part of the curriculum than hieroglyphic writing, and is taught earlier.
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Scribes document extensive administrative, commercial and economic activities and policies. Stories of Egypt's lower classes and knowledge of foreign lands exist because scribes write them down.
Demotic scribes use rush pens with stems thinner than that of a reed (2 mm). The end of the rush is cut at an angle, then chewed. Chewing separates the fibers resulting in a short, stiff brush. Egyptians call the Demotic script sš/sẖ n šꜥ.t, "document writing."
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Scribes of ancient Egypt record information from complex to banal about the deeds and achievements of rulers, civil behavior, battles, laws of policy, architectural plans for building projects, and works of literary art.
Attaining a level of privilege after many years of study, scribes are part of the royal court. Scribes are exempt from conscription into the army, and don't have to pay taxes. Heavy manual labor is not required of them as it is of the lower classes.
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The scribal professions work with painters and artisans who decorate buildings with reliefs and processional scenes, people or hieroglyphic text. In tombs, scribes help preserve the great deeds of the future occupant. Most priests and priestesses are also scribes.
Only 1 - 5% of people in ancient Egypt are literate, up to 7% by c. 500 BCE. Scribes attain a status higher then simple copyists or letter-readers. Colossal buildings are erected according to the direction and supervision of the scribe.
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Egypt develops the first postal system c. 2400 BCE. The organized courier service sends written documents such as decrees by the Pharaoh throughout the lands. The first mail system for citizens is invented by Persians c. 550 BCE, using horses for fast delivery.
Scribes are usually paid in grain, a valuable trade commodity. In the ancient world, scribes are recording history for future archaeologists to find. Much of modern knowledge about ancient Egypt comes from the actions of the scribes in their various capacities.
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Scribe God Thoth appears in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. He plays a role in the "Weighing of the Heart" in the duat, the part of the Afterlife in which demons reside. In the scene above, the deceased, in white linen, is brought into duat by psychopomp Anubis.
The heart of the deceased is weighed against a feather of Ma'at, Goddess of Justice. Thoth notes down the result of the weighing. The demon Ammitt waits to gobble up the heart if it's too heavy. This one passes the test. The deceased is led to greet Osiris.
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There's more to the story, as the deceased must pass through 21 goddess gates guarded by demon gods. Eventually the brave soul prevails. Benu takes the deceased by boat to the reed isle of Osiris, to whom person is presented. A Pharaoh might even become Osiris.
Thoth may be a representative or reflection of the sun god, Re (Ra). He commonly has the head of an ibis, sometimes a baboon. Thoth is thought to be worshiped as a Moon God as far back as c. 6000 BCE.
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According to one myth Thoth is self-created at the beginning of time. In the form of an ibis he lays the cosmic egg containing all of creation. In this way he's connected in the origin myth to Benu, whose cry at the dawn of time defines the form of creation.
Like the Heron God Benu, Thoth is found in the Afterlife realm due to his connections with water. Water can be seen as a portal to other dimensions. The ibis associated with Thoth is the African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus).
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The Egyptian title for scribe is sesh meaning “to draw”. The ancient Egyptian goddess of scribes and writing is Seshat.
Her worship dates back to c. 2800 BCE. Wise and powerful, she's daughter of scribe god Thoth. Her name means "female scribe". She's often depicted wearing leopard skin.
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