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This topic Types of Egyptian literature is intended for the subject of Afro- Asian Literature.
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History of Egypt • Cairo the capital og Egypt • The ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for more than 300 yrs, longer than any other civilization in human history. Although we are talking about a period that begun more than 5000 yrs ago, we know a great deal about ancient Egypt. • Egyptians believed that there was a life after death and that a dead person body should be preserved and buried in a tomb with everything he would need in the life after death. • Egyptians were ruled by kings and believed to be God. Many of them built temples to comemorate the important events of their reigns
The Literature of Ancient Egypt The literature of Ancient Egypt are some of the earliest known examples of literature in the world. Literature was used for a myriad of different reasons, such as to teach, to entertain, and was used prolifically in religious worship.
The literature of Ancient Egypt was literary works dated between the Pharaonic period up to the end of the Roman domination over Egypt. These works, alongside the works of Sumerian literature, are revered as the earliest known literature in the world. The literature of Ancient Egypt was scripted in two main writing systems: hieroglyphic and hieratic.
In the 26th century BC to the 22nd century BC, a period known as the Old Kingdom, these literary works included funerary texts, epistles, hymns, poems, and autobiographic recounts. It wasn’t until the early Middle Kingdom era that narrative stories were created. This led to a monopolising of literature as this craft was seen as an elite exercise and became quickly venerated.
These works have been preserved over the years through a variety of different mediums such as papyrus scrolls, limestone ostraca, coffins, and stone edifices.
Scripts Hieroglyphs Egyptian hieroglyphs are small symbols or images of objects that represent a concept, object, action, or sound. These hieroglyphs could stand alone or be used with other hieroglyphs to create a combination of sounds or ideas. In total, there were more than 700 different hieroglyphs.
Hieratic The writing style of hieratic is the cursive form of hieroglyphs. However, just because this style was simpler in comparison to its hieroglyphic counterpart, does not mean that its reverence was demoted. Hieratic was also used in religious texts and in sacred ceremonies to the extent that come the 1st millennium BC, hieratic was the writing style that was used most commonly in funeral papyri.
The Egyptians donned their hieroglyphs as "words of god", and the word hieroglyph itself means "holy carving". Due to the highly respected nature of writing, this medium was used for dignified purposes. This included communication with spirits and divinities. The power of the word was not to be underestimated and could be used to have impacts on the physical realm. For example, it was thought that mutilating the hieroglyph of a snake would remove the threat posed.
Hieratic was also used in scribal record-keeping due to its simplified writing form. Whereas hieroglyphs required a lot more precision, hieratic writing could be scripted quicker and easier. This writing style came in two forms. Calligraphic hieratic was most commonly used for government records and manuscripts, whereas the other was used more informally and for letters.
Demotic Demotic was created for every day, informal writings as hieroglyphs and hieratic was still used for monumental, religious writings. However, the final script to be adopted by the ancient Egyptians was the Coptic alphabet, which was based on the Greek alphabet and augmented with Egyptian Demotic. This was the first alphabetic script in the Egyptian language.
Genres Teachings Teachings are an integral part of almost every culture throughout history, and Ancient Egypt was no exception. Known as wisdom literature, these teachings contained knowledge in the form of both didactic works and also some narrative elements to both inform and entertain. However, there is debate to what these teachings were used for, and whether they were present in scribal education or were more ideological and philosophical reflection.
A popular teaching piece found in the literature of Ancient Egypt was the "Maxims of Ptahhotep", which explores the necessary virtues that are required to live a good life. However, there are various works that exist with similar intentions, such as the "Instructions of Kagemni", and the "Instructions of Amenemope" that contain insights and wisdom on living successfully.
Narrative tales While rife during the ancient Egyptian period, many tales and stories did not survive the years and have become the least represented genre of ancient Egyptian literature. Narrative stories were predominantly written on papyri, but occasionally these tales are found recounted and written on ostraca.
These works encompassed a variety of different genres and had their own conventions for each genre. In some tales, the protagonists would be divine beings and the settings mythological places, whereas other tales contained humans as the lead.
A Popular surviving work of this genre of literature is "The Tales of the Court of King Cheops", a collection of stories concerning miracles performed by magicians and priests. Another tale is "The Eloquent Peasant", which is one of the longest, completed Egyptian tales that has survived the ages and is focused on themes of justice and Ma’at, which is the ancient Egyptian law governing harmony.
Poems, songs, and hymns Poems were prominent aspects of funeral rites. Funerary poems were seen as having the power to preserve the soul of a monarch in death. The earliest surviving funerary literature that used poetic verse are the Pyramid Texts. These poetic verses are used to preserve the soul of a monarch in the afterlife and included safeguarding both the sovereign and their subjects once dead.
In addition to funerary rites, poems were also used to celebrate kingship and victories of their military conquests, honour deities and divine beings, and even honour the Nile. Songs were also a major aspect of ancient Egyptian literature. These were used from everything to greet pharaohs and kings, to performances at banquets. A surviving example is the Great Hymn to the Aten which was written to the deity Aten and was preserved in the tombs of Amarna.
Historical documents Literature was also widely used as a means of documenting decrees, royal lineage and king lists, and other histories. Having such documentation is integral to cultural identity and law making and enforcement. King list documentation, for example, was important in ensuring the legitimacy of the pharaoh who claimed sovereignty. In addition, literature and the recording of literature made it possible to have information on the pharaoh’s rule, such as their royal decrees and deeds.
The Shipwrecked Sailor This tale dates back to the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt and was discovered in the late 19th century by a Russian Egyptologist. The story follows an official of the king who is returning from a mission to report bad news. This man’s servant then recounts a story of being shipwrecked on an island and meeting a serpent but is stopped by his master who says "Do not continue, my excellent friend. Does one give water to a goose at dawn that will be slaughtered during the morning?"
The Great Hymn to the Aten The Great Hymn to Aten was a collection of hymn-poems created in worship to the sun-disk deity Aten. This hymn provides a glimpse into the religious ideology and art that was birthed from such worship. Pharaoh Akhenaten forbade the worship of other gods, turning Ancient Egypt’s polytheistic worship into a monotheistic one.
The Westcar Papyrus The Westcar Papyrus is a collection of five stories that dates back to Ancient Egypt. These five stories concern the miracles and magic performed by priests and magicians in their era. Each of these tales are told at the royal court of king Khufu, by each of his sons. This offers a fantastic insight into the culture of Ancient Egypt and the art that arose from religious beliefs.
The purpose of literature in Ancient Egypt Having the ability to read and write in Ancient Egypt was a requirement for serving in roles concerning public office. Even government officials were assisted by individuals with exceptional literary skills, known as scribes. However, the role of scribes went far beyond just government. Their services were apparent in letter drafting, bureaucratic roles such as sales documentation, and even legal documents.
Literature was also used in religious practices. Literature was used in funerary literature to protect the souls of their deceased monarchs in the afterlife. This literature was not just limited to poems and hymns, but includes spells and incantations.
The knowledge of literature was one that was predominantly understand and guarded by male scribes, but that does not mean there were no works written by women. However, it is also possible that women hired others to write these documents.
