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Ancient Egyptians - Egyptian Literature |
Facts about Egyptian Literature Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Literature Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Egyptian Literature: Egyptian literature was created on papyrus, walls, pyramids, tombs and obelisks and was written in hieratic, demotic and hieroglyphic text. Fact 2 on Egyptian Literature: Different types of included religious texts, autobiography, history, medicine, poetry, moral, philosophical and Wisdom literature. Fact 3 on Egyptian Literature: "Wisdom literature" was meant for instruction rather than entertainment. Fact 4 on Egyptian Literature: The priests associated with the great temples were taught a range of subjects including astrology, law, music, writing, cosmography, geography, medicine, mathematics and measures Fact 5 on Egyptian Literature: The training and knowledge of Egyptian priests were often documented by scribes and secret halls in the temples Fact 6 on Egyptian Literature: The Temple of Thoth in at Hermopolis was one of the great centres of Egyptian learning primarily for priests but also attended by wealthy Egyptians and younger members of the royal family Fact 7 on Egyptian Literature: The "Emerald Tablets of Thoth" or the "Secret of Hermes" contained a series of sacred texts that were believed to reveal the secret of life providing the key to the ideas of the earth, fire, the sun and the moon. Fact 8 on Egyptian Literature: Schools or colleges with libraries were attached to many of the temples of Egypt including those in great cities such as Memphis, Heliopolis, Thebes, Abydos, Hermopolis and Bubastis. Fact 9 on Egyptian Literature: The temples might contain up to 100,000 manuscripts. Fact 10 on Egyptian Literature: Another source of Ancient Egyptian literature was on Stelae, stone slabs, that contained commemorative inscriptions or proclamations. The most famous of all was the proclamation that came to be known as the Rosetta Stone. continued... Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Literature Fact Sheet Facts about Egyptian Literature Egyptian Literature Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Literature Fact Sheet Fact 11 on Egyptian Literature: The Ptolemy dynasty made Alexandria the intellectual center of the world and created a great Library with over 700,000 manuscripts. The great library of Alexandra was burnt down and much of the knowledge and literature amassed over thousands of years was lost. Fact 12 on Egyptian Literature: Following the decline of the ancient Egyptian empire much of their practical and wisdom literature survived in eastern Byzantine libraries Fact 13 on Egyptian Literature: The most famous examples of ancient Egyptian literature were the Coffin texts, the Pyramid texts, the Book of the Dead and the Book of Gates. Fact 14 on Egyptian Literature: The Pyramid Texts are the oldest collection of religious spells from ancient Egypt, written for the Pharaohs and were carved on the walls and sarcophagi of the pyramids at Saqqara Fact 15 on Egyptian Literature: The Coffin Texts, also known as the Book of the Two Ways, were funerary texts of the Middle Kingdom were a collection of more than 1,000 spells found on the interior walls of coffins intended to direct the souls of the dead past the dangers encountered on the journey through the Underworld (Duat). Fact 16 on Egyptian Literature: The Book of the Dead is the name given to collection of funerary texts and spells, an ancient Egyptian 'Guide to the Afterlife'. Fact 17 on Egyptian Literature: The Book of Gates is another funerary text formed during the New Kingdom. The title refers to the gates guarded by gatekeepers encountered during the passage of a newly deceased soul into the next world Fact 18 on Egyptian Literature: The "Book of what is in the Tuat," or the Book "Am Tuat" or Amduat, is the name given by the ancient Egyptians of the New Kingdom to the large funeral book in which the priests of Amen describe the journey of Amen in the realms of the dead. Fact 19 on Egyptian Literature: The Ritual of Embalmment was written for a priest of Amen called Heru. The Ritual of Embalmment describes the process of mummification and the materials that were employed by the embalmer. The Ritual of Embalmment also provides the texts of the magical and religious protective spells that were ordered to be recited by the priest who superintended the embalmment Fact 20 on Egyptian Literature: The Ritual of the Divine Cult consists of sixty-six spells which were recited daily by the high priest of Amen-Ra in his temple at Thebes. The text of this Ritual is found cut in hieroglyphs on the walls of the temple of Seti I at Abydos. Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Literature Fact Sheet
Picture of the Library of Alexandria Egyptian Literature Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Literature Fact Sheet Fact 21 on Egyptian Literature: The Book of Apep is about the great serpent enemy of the Sun-god Ra. Apep was the god of evil was supposed to take the form of a huge serpent and to lie in wait near the portals of the dawn daily, so that he might swallow up the sun as he was about to rise in the eastern sky Fact 22 on Egyptian Literature: The Instructions, or Precepts of Tuauf to his son Pepi, also called a "Hymn in praise of learning" are "Instructions" contained in a papyrus representing the advice of a father to his son, whom he was sending to school to be trained for the profession of the scribe. Fact 23 on Egyptian Literature: Medical Literature. The Egyptians possessed a good practical knowledge of the anatomy. Magic, medicine, healing and religion were practised by the priests of the god Heka and were also trained as doctors and healers. Medical wisdom records were kept in the temples detailing knowledge of healing, diagnosis, medical procedures and remedies. Fact 24 on Egyptian Literature: Magical Literature. The use of the magical literature of Egypt was extensive. The ancient Egyptian gods were supposed to use spells and every ancient Egyptian traveller carried with him magical spells that he recited when he was in danger from wild animals. Famous Magical Literature is found in the Salt Papyrus, the Rhind Papyrus, and the Harris Papyrus. Fact 25 on Egyptian Literature: Legal literature contained texts relating to bequests, wills, endowments, grants of land etc. Fact 25 on Egyptian Literature: The "Book of the Opening of the Mouth" described the rituals that consisted of offering a long sequence of foodstuffs, beverages, cosmetics and other consumables, along with a litany recited by the priests. This text was also painted on the walls of the royal tomb. Fact 26 on Egyptian Literature: Mathematics. The chief source of mathematical literature is the Rhind Papyrus which was written before 1700 B.C. during the reign of one of the Hyksoskings. It contains a number of simple arithmetical examples and several geometrical problems. Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Literature Fact Sheet Egyptian Literature |
