The Maxims of Ptahhotep
Ancient Egyptian literary composition by Vizier Ptahhotep
The Maxims of Ptahhotep
The Maxims of Ptahhotep or Instruction of Ptahhotep is an ancient Egyptian literary composition attributed to the Vizier Ptahhotep, who lived during the rule of King Djedkare Isesi of the Fifth Dynasty, though the text is usually considered by modern historians to have been composed later during the Middle Kingdom. The text was discovered in Thebes in 1847 by Egyptologist Émile Prisse d'Avennes. The Instructions of Ptahhotep are considered didactic wisdom literature belonging to the genre of sebayt. There are four copies of the Instructions, and the only complete version, the Prisse Papyrus, is located in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. According to William Kelly Simpson, scholars tend to believe that the Instructions of Ptahhotep were originally composed during the Middle Kingdom (approximately 2040 to 1782 BC), specifically the Twelfth Dynasty. The earliest extant copies of the text were altered to make them understandable for the Egyptians of the New Kingdom. The text presents a...
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