Literature and history

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Hello and welcome to literature and history.

Episode 6, the pros and cons of wisdom.

In this episode, our final one on the texts of ancient Egypt, we're going to be

talking about a genre of writing called wisdom literature.

Wisdom literature was popular in the ancient Near East. Literature. on how to conduct oneself in society.

The two pieces of wisdom literature will look at in this episode

take a form common to the genre.

In both of them, a father offers advice to his son. The advice is a loosely

sorted collection of instructive sayings and proverbs, some profound, some

funny, some strikingly relevant to modern life, and others a bit outdated.

Today's two stories are very straightforward.

Although they were produced in different times in ancient

Egyptian history, wondering the late New Kingdom near Abidos in Central Egypt around

1100 BC and the next 1,000 years later in nearby Akem, the stories are structurally

and thematically very closely knit. Each narrative inculcates values common to wisdom literature. Think before you

speak. Be honest in your dealings with others. Be kind to the disenfranchised. Avoid fools, and keep company with the wise and that kind of thing.

The first story is about 20 pages long and the second about 30.

In fact, the only tough thing about these narratives is that their titles

include exotic and unfamiliar ancient Egyptian names.

The instructions of Amenemope produced again around 1100 BCE is the title of the first.

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