User Guide

The Scribe’s Art
Shomu, 13th year of Ramesses
Midday
Dear Journal,
Khmunhotep and I entered Per-
Ankh, the library where literary, religious,
scientific and historical papyri are stored.
Most people aren't allowed into the Per-
Ankh, but Khmunhotep is a scribe so we
were granted entry.
Khmunhotep smiled as he recalled
his days as a scholar. 'I was fairly quick in
my studies so was liked by the teachers,' he
remembered. 'But some of my friends
weren't so lucky. My poor friend Nebamun
certainly took more than his fair share of
beatings. It all worked out for him,
though. He works in Pharaoh’s palace,
keeping track of his household affairs.
Khmunhotep then led me to a room
whose walls were lined with holes filled
with papyri. Khmunhotep selected one and
unrolled it. 'Ah,' he says, 'this is one of my
favorites, and it makes me feel good about
being a scribe. It's called 'Satire on the
Trades,' and it points out the many disad-
vantages of not being a scribe. When I was
first learning how to write, I copied this
manuscript over many times.'
166
Education
167
Education
their hieroglyphs. Be sure that you are able to replen-
ish the Scribal School’s papyrus supply, or the city’s
affluent children will not be able to learn their writing.
LLiibbrraarriieess
Libraries send librarians through the city’s wealthy
neighborhoods. The papyrus that is needed to build
the library makes up its permanent collection; librari-
ans take additional scrolls of papyrus to circulate works
of literature to citizens to read at home. Librarians
need additional scrolls of papyrus to maintain the col-
lection, so the Library’s supply of papyrus must be
replenished if it is to continue to operate.
Library