On Wednesday, I read you some selections for Miriam Lichtheim's excellent translation of the Maxims of Ptah Hotep. That's not available online, but there are some selections from a 1917 translation of the Maxims of Ptah Hotep you do have free access to.For
extra credit, you can skim through the online edition linked here.
Pick out one or two examples of Ptah Hotep's advice that you find
interesting, and note what this advice shows about ethical guidance in
Ancient Egypt.
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
Maxims of Ptah Hotep--Extra Credit
On Wednesday, I read you some selections for Miriam Lichtheim's excellent translation of the Maxims of Ptah Hotep. That's not available online, but there are some selections from a 1917 translation of the Maxims of Ptah Hotep you do have free access to.For
extra credit, you can skim through the online edition linked here.
Pick out one or two examples of Ptah Hotep's advice that you find
interesting, and note what this advice shows about ethical guidance in
Ancient Egypt.
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One piece of evidence I found interesting is not hating someone or getting upset with them just because you are not agreeing with them. What this shows about ethical guidance in Ancient Egypt is that no matter how bad things may get between two people, resist the urge to feed into their anger. Keep yourself out of trouble and it will keep others out of it too. -Luis Berrones
ReplyDeleteIn the Maxims of Ptah Hotep there's some cool advice that's all about keeping it humble and always being open to learning new things. Ptah Hotep says something like don’t get too puffed up just because you know a lot you should talk and listen to everyone, no matter if they know a lot or a little. This shows that people back in Ancient Egypt really valued being humble and always learning no matter how much they already knew. Another piece of advice is about staying calm when you're arguing with someone. Ptah Hotep suggests that if someone is really heated in an argument, you should just chill, lower your hands, and not get worked up
ReplyDeleteI found how authority then and now are extremely similar. The passage says, "if you abase yourself in obeying a superior, your conduct is entirely good before Ptah." Meaning that because he is an authority figure, you have to respect him. Just like now, even using phrases like "respect your elders" because they are seen as authority figures, and we should respect them no matter what their decision. Instead of pharaohs, we have presidents and Congress as authority figures, and even if we don't agree with them, we might have to accept their decision.
ReplyDeleteOne advice I would say was interesting was emphasizing to not be arrogant because of what you know, and if someone is more important than you do not speak with an extent of words. What I take from this is a sense of humility in speaking. This shows you to know when you are able to talk but also when you don't speak and just listen to what someone has to say. This is a good example of self-control that you can have!
ReplyDeleteSome advice I find interesting from Ptah Hotep, is on the value of listening and learning. It suggests patience and the willingness to listen, even when one may have more knowledge. Another part I found interesting was on humility and self control. It basically emphasizes says that true strength comes from a balanced and humble demeanor and that inner strength is more impactful than outward display.
ReplyDeleteSome advice I thought was interesting was the line "If you are powerful, respect knowledge and calmness of language. Command only to direct". Which basically means don't abuse power, keep a kind heart while leading. This shows ethical guidance because people are more likely to follow under a kind leader that doesn't abuse their power -Abby Meads
ReplyDeleteSome advice I thought was interesting from Ptah Hotep, was the value of if you are a wise man, sitting at the council of your lord, direct your thought toward that which is wise. Basically saying that you should always turn towards the lord for things. The other thing I found interesting is the advice of if you are annoyed at a thing, get out of his sight. This is very true to an everyday life, when you are annoyed, to avoid the problem.
ReplyDeleteA piece of advice from Ptah Hotep that I found interesting is where it talks about treating your dependents well. It talks about how we may not know what comes tomorrow but we should always treat those around us well. This shows that even though those during the Egyptian era were different than each other they were still treating each other well even if they did not have things in common.
ReplyDeleteOne section of advice that struck my eye was not to come out as smug given your knowledge. If you are talking to someone more important than you, you should avoid using too many words. This helps one to understand the need of humility in communication. You also should pay attention to what another person has to say, this indicates when you should be quiet and when you should be talking.
ReplyDeleteI found both of these specific quotes to be interesting. “Let none innovate upon the precepts of his father; let the same precepts form his lessons to his children” shows how traditions are important. While I love changes to traditions, the Egyptians valued traditions passed down in the family which helped shape society. The second advice, “Be active during the time of your existence, do no more than is commanded.” emphasizes using time wisely, which I believe ties into the Egyptian focus on getting things done. - Aleisha McDonald
ReplyDeleteOne example from the text I like is the portion about "If you have become great after having been little". I believe it is saying that if you accomplished something in life help others also become successful and do not use your success to take advantage of other people.
ReplyDeleteI found the following advice interesting regarding ethical guidance as it is still relevant today and likely helped the Egyptians to avoid a lot of trouble: "If you are annoyed at a thing, if you are tormented by someone who is acting within his right, get out of his sight, and remember him no more when he has ceased to address you." Sometimes, the best thing to do in an irritating scenario truly is to just walk away. I think many people forget that and launch into unnecessary fights and arguments. I imagine that this piece of advice helped many Egyptians who were on the verge of something as significant as an unneeded war or something as small as a debate.
ReplyDelete- Audrey Reineke
The first one that caught my interest was how it advices people how to handle arguments. If a person holds more than them in an argument, they should hold their tongue and not get into showing their lack of self control. Rather, they should let themselves have upper hands and make themselves known as the wiser one.
ReplyDeleteThe second one I choose was how a farmer shouldn't boast of how their crops are doing to others. As the Gods gave them a bounty that should be rewarded onto them with the farmer's appreciation, as their actions speak louder than their words.
-Finch Nikko
I found this advice interesting- Be active during the time of your existence, do no more than is commanded. Do not spoil the time of your activity; he is a blameworthy person who makes a bad use of his moments. Do not lose the daily opportunity of increasing that which your house possesses. Activity produces riches, and riches do not endure when it slackens.
ReplyDeletePtah words this as advice to an individual, it seems like he is trying to teach people how to be successful, however in the grand scheme of the county an active citizen does more to further the countries goals than an idle one. By providing for themselves and their family they not only contribute to the country's resources they don't place a burden on them either.
-Baily Toering
One piece of advice I found interesting is "Be not arrogant because of that which you know..." This means citizens should not be arrogant because of their knowledge. This advice showed that Ancient Egyptians was humble, even when their society had many riches and knowledge to be proud of.
ReplyDelete-Liby Althoff
The piece of advice I find interesting is "Let your countenance be cheerful during the time of your existence. When we see one departing from the storehouse who has entered to bring his share of provisions, with his face contracted, it shows that his stomach is empty and that authority is offensive to him. Let not that happen to you; it is . . ." In simpler words, this advice is guiding people to be cheerful in their lives, even when experiencing challenges. It explains that someone who becomes unhappy or rude won't get what they want. This shows that the ethical guidance in ancient Egypt was good. It provided great advice to the people, which in turn created a strong country.
ReplyDeleteOne piece of Ptah Hotep's advice that I found interesting was the line, "If you abase yourself in obeying a superior, your conduct is entirely good before Ptah." Basically, if you belittle yourself to make your superior look better, you are doing a good job. This line highlights the importance of the social hierarchy in Old Kingdom Egypt. I think that it is interesting to see how Egyptians thought of each other and how social relations guided their lives. This probably provided a stable social structure and reduced conflict within the social classes of Egypt. The government of Egypt probably used these norms to keep the people peaceful and orderly, and also to prevent dissent within their citizens, as well as to keep them submissive.
ReplyDelete- Tevin Howder
Some advice that I found interesting from Ptah-Hotep is on the value of just because you don't argree with someone and don't agree with their opinions it does not mean you have to get into a passion with them. You should be calm and not stir things up. You have an advantage when you keep silent and stay calm.
ReplyDelete-Cali Tollifson
Some advice that I would like to comment on would be the part where you should be active during the time of your existence. This helps show that Egyptian ethics in ancient times wanted you to make good use of your time on Earth rather than to be lazy.
ReplyDeleteThe last comment on 1/19/26 at 7:50 pm was from Elliot Davis. Thanks.
DeleteThe first piece of advice I find interesting and long-standing is to not boast about what you know. Particularly in today's world, when everyone boasts about everything. The second piece I found was to not boast of your profits in your neighbor's house. For ethics, this is very sound advice, and in ancient Egypt, ethical guidance is illustrated in providing and reminding those alive of these simple, but often forgotten principles. The absence of these leads to pride, greed, and the desire to crush others. This would almost guarantee an absence of society.
ReplyDeleteOne think that I found interesting was to not boast in the house of your neighbors. This stood out to me because in todays era I constanly hear people talk so highly of themselves and those same people are the least humble people. This provides great ethical guidance because it is almost like a little reminder to stay at your roots and not get to prideful of yourself. There is always somebody with more power than you and you must understand that to live a peacful life.
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice from The Maxims of Ptah Hotep that I found interesting is the emphasis on listening and humility. Ptah Hotep explains that a wise person should not think they know everything and should be willing to listen to others, even those who may seem less educated. This shows that in Ancient Egypt, wisdom was connected to humility and respect, not arrogance. Another important idea in the text is self-control and moderation, where Ptah Hotep advises people to avoid excess and act calmly and thoughtfully. Together, these examples show that ethical guidance in Ancient Egypt focused on good character, balance, and maintaining harmony with others, which were seen as essential for both personal success and a stable society.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting piece of advice is when Ptah Hotep explains that you should not boast about others fearing you: "Inspire not men with fear, else Ptah will fight against you in the same manner. If anyone asserts that he lives by such means, Ptah will take away the bread from his mouth; if anyone asserts that he enriches himself thereby, Ptah says: I may take those riches to myself. If anyone asserts that he beats others, Ptah will end by reducing him to impotence. Let no one inspire men with fear; this is the will of Ptah. Let one provide sustenance for them in the lap of peace; it will then be that they will freely give what has been torn from them by terror." This introduces the idea that during his time, no one was truly above the other, and the notion that those weaker than you feared being looked down upon. Another idea Ptah Hotep emphasized was the idea of controlling your temper. Hotep explains that "(W)hen there is only a little irritation, one creates for oneself an affliction for the time when one will again be cool." He is saying that you must control your temper and avoid bringing negativity around other people.
ReplyDelete