Ptahhotep · Philosophy
What the <em>Maxims of Ptahhotep</em> are - an ancient Egyptian <em>sebayt</em>, or ‘instruction,’ in which an aged vizier teaches his son the art of living - and why the oldest surviving book of wisdom opens not with a boast but with the humble admission that no one is born wise.
You learned that the Maxims belong to the Egyptian ‘instruction’ genre ( sebayt ), that they are framed as an old vizier teaching his successor, and that they open with a striking humility - learn from the ignorant as from the sage, for no craftsman ever reaches perfect skill. Explain what the text is and…
Leads to The Book of Proverbs.
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