1327 BCE, ANCIENT EGYPT
A panel on the back of Tutankhamun's gold throne shows the king being anointed with scented oil by his queen, Ankhesenamen.
Hidden treasures
For seven years, archaeologist Howard Carter had been searching the Valley of the King Egypt for the lost tomb of a little known pharaoh called Tutankhamun. Then, in November 1922, the team uncovered some steps leading down to a sealed door. With trembling hands, Carter made a tiny opening in the doorway, and peered in by the light of a candle. Before him lay the greatest collection of Egyptian treasures ever discovered. Never before had a royal tomb been unearthed that had not been emptied by grave robbers. The treasures had remained in the tomb for 3,000 years, since they were buried with the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, for use in the afterlife.
Ostracon
Pieces stone or pottery used for writing were called ostracon. This ostracon shows a copy of a classic poem from Egyption literature, written in hieratic script.
"By the hypnotic process of repetition, the boy was filled with elaborate repertoire of form and phrase that made up literary language of the state."
Extract from Egyptologist John Romer's book, Ancient Lives, 1984
Wooden palette
This palette of pens is inscribed with the name of Ramesses I, indicating that the scribe who used it worked for the pharaoh's palace.
"The ears of a boy are on his back. He hears when he is beaten."
school text quoted by the historian Adolf Arman in The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians, 1927
Goose census
This scribe is counting geese for taxation records. His palette of pens is tucked under the arm, and he keeps his scrolls in the basket-work "briefcase"in front of him.
An Egyptian scribe
Children in Ancient Egypt were usually taught at home, and expected to do the same work as their parents, usually farming. Only the sons of scribes and nobles went to scholl, where they learned writing and accountancy. Scribes kept all the official records in Egypt, and could become very successful. However, their training was long and rigorous.
An early start
From the age of four, a boy went to scribal school, where he would train for up to ten years. Lessons began early in the morning, and pupils would take with them their midday meal of bread and beer. The boys sat cross-legged on the floor, ready to learn.
Tools of the trade
One of the boy's first lessons was to make pens. They learned how the chew the ends of reeds to separate the stiff fibres into delicate cakes of red and black ink. Scribes wrote on paper made from the papyrus plant, which grows in the Nile marshes. However, to save papyrus, pupils practised on slabs of limestone or broken pieces of pottery.
Lots to learn
Students had to learn more than 700 hieroglyphic signs, as well as simplified versions of the symbols. used in everyday letters and accounts. The boys copied out literary texts to practise writing, and also studied mathematics and accountancy.
Best behaviour
Young scribes must have envied other children their own age, who did not have to go to school. For them, discipline was strictly enforced and unruly or lazy pupils were often beaten. They were also reminded of the benefits ofthe life ahead of them. A scibe could look forward to authority, freedom from manual labour, and exemtion from taxes in times of flood.
"I shall make you love books more than your mother, and I shall place their excellence before you. It (the scribe's office) is greater than any office. there is
nothing like it on earth."
The Teachings of Dua-khety, a school text, c 2000 BCE
History Year by Year/Peter Chrisp, Joe Fullman, Susan Kennedy