Scribes
Scribes were a respected group in society because the were the official writers that recorded information in ancient Egypt.
Responsibilities
Scribes could have have many different jobs for their society, such as:
- Recording history and important events
- Describing every day life
- Writing up contracts
- Taking a census of ancient Egypt
- Calculating taxes
- Recording court cases
- Keeping track of food supply
- Keeping calculations for the pharaoh and government officials
Life of a Scribe
A scribe could come from any social class, which gave some people of lower classes a chance to move up the ranks.
Scribes were taught how to write hieroglyphs on wood, pottery, stone, and (if they were lucky, and after lots of practice) papyrus.
Learning to be a scribe was not easy. It mean hard work all day and harsh treatment, such as beatings, was common.
Reflections
Why were scribes such an important part of ancient Egyptian life, and how are they important to us today?
Hieroglyphics
Want to know how to write in hieroglyphics? Click here!
What do you think of the ancient Egyptian way of writing?
