The Satire of the Trades

The Satire of the Trades, also called The Instruction of Dua-Kheti, is a work of didactic ancient Egyptian literature. [Katheryn A. Bard, "Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt", Routledge 1999, p.886] It takes the form of an Instruction, composed by a scribe from Sile named Dua-Kheti for his son Pepi. The author is thought by some to have composed the "Instructions of Amenemhat" as well. [I. E. S. Edwards, N. G. L. Hammond, C. J. Gadd, "The Cambridge Ancient History", Cambridge University Press 1975, p.527] It describes a number of trades in an exaggeratedly negative light, extolling the advantages of the profession of scribe. It is generally considered to be a satire, though Helck thought it reflected the true attitude of the scribal class towards manual labourers. [W. Helck, "Die Lehre des DwA-xtjj", Wiesbaden, 1970]

The text has survived in its entirety, but extremely corrupted, in the Sallier II Papyrus written during the Nineteenth Dynasty, which is kept at the British Museum. A number of fragments are kept at the British Museum, the Louvre, in the Pierpont Morgan Library, and other institutions. [Lichtheim, "op.cit.", pp.184f.] It was one of the texts most frequently copied by students during the Ramesside Period.

Links

[http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/texts/instructions_of_kheti.htm An English translation of The Satire of the Trades]

References

* M. Lichtheim, "Ancient Egyptian Literature", volume I, 1973, pp.184-193

Footnotes