Ptah-Hotep

This is definitely one of the most interesting texts preserved from Ancient Egypt: a list of 36 exhortations from vizier Ptahhotep to his son, which he hopes will succeed him in the service of Pharaoh. The text is not really systematic, but it is a collection of positive and negative guidelines, both about simple rules of etiquette and general moral imperatives. Striking is the emphasis placed on self-control, reliability and modesty, while at the top of one of the most glorious show more civilizations in history you would expect assertiveness and even cocky behavior.
“If you are influential, you should establish respect for yourself
Through knowledge and through courtesy in speech.
Do not be domination / except in official matters,
For the aggressive man meets with trouble.
Don't be arrogant, lest you be brought low;
Do not be silent, but yet be cautious of causing offense
When you answer a speech angrily.”
Of course there are also guidelines that we would label as sexist in our Western modernity (early 21st century), such as the admonition to keep wives far from power and even subjugated; touching, on the other hand, is the instruction to respect the wife, even if she is frivolous. Well, you can laugh about this kind of thing, but it illustrates a certain way of looking at the world. More reflections in the review in my History Account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5564185608. show less

It's similar to other forms of surviving literature from such an early period. The content is mostly about structure in how your conduct everyday life, don't break rules, be the bigger person, some now awkward rules about how to treat another man's wife or why you shouldn't have sex with a "child woman", a good man is a man that listens, and such. Other maxim, teaching, instruction titled books from ancient times say more or less the same thing. The main aspect that stands out is Egypt show more favors wisdom more than strict, traditional social conduct, whereas Sumerians--such as in The Instructions of Shurupak--prioritize rules slightly more than meditative wisdom. show less

Una lettura veloce, semplice ma davvero ricchissima di massime fondamentali e virtù da coltivare e divulgare.

Molti degli insegnamenti tramandati sono in accordo con altre filosofie quali stoicismo e buddismo, per nominarne alcune.

L' autore è riuscito a farne una traduzione eccellente, confrontando ogni possibile traduzione con altri storici ed esperti di lingua egizia.

Presentazione e Conclusione del Testo sono i due capitoli fondamentali. Da soli riescono a cogliere e sintetizzare con una show more struttura del testo moderna, tutta la sapienza che si trova nel manoscritto.

Ho trovato interessante anche la lettura dei commenti e delle note per le singole massime; riportate, tradotte il più fedelmente possibile, in ogni capitolo. show less

The Instruction of Ptah-Hotep is considered to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest surviving book in history. It is an insightful book written by a father to his son on how he should behave and conduct himself in all sorts of circumstances, ranging from personal to business relationships. I saw some similarities between this book and the Ten Commandments, and it is just amazing to find that so many of the instructions that he offers to his son are still valid and relevant to our own show more lives thousands of years later. This short little book is definitely worth the time it takes to read it. show less