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Writings from Ancient Egypt
Man perishes; his corpse turns to dust; all his relatives pass away. But writings make him remembered'
In ancient Egypt, words had magical power. Inscribed on tombs and temple walls, coffins and statues, or inked onto papyri, hieroglyphs give us a unique insight into the life of the Egyptian mind. For this remarkable new collection, Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson has freshly translated a rich and diverse range of ancient Egyptian writings into modern English, including tales of shipwreck and wonder, first-hand accounts of battles and natural disasters, obelisk inscriptions, mortuary spells, funeral hymns, songs, satires and advice on life from a pharaoh to his son. Spanning over two millennia, with many pieces appearing in a general anthology for the first time, this is the essential guide to a complex, sophisticated culture.
Translated with an introduction by Toby Wilkinson
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 8, 2010
138 people are currently reading
2228 people want to read
About the author
Toby Wilkinson
17 books273 followersDr Toby Wilkinson joined the International Strategy Office in July 2011, working with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Jennifer Barnes) to support the schools, faculties and departments in their international engagements, and to develop the University's international strategy, particularly with regard to research collaborations and relationships with the EU, US, India and China. Prior to this, Dr Wilkinson was the Development Director at Clare College as well as Chairman of Cambridge Colleges Development Group.
As an acknowledged expert on ancient Egyptian civilisation and one of the leading Egyptologists of his generation, Toby Wilkinson has lectured around the world. He has excavated at the Egyptian sites of Buto and Memphis. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Egyptian History and has broadcast on radio and television in the UK and abroad, including BBC’s Horizon and Channel 4’s Private Lives of the Pharaohs, and was the consultant for the BBC’s award-winning documentary on the building of the Great Pyramid.
Upon graduating from the University of Cambridge he received the University’s Thomas Mulvey Prize and was elected to the prestigious Lady Wallis Budge Junior Research Fellowship in Egyptology. He is a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham.
As an acknowledged expert on ancient Egyptian civilisation and one of the leading Egyptologists of his generation, Toby Wilkinson has lectured around the world. He has excavated at the Egyptian sites of Buto and Memphis. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Egyptian History and has broadcast on radio and television in the UK and abroad, including BBC’s Horizon and Channel 4’s Private Lives of the Pharaohs, and was the consultant for the BBC’s award-winning documentary on the building of the Great Pyramid.
Upon graduating from the University of Cambridge he received the University’s Thomas Mulvey Prize and was elected to the prestigious Lady Wallis Budge Junior Research Fellowship in Egyptology. He is a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
April 25, 2023
Thorough edition that gives a good picture of the texts that have been found, written in Ancient Egypt. This deals with texts on monuments, sculptures and sarcophagi, as well as on wall paintings and papyri. Wilkinson has made a very wide choice, with both official texts (particularly on funerary monuments) and less formal ones (letters, songs, teachings), and texts ranging from the Old Kingdom (of which there are only a few) to the Hellenistic era (from 330 bce onwards). The translations are all his own, and I must admit that they read very smoothly; Wilkinson points out that he has opted for a free, understandable translation rather than the literal text.
It is striking that, in contrast to the Mesopotamian culture, Egyptian culture has hardly passed on longer stories. And also striking is the lack of humour and satire. In that respect, this publication does confirm the image that Ancient Egypt had a very formalistic culture, which mainly adhered to standard formulations, and was therefore inherently conservative. I can’t really judge this, but I have slight doubts about this.
A few negatives. It is a pity that Wilkinson scarcely drew on the diplomatic texts that have survived (particularly from the New Kingdom), for, as I read in the wonderful publication of A.H. PODANY Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East they give a very nice picture of the time, and they also are very entertaining.
Finally, it may seem strange, but what struck me most was how often pharaohs and officials referred to their nose, making it seem as if that nose represents their entire person (pars pro toto). Wilkinson doesn't clarify this (unless it's hidden in a little footnote somewhere). But it does intrigue me.
Other notable things I learned from these texts I discuss in my review in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
It is striking that, in contrast to the Mesopotamian culture, Egyptian culture has hardly passed on longer stories. And also striking is the lack of humour and satire. In that respect, this publication does confirm the image that Ancient Egypt had a very formalistic culture, which mainly adhered to standard formulations, and was therefore inherently conservative. I can’t really judge this, but I have slight doubts about this.
A few negatives. It is a pity that Wilkinson scarcely drew on the diplomatic texts that have survived (particularly from the New Kingdom), for, as I read in the wonderful publication of A.H. PODANY Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East they give a very nice picture of the time, and they also are very entertaining.
Finally, it may seem strange, but what struck me most was how often pharaohs and officials referred to their nose, making it seem as if that nose represents their entire person (pars pro toto). Wilkinson doesn't clarify this (unless it's hidden in a little footnote somewhere). But it does intrigue me.
Other notable things I learned from these texts I discuss in my review in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Read
October 21, 2024This is the first anthology of original Ancient Egyptian sources that I read. The introduction is very interesting and also necessary to be able to situate the texts. Wilkinson is a skilled Egyptologist, so I cannot judge the quality of his choice and translations. Therefore I restrain myself to some remarks that mainly stem from my knowledge of the Mesopotamian texts, which cover approximately the same period (from 2500 bce to 500 bce).
To begin with, in the official texts of the pharaoh, and especially in the epitaphs and hymns, the rather bombastic self-aggrandizing slant is striking. In that respect, they show many similarities with the Mesopotamian royal writings: equally ego-focused, and boasting about victories, captured slaves, gold and precious stones. Also, the appeal to the deities is similar (in most cases Horus, but that did evolve). But, unlike most Mesopotamian texts, the pharaoh's special, exclusive relationship with the deity is often emphasized, and some texts even hint in the direction of outright divinization. What was missing for me is that the responsibility of the monarch for the well-being of his country and people is only applied in a positive sense, while in many Mesopotamian texts monarchs are judged by their behavior, and are held responsible for plagues and setbacks. In this sense, Egyptian society seems to leave less room for criticism.
Many texts have a strict patriarchal tone (especially the teachings, of course), and humour or satire is almost completely absent – in contrast to the Mesopotamian texts. That also says something about this society. What they do have in common is that the attention given to women is very limited (although they appear to have had more rights in Egyptian society than in Mesopotamia). Only in the Amarna texts, with Akhenaten's poetic ode to the solar disk, has a much more positive tone.
Elaborate stories, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh in Mesopotamia, seem to be almost completely absent. But perhaps that is due to the fact that the Egyptians wrote on the perishable papyrus, while the Mesopotamians stuck to the solid clay tablets. So, no cosmological creation stories here, and no underworld scenes either. Naturally, death was fairly central, just think of the well-known Book of the Dead, but it is usually viewed from the perspective of the soul's salvation of the deceased. Wilkinson has included here a text from about 1340 BCE (Harpist's song from the tomb of King Intef) which expresses much scepticism about life after death: What has come of who built the tomb, and where are the wise men now? , “their walls are in ruins/their places are no more/as if they had never existed!/ None returns from there/ to tell of their condition,/ to tell of their ruin,/ to cease our heartache/ until we hasten to the place where they have gone!” Which immediately prompts an outright seize-the-day advice: “so be happy! / ignorance is bliss! / follow your heart as long as you live!”. All-in-all, Egyptian texts seem to be less enticing the Mesopotamian ones, but there are some gems to be found in here too!
To begin with, in the official texts of the pharaoh, and especially in the epitaphs and hymns, the rather bombastic self-aggrandizing slant is striking. In that respect, they show many similarities with the Mesopotamian royal writings: equally ego-focused, and boasting about victories, captured slaves, gold and precious stones. Also, the appeal to the deities is similar (in most cases Horus, but that did evolve). But, unlike most Mesopotamian texts, the pharaoh's special, exclusive relationship with the deity is often emphasized, and some texts even hint in the direction of outright divinization. What was missing for me is that the responsibility of the monarch for the well-being of his country and people is only applied in a positive sense, while in many Mesopotamian texts monarchs are judged by their behavior, and are held responsible for plagues and setbacks. In this sense, Egyptian society seems to leave less room for criticism.
Many texts have a strict patriarchal tone (especially the teachings, of course), and humour or satire is almost completely absent – in contrast to the Mesopotamian texts. That also says something about this society. What they do have in common is that the attention given to women is very limited (although they appear to have had more rights in Egyptian society than in Mesopotamia). Only in the Amarna texts, with Akhenaten's poetic ode to the solar disk, has a much more positive tone.
Elaborate stories, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh in Mesopotamia, seem to be almost completely absent. But perhaps that is due to the fact that the Egyptians wrote on the perishable papyrus, while the Mesopotamians stuck to the solid clay tablets. So, no cosmological creation stories here, and no underworld scenes either. Naturally, death was fairly central, just think of the well-known Book of the Dead, but it is usually viewed from the perspective of the soul's salvation of the deceased. Wilkinson has included here a text from about 1340 BCE (Harpist's song from the tomb of King Intef) which expresses much scepticism about life after death: What has come of who built the tomb, and where are the wise men now? , “their walls are in ruins/their places are no more/as if they had never existed!/ None returns from there/ to tell of their condition,/ to tell of their ruin,/ to cease our heartache/ until we hasten to the place where they have gone!” Which immediately prompts an outright seize-the-day advice: “so be happy! / ignorance is bliss! / follow your heart as long as you live!”. All-in-all, Egyptian texts seem to be less enticing the Mesopotamian ones, but there are some gems to be found in here too!
Read
August 24, 2017Very interesting.
The book is organized into sets of examples of various genres: battle narratives, legal documents, letters, lamentations, etc. I most enjoyed the teachings, which were lists of advice on the art of living. They seem closest to a modern understanding of daily emotions and relationships. But of course the other sections illustrate the differences in the world views of the ancient Egyptians, which is equally important.
A couple of excerpts I enjoyed:
The victorious King Piankhi to the rebellious lesser king Nimlot who led a coalition of small 'kingdoms' against their former ruler Piankhi, after the battle in which Piankhi prevailed; Nimlot is brought to him:
Kamose describes his triumphant campaign against Hyksos:
And last, exhortations to student-scribes to work hard because all other professions/trades are horrid, dirty, smelly, brutal ways to live. (Consider the smith: ‘His fingers are like a crocodile’s, / and he stinks more than fish roe.’) Especially any peasant job; it very much brought to mind the premise of the recently translated Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Sharif Expounded regarding the status of peasants. Instead, consider the fine life of a writer:
The book is organized into sets of examples of various genres: battle narratives, legal documents, letters, lamentations, etc. I most enjoyed the teachings, which were lists of advice on the art of living. They seem closest to a modern understanding of daily emotions and relationships. But of course the other sections illustrate the differences in the world views of the ancient Egyptians, which is equally important.
A couple of excerpts I enjoyed:
The victorious King Piankhi to the rebellious lesser king Nimlot who led a coalition of small 'kingdoms' against their former ruler Piankhi, after the battle in which Piankhi prevailed; Nimlot is brought to him:
’who guides you, who guides you? I say, who guides you, who guides you? You have [strayed from] the way of life! Did heaven rain down arrows? I was [content] that Southerners bowed down and Northerners [said], “Put us in your shadow!” Did it alienate when the king...bearing gifts? The will is a steering-oar: it capsizes its owner if the wrath of god dictates; it sees heat as coolness...He who is seen with his father has not yet grown old. Your provinces are full of children.’
Kamose describes his triumphant campaign against Hyksos:
I had a well-armed guard-ship monitor the desert edge, the (other) boats following it as if it were a bird of prey, plucking up the seed of Avaris. I caught sight of women on top of his citadel, looking out from the windows towards the riverbank. Their bodies froze when they saw me, as they peeped out from the battlements like baby mice inside their holes, saying, ‘It is an attack!’
And last, exhortations to student-scribes to work hard because all other professions/trades are horrid, dirty, smelly, brutal ways to live. (Consider the smith: ‘His fingers are like a crocodile’s, / and he stinks more than fish roe.’) Especially any peasant job; it very much brought to mind the premise of the recently translated Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abu Sharif Expounded regarding the status of peasants. Instead, consider the fine life of a writer:
their names have become everlasting, (even though) they have departed this life and all their relatives are forgotten.
They did not make for themselves mausolea of copper with tombstones of iron; they did not think to leave heirs, children to proclaim their names: (rather) they made heirs of writings, of the teachings they had composed.
They gave themselves [a book] as (their) lector-priest, a writing-board as (their) dutiful son. Teachings are their mausolea, the reed-pen (their) child, the burnishing-stone (their) wife. Both great and small are given (them) as their children, for the writer is chief.
Their gates and mansions have been destroyed, thier mortuary priests are [gone], their tombstones are covered with dirt, their tombs are forgotten. (But) their names are proclaimed on account of their books which they composed while they were alive. The memory of their authors is good: it is for eternity and for ever.
Be a writer, take it to heart, so that your name will fare likewise.
i-want-money
August 29, 2016Barth claims that the tradition of the exhaustion of original lingual=expression began in ancient Egypt. Now Penguin allows you to decide for yourself.
http://www.complete-review.com/saloon...
http://www.complete-review.com/saloon...
August 15, 2020
The Near East is one of those places and periods that I have very mixed emotions about. Its histories are greatly interesting to me but the sources themselves are not all that exciting. The focus on religion does not get to me either. As Wilkinson notes, the Egyptian bend towards extreme levels of cultural conservatism was all pervasive. There is very little noticeable change beyond which gods are favoured, who the king is, and where the capital is. Tied in with the propensity for historical documents to be annalistic, Egyptian culture creates this monolithic entity that is quite frankly difficult to enter unless there is a great interest in the subject.
What is great about this collection is that it shows you that there is more to Egypt than just the Book of the Dead and inscriptions written in tombs or on Stele. There is a great variety of sources here. Quite frankly more than what I saw in several upper level Egyptian history courses. Many of the selections here shocked me. A whole other side of Egypt comes out here. A side that seems written today rather than over 3000 years ago. Common themes include a worry about the way society is heading, the fear of death, and familial love. The Hymn to the Great orb was absolutely stunning and by far my favourite source in this collection. Even some historical documents, such as Harkhuf’s autobiography and the Kamose Stele, show an interesting and animated side to elite life.
The best part of this translation is the extensive notes and introductions. Each section had its own introduction which discusses the genre of sources. Then, each individual source had its own introduction. Quite frankly, this is something that I wish I saw more often in pop-translations instead of it being the reserve of more expensive academic translations. If you’re at all interested in Egyptian history, I would greatly recommend this as a supplementary source to The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Really, even by itself, this is a great read no matter how familiar you are with Ancient Egypt.
What is great about this collection is that it shows you that there is more to Egypt than just the Book of the Dead and inscriptions written in tombs or on Stele. There is a great variety of sources here. Quite frankly more than what I saw in several upper level Egyptian history courses. Many of the selections here shocked me. A whole other side of Egypt comes out here. A side that seems written today rather than over 3000 years ago. Common themes include a worry about the way society is heading, the fear of death, and familial love. The Hymn to the Great orb was absolutely stunning and by far my favourite source in this collection. Even some historical documents, such as Harkhuf’s autobiography and the Kamose Stele, show an interesting and animated side to elite life.
The best part of this translation is the extensive notes and introductions. Each section had its own introduction which discusses the genre of sources. Then, each individual source had its own introduction. Quite frankly, this is something that I wish I saw more often in pop-translations instead of it being the reserve of more expensive academic translations. If you’re at all interested in Egyptian history, I would greatly recommend this as a supplementary source to The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Really, even by itself, this is a great read no matter how familiar you are with Ancient Egypt.
December 10, 2016
A thrilling overview of something as complex as Egyptian literature. While I cannot comment on the selection of texts or the quality of the translation, I feel that the very fact this attempt has been made is a good thing and will hopefully lead to more of the ancient culture being made accessible to the modern audience.
It is astounding to remember, when reading this book, that some of the texts herein are temporally as far apart from say Marcus Aurelius as he is from us. Even so, as we can relate to the philosophical ponderings of the Roman, we can also relate to the issues the Egyptians considered relevant - while life has changed in its complexity, our morals are different, and very few if any people revere Ra or Horus; people are still uncertain about issues (life, finances, family matters), others wish to polish their record upon taking office, and yet others always feel the need to tell everyone who they know.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a look at this ancient culture so they can get to know both it and its people better.
It is astounding to remember, when reading this book, that some of the texts herein are temporally as far apart from say Marcus Aurelius as he is from us. Even so, as we can relate to the philosophical ponderings of the Roman, we can also relate to the issues the Egyptians considered relevant - while life has changed in its complexity, our morals are different, and very few if any people revere Ra or Horus; people are still uncertain about issues (life, finances, family matters), others wish to polish their record upon taking office, and yet others always feel the need to tell everyone who they know.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to take a look at this ancient culture so they can get to know both it and its people better.
March 25, 2023
A neat collection of tales, teachings, songs, letters, and other material from ancient Egypt. My favorites were The Great Hymn to the Orb and The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor. In the case of the Tale, it's fun to think about that story being known by students in Egypt. Some of these writings are 3,000+ years old.
October 5, 2024
"I do not weep for that one who was born,
Although for her there is no leaving the West
To be on earth again;
But I think about her children,
Broken in the egg,
Who saw the face of the Crocodile before they had really lived."
Although for her there is no leaving the West
To be on earth again;
But I think about her children,
Broken in the egg,
Who saw the face of the Crocodile before they had really lived."
June 30, 2025
Egyptology dream manifestation stage 2
September 14, 2020
Less than 1,000 people have been able to read and translate, since Champollion deciphered them in 1822, Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. One of them translated a representative set of Ancient Egyptian texts into English in this book.
It's a lovely book. With an introduction to every individual text and informative footnotes. For me this is a perfect guide into the world and thoughts of the Ancient Egyptians. Antidote against Ancient Greece and Rome! The world of the Ancient Egyptians is so different. The world of Others. At the same time their words of 4,000 to 4,500 years ago feel sometimes so close.
Check out:
1. 'Cycle of Hymns to Senusret III', page 96-100. Reminds me of Katie Melua's song, 'If you were a sailboat'. He is ... one in a million, a dyke, a cool room, a rampart, a refuge, a shelter, a shade, a warm corner and a mountain that hinders the storm when the sky rages.
2. 'The Great Hymn to the Orb', page 101-106. For the first time in history polytheism changed into: there is only one Orb and one Orb only. The source for the jewish JWH and christian God.
3. 'Chapter 125 The Declaration of Innocence', from 'The Book of Dead', page 165-174. For me this is the fertile ground that inspired the Jews and Christians to their Ten Commandments.
4. 'Harpist Song from the Tomb of King Intef', page 223-227. Rare. For me the greatest jewel of this book. More than 3,300 years old. "Follow your heart as long a you live! (...) Do as your heart commands while you're upon earth! (...) Look, no one is allowed to take his possessions with him. Look, no one who departs returns!"
5. 'The Teaching of Ani', page 300-311. 25th maxim: "Make a garden and enclose a plot, in addition to your fields. Set out trees in it to shelter your house. Fill your hand with all the flowers that your eye can see."
New for me. The two obelisks of Hatsepsut were wrought in electrum (page 194). Electrum!
It's a lovely book. With an introduction to every individual text and informative footnotes. For me this is a perfect guide into the world and thoughts of the Ancient Egyptians. Antidote against Ancient Greece and Rome! The world of the Ancient Egyptians is so different. The world of Others. At the same time their words of 4,000 to 4,500 years ago feel sometimes so close.
Check out:
1. 'Cycle of Hymns to Senusret III', page 96-100. Reminds me of Katie Melua's song, 'If you were a sailboat'. He is ... one in a million, a dyke, a cool room, a rampart, a refuge, a shelter, a shade, a warm corner and a mountain that hinders the storm when the sky rages.
2. 'The Great Hymn to the Orb', page 101-106. For the first time in history polytheism changed into: there is only one Orb and one Orb only. The source for the jewish JWH and christian God.
3. 'Chapter 125 The Declaration of Innocence', from 'The Book of Dead', page 165-174. For me this is the fertile ground that inspired the Jews and Christians to their Ten Commandments.
4. 'Harpist Song from the Tomb of King Intef', page 223-227. Rare. For me the greatest jewel of this book. More than 3,300 years old. "Follow your heart as long a you live! (...) Do as your heart commands while you're upon earth! (...) Look, no one is allowed to take his possessions with him. Look, no one who departs returns!"
5. 'The Teaching of Ani', page 300-311. 25th maxim: "Make a garden and enclose a plot, in addition to your fields. Set out trees in it to shelter your house. Fill your hand with all the flowers that your eye can see."
New for me. The two obelisks of Hatsepsut were wrought in electrum (page 194). Electrum!
May 7, 2017
This is a very interesting read for anyone who likes ancient Egyptian history as well as the history of writing itself. From battle descriptions and autobiographies, to songs and tales, this vast collection of texts from all periods of the ancient civilisation's existence really do a good job in giving the reader a greater understanding of not only the writing traditions of ancient Egypt but also of life and customs of the time.
Although some texts are less exciting than others (at least for me), the book broadly manages to hold your attention through its fascinating selections of writings that either complement or conflict with one another and its insightful commentaries and notes by the author of the collection -- Toby Wilkinson -- on each piece.
Overall, this book does what it says on the tin: it is "the essential guide to a complex, sophisticated culture", providing the reader with both education and entertainment. It is also true that there are not many easily accessible collections of translated writings from ancient Egypt available to the modern audience, but hopefully with the success of works such as this one, more will be made.
Although some texts are less exciting than others (at least for me), the book broadly manages to hold your attention through its fascinating selections of writings that either complement or conflict with one another and its insightful commentaries and notes by the author of the collection -- Toby Wilkinson -- on each piece.
Overall, this book does what it says on the tin: it is "the essential guide to a complex, sophisticated culture", providing the reader with both education and entertainment. It is also true that there are not many easily accessible collections of translated writings from ancient Egypt available to the modern audience, but hopefully with the success of works such as this one, more will be made.
August 2, 2018
So much to like in this book, but I'm especially fond of the ancient Egyptian idiom "washing your heart," meaning to vent anger, obtain satisfaction or express desires, as well as the tic of saying the phrase "life - prosperity - health" any time the name of the pharaoh is invoked, so ingrained in the language that it's faithfully recited even when the speaker is insulting the pharaoh.
June 9, 2017
Just like us
Yeah. We haven't changed. 4,000+ years and humankind is still worrying, saving, working, playing, eating, sleeping and contemplating death. Read these amazing translations and realize just how much in common we have with ancient civilizations.
Yeah. We haven't changed. 4,000+ years and humankind is still worrying, saving, working, playing, eating, sleeping and contemplating death. Read these amazing translations and realize just how much in common we have with ancient civilizations.
July 10, 2025
7/10
Well look, not every individual piece of writing here exactly sings off the page, but it's nonetheless a very good and accessible work of introductory scholarship for those curious to delve into the Ancient Egyptian world. And I'd say it's very much worth sifting through the drier material to get to minor masterpieces such as "Be a Writer".
"Man perishes; his corpse turns to dust; all his relatives pass away. But writings make him remembered in the mouth of the reader. A book is more effective than a well-built house or a tomb-chapel in the West, better than an established villa or a stela in the temple!"
You'd have to have a heart of stone not to cry at that.
Well look, not every individual piece of writing here exactly sings off the page, but it's nonetheless a very good and accessible work of introductory scholarship for those curious to delve into the Ancient Egyptian world. And I'd say it's very much worth sifting through the drier material to get to minor masterpieces such as "Be a Writer".
"Man perishes; his corpse turns to dust; all his relatives pass away. But writings make him remembered in the mouth of the reader. A book is more effective than a well-built house or a tomb-chapel in the West, better than an established villa or a stela in the temple!"
You'd have to have a heart of stone not to cry at that.
September 18, 2023
Fascinating!
May 22, 2021
Toby Wilkinson here collects a selection of new translations from ancient Egypt's scattered inheritance, drawing specifically from the heiroglyphic and hieratic inscriptions (I was a little surprised to learn that he cannot read demotic, but I guess two millennia of language is broad enough as a field of study). Alongside the translated texts, Wilkinson provides introductions with highly-necessary context to introduce the reader to how each of them would have been encountered. These notes are very useful, yet concise enough that they don't overwhelm the primary material. I also particularly appreciated that additional footnotes were not banished to the very end of the book, a practice I find exhausting, but were kept close to the text to which they refer (though actual footnotes are usually better than this).
On the material: there is a lot of rather boring self-aggrandising autobiography and funerary ritual text, including many tedious titles and appeasements. I think Wilkinson is well aware these are of limited interest to the general reader, though, and selected his texts with an eye to more variety, being particularly keen to highlight elements of Egyptian writing that relate to non-monumental purposes, such as a woman's rather particular division of her assets in her will (some of her kids will rue not looking after her), or the quite forceful language in a letter from a man to his servants at home.
There are a few gems even among the more traditional types of text. The autobiographical inscription of Harkuf is amusing for its preservation -- in the entirety -- of a letter sent to Harkuf by the young boy-king of his time as he was returning from one of his expeditions to Yam. Harkuf has captured a dancing dwarf, and the king is absolutely fascinated to hear of this, writing explicit and exact instructions for the dwarf to be well-cared-for, and promising Harkuf great rewards if he manages to bring the dwarf to the king safely. Meanwhile, the battle narrative of the Battle of Meggido captures the earliest detailed battle in history, and the Pianki Stela, while rather turgid, covers an entire military campaign in a fashion that could lend itself to novelisation.
The lamentation texts are both highly interesting. The Dialogue of a Man and His Soul is, well, you get the idea, and it's quite an intriguing discussion on the topic of whether the man should kill himself, and whether life is worth living, enriched by the unusually reflective nature of the text. The Words of Khakheperraseneb is however even more powerful, and its description of the state of turmoil in society is highly relatable:
- that was written hundreds of years before the siege of Troy.
The lamentations are properly related to the other teachings, which include some wisdom literature (the Teaching of Ptahhotep gives especially impressive statements of virtuous behaviour for people across the social spectrum) and two texts directed particularly at novice scribes. The Satire of the Trades is amusing as a disparagement of all other professions (and also gives insight into daily Egyptian life), while Be A Writer is a text stressing the great opportunity provided for aspiring scribes, pointing out that tombs and monuments might turn to dust, but the names of great writers echo on. Particularly ironically, one of the eight names it lists as examples of this literary immortality is an author we now have no other reference for. Let Ptahemdjehuty's fate teach us all humility.
Finally, Egypt also had fantastic tales! The Tales of Wonder are of a familiar genre of short, wryly-amusing stories, each involving some special magic or strange occurrence -- you might call them fairy tales if that wasn't terribly anachronistic. The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, on the other hand, is more recognisably literature: within a structurally complex plot involving a magical island and a gigantic talking snake, it meditates on a moral about how to face circumstances beyond your control.
On the material: there is a lot of rather boring self-aggrandising autobiography and funerary ritual text, including many tedious titles and appeasements. I think Wilkinson is well aware these are of limited interest to the general reader, though, and selected his texts with an eye to more variety, being particularly keen to highlight elements of Egyptian writing that relate to non-monumental purposes, such as a woman's rather particular division of her assets in her will (some of her kids will rue not looking after her), or the quite forceful language in a letter from a man to his servants at home.
There are a few gems even among the more traditional types of text. The autobiographical inscription of Harkuf is amusing for its preservation -- in the entirety -- of a letter sent to Harkuf by the young boy-king of his time as he was returning from one of his expeditions to Yam. Harkuf has captured a dancing dwarf, and the king is absolutely fascinated to hear of this, writing explicit and exact instructions for the dwarf to be well-cared-for, and promising Harkuf great rewards if he manages to bring the dwarf to the king safely. Meanwhile, the battle narrative of the Battle of Meggido captures the earliest detailed battle in history, and the Pianki Stela, while rather turgid, covers an entire military campaign in a fashion that could lend itself to novelisation.
The lamentation texts are both highly interesting. The Dialogue of a Man and His Soul is, well, you get the idea, and it's quite an intriguing discussion on the topic of whether the man should kill himself, and whether life is worth living, enriched by the unusually reflective nature of the text. The Words of Khakheperraseneb is however even more powerful, and its description of the state of turmoil in society is highly relatable:
Silence toward what is heard is like a contagion, but it is painful to answer the ignorant, and contradicting an opinion creates enemies. The mind does not accept the Truth. There is no patience with the reply to an opinion: all a man loves is his own words. Everyone is crooked to the core; honest speech has been forsaken.
- that was written hundreds of years before the siege of Troy.
The lamentations are properly related to the other teachings, which include some wisdom literature (the Teaching of Ptahhotep gives especially impressive statements of virtuous behaviour for people across the social spectrum) and two texts directed particularly at novice scribes. The Satire of the Trades is amusing as a disparagement of all other professions (and also gives insight into daily Egyptian life), while Be A Writer is a text stressing the great opportunity provided for aspiring scribes, pointing out that tombs and monuments might turn to dust, but the names of great writers echo on. Particularly ironically, one of the eight names it lists as examples of this literary immortality is an author we now have no other reference for. Let Ptahemdjehuty's fate teach us all humility.
Finally, Egypt also had fantastic tales! The Tales of Wonder are of a familiar genre of short, wryly-amusing stories, each involving some special magic or strange occurrence -- you might call them fairy tales if that wasn't terribly anachronistic. The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, on the other hand, is more recognisably literature: within a structurally complex plot involving a magical island and a gigantic talking snake, it meditates on a moral about how to face circumstances beyond your control.
May 3, 2018
Man perishes; his corpse turns to dust; all his relatives pass away. But writings make him remembered.
I picked this book because I wanted to experience ancient Egypt through the eyes of her inhabitants thousand of years ago. Boy, I was greatly rewarded! Here are some oversimplified insights that I can deduce after completing this book.
1) The moral issues faced by them were similar to today's moral issues. Greed, lewdness, injustice, corruption, cruelty etc. Teachings, hymes, lamentations, and mortuary texts, that are found in this book attempted to advice the populace to fight evil (or Chaos) and adhere to good (or Order).
2) Nevertheless, perhaps due to polytheism; kings, pharaohs, viziers, governors, and even small time landowners, derived legitimacy to act to keep Order and fight Chaos from multiple gods. They often said that they praised those gods, enriched their temples, and increased number of priests at those temples. Therefore, the gods favoured them and gave them many victories and abundant wealth.
3) More interestingly, despite expecting good treatment by the gods when the said individuals would leave the earthly realm and venture into the underworld, they were somewhat sceptical. The book of the dead for example, listed lines after lines of self-defence statements to be read for the deceased to defend his/her soul at the judgement hall in the underworld. More scepticisms could be observed in lamentations, hymns, and teachings; protection must either be 'coveted' by doing good to various temples or using 'magical' utterences / spells to protect the deceased from harsh judgment.
4) Some softer hearts of the ancient, wrote about being consistently good and avoid evil completely (especially in the Teachings section) to ensure a good life while one is still alive and to be safe in the afterlife.
5) One last note to make is that moral conduct especially in a strong hierarchical society like ancient Egypt, is somewhat very important. In terms of practice, we are not so sure. However, to have the moral conduct recorded alone is enough proof that good morals are as valid in the past as it is today.
Highly recommended.
I picked this book because I wanted to experience ancient Egypt through the eyes of her inhabitants thousand of years ago. Boy, I was greatly rewarded! Here are some oversimplified insights that I can deduce after completing this book.
1) The moral issues faced by them were similar to today's moral issues. Greed, lewdness, injustice, corruption, cruelty etc. Teachings, hymes, lamentations, and mortuary texts, that are found in this book attempted to advice the populace to fight evil (or Chaos) and adhere to good (or Order).
2) Nevertheless, perhaps due to polytheism; kings, pharaohs, viziers, governors, and even small time landowners, derived legitimacy to act to keep Order and fight Chaos from multiple gods. They often said that they praised those gods, enriched their temples, and increased number of priests at those temples. Therefore, the gods favoured them and gave them many victories and abundant wealth.
3) More interestingly, despite expecting good treatment by the gods when the said individuals would leave the earthly realm and venture into the underworld, they were somewhat sceptical. The book of the dead for example, listed lines after lines of self-defence statements to be read for the deceased to defend his/her soul at the judgement hall in the underworld. More scepticisms could be observed in lamentations, hymns, and teachings; protection must either be 'coveted' by doing good to various temples or using 'magical' utterences / spells to protect the deceased from harsh judgment.
4) Some softer hearts of the ancient, wrote about being consistently good and avoid evil completely (especially in the Teachings section) to ensure a good life while one is still alive and to be safe in the afterlife.
5) One last note to make is that moral conduct especially in a strong hierarchical society like ancient Egypt, is somewhat very important. In terms of practice, we are not so sure. However, to have the moral conduct recorded alone is enough proof that good morals are as valid in the past as it is today.
Highly recommended.
February 6, 2019
When I was in college, the textbook that provided my first real look at Ancient Egyptian texts -- other than Budge's BOOK OF THE DEAD -- was James B. Pritchard's THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST: AN ANTHOLOGY OF TEXTS AND PICTURES (of which I had Volume I), and it was a marvelous introduction. It was already fifteen years old at the time, and I never got Volume II, partly because I was expecting something newer to come along. And maybe it did, but I was out of school, then, and didn't notice.
I recently came across this much-more-recent collection, and I've given it five stars partly because I felt it was that good a selection, and partly to indicate that this is the kind of work that every educated person should own a copy of.
The author's intent was to produce readable (as opposed to purely academically accurate) translation of a representative sample of Egyptian texts, covering the period from 2350 BC to 323 BC. He has the credentials to do this, and I especially admired that he excluded demotic texts, because he is not an expert in them.
The texts are grouped by type, rather than era, which is a good choice. The types are:
autobiographical inscriptions
battle narratives
hymns
lamentations
legal texts
letters
mortuary texts
royal inscriptions
songs
tales
teachings
There's just enough introduction to each type, and each text, to make them accessible. The variety, including betrayals of pharaoh, is interesting; though it is limited because literacy was extremely limited throughout the period.
In his Introduction, Wilkinson discusses the reasons why we're so unfamiliar with this literature, and I found this particular point worth quoting: "Whereas, until comparatively recently, many school curricula in the West included at least a smattering of Latin, and perhaps some Greek, few people have ever managed to gain a working knowledge of ancient Egyptian. Hieroglyphs were first deciphered less than two hundred years ago; since then, the number of people who have ever been proficient in the ancient Egyptian language is probably fewer than a thousand worldwide."
I recently came across this much-more-recent collection, and I've given it five stars partly because I felt it was that good a selection, and partly to indicate that this is the kind of work that every educated person should own a copy of.
The author's intent was to produce readable (as opposed to purely academically accurate) translation of a representative sample of Egyptian texts, covering the period from 2350 BC to 323 BC. He has the credentials to do this, and I especially admired that he excluded demotic texts, because he is not an expert in them.
The texts are grouped by type, rather than era, which is a good choice. The types are:
autobiographical inscriptions
battle narratives
hymns
lamentations
legal texts
letters
mortuary texts
royal inscriptions
songs
tales
teachings
There's just enough introduction to each type, and each text, to make them accessible. The variety, including betrayals of pharaoh, is interesting; though it is limited because literacy was extremely limited throughout the period.
In his Introduction, Wilkinson discusses the reasons why we're so unfamiliar with this literature, and I found this particular point worth quoting: "Whereas, until comparatively recently, many school curricula in the West included at least a smattering of Latin, and perhaps some Greek, few people have ever managed to gain a working knowledge of ancient Egyptian. Hieroglyphs were first deciphered less than two hundred years ago; since then, the number of people who have ever been proficient in the ancient Egyptian language is probably fewer than a thousand worldwide."
May 28, 2021
Absolutely enjoyed reading this. This book provides translation of several texts that existed in Ancient Egypt - ranging from battle narratives and funerary writings to letters and teachings. I loved reading the teachings as it reflects the moral values and lessons of human relationships. Some of the teachings are also universal and present in other cultures and religions. The section on letters provides an insight into the family institution and inheritance of Ancient Egypt.
While there were some pictures of the original writings written on papyri, Stella, and rocks, it would be interesting to include the original hieroglyphics in each writing.
While there were some pictures of the original writings written on papyri, Stella, and rocks, it would be interesting to include the original hieroglyphics in each writing.
August 8, 2018
This is a fantastic book for anyone who studies or write about Ancient Egypt. It's a great way to see what they as a society held in high regard, as well as seeing some of their general humour and humanity. So often we get stuck looking at Ancient Egyptian monuments, that we often forget the people who built them. This book gives them a voice to speak to us modern folks.
March 4, 2019
It definitely was a complicated read and it was so dense it was hard stuffing it all into my brain. I loved that there were so many diverse pieces of writing to pick and I found some absolute favorite in it! (Being the second Harpist song, the tale of wonders and the be a writer teaching). No matter how complicated it was, I loved this dive into ancient egypt and it gave me a better understanding of the era and it inspired me. This was good!
Read
April 23, 2025Impressions of the Ancient Egyptians: bureaucratic, practical, worldly. This anthology presents a thousand years of Egyptian culture in their own words. I greatly appreciated all the context included.
September 10, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed Toby's translations. A truly unexpected joy to read.
March 6, 2020
Great book that gives you a glimpse of ancient Egyptian culture and life accompanied with an excellent commentary of each text written by the author before the translated text.
While I did very much enjoy this book, I only have one critique to make. The author, Toby Wilkinson, has mentioned in his introduction that he has tried to make the translations "as fluent, accessible, and up-to-date as possible". This has not been my experience reading the texts since this book, which has been released quite recently, contains a lot of archaic English vocabulary and terms (not my personal assessment, plenty of the words are labeled as archaic in the Oxford dictionary when I had to look them up) which could be easily substituted with more modern and more frequently used words that are appropriately up-to-date.
While I did very much enjoy this book, I only have one critique to make. The author, Toby Wilkinson, has mentioned in his introduction that he has tried to make the translations "as fluent, accessible, and up-to-date as possible". This has not been my experience reading the texts since this book, which has been released quite recently, contains a lot of archaic English vocabulary and terms (not my personal assessment, plenty of the words are labeled as archaic in the Oxford dictionary when I had to look them up) which could be easily substituted with more modern and more frequently used words that are appropriately up-to-date.
December 22, 2021
Oh this was just wonderful. I am obsessed with the sense of enchantment that comes with knowing this civilisation who built these amazing pyramids and mummies etc were all just people like us. It sounds bloody obvious when you say it but it's easy to forget and reading stuff like this is just wonderful. Of course, a lot of the texts are a little more dense or just plain boring to the casual reader, but some were so rich and interesting. I found Toby Wilkinson's introduction and notes to be so readable and really helped me understand the contexts and content of the texts. I thought his translations were really good and easy to understand, and the notes all very helpful and insightful. This was just a joy to read.
My favourite texts to come back to (for my own reference):
1.1
3.3
3.4
4.1
5.2
6.1
7.2
7.3
8.4
9.1
10.2
My favourite texts to come back to (for my own reference):
1.1
3.3
3.4
4.1
5.2
6.1
7.2
7.3
8.4
9.1
10.2
June 24, 2020
A Fascinating Read
This was a fascinating read, not only for the translations, but also for the insights into Ancient Egyptian culture that went along with the translations. I honestly would have loved to see more documents, but I do understand why they were limited. Either way, I did quite enjoy it, though some of the translations were a bit hard to get through (not because of translation issues, but because of the nature of the documents, including the long lists of epithets and details about the relationships to the gods). Still, that's how they wrote them, and I prefer accuracy to skipping details.
This was a fascinating read, not only for the translations, but also for the insights into Ancient Egyptian culture that went along with the translations. I honestly would have loved to see more documents, but I do understand why they were limited. Either way, I did quite enjoy it, though some of the translations were a bit hard to get through (not because of translation issues, but because of the nature of the documents, including the long lists of epithets and details about the relationships to the gods). Still, that's how they wrote them, and I prefer accuracy to skipping details.
February 7, 2017
This was really cool. I'd really recommend this for anyone who has ever been fascinated by Egyptian writing. It was also pretty informative on life in the ancient Egypt, giving insights and tidbits from the writings on how they lived. I definitely enjoyed this.
December 23, 2023
An excellent collection of texts mostly from the Middle Kingdom, focused almost exclusively on royalty and religion with some interesting tales thrown in. It is easy to forget that Egypt was much more than a collection of funerary monuments.
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November 30, 2016Didn't quite enjoy this book like I thought I would. Even though I do find Ancient Egyptian life very interesting.
June 28, 2022
I found this an interesting read. I know little about the culture of Ancient Egypt beyond a few obvious things - Mummies, Pyramids and hieroglyphics - so there was a lot of new information in here to get my teeth into.
It's translated by Toby Wilkinson who writes an excellent introduction that helps contextualise what you are about to read and explains both his selection process and how the book is laid out. You forget how long pharaonic Egypt lasted and the texts contain in here cover a huge time period.
As Wilkinson says the monumental nature of Egyptian buildings tends to over-shadow the literary culture of Ancient Egypt. And Egyptian literature is both carved in stone and written on papyrus. Writings from Ancient Egypt draws on examples from both.
The book is divided into sections by genre/topic: Autobiographical Inscriptions, Battle Narratives, Hymns, Lamentations, Legal Texts, Letters, Mortuary Texts, Royal Inscriptions, Songs, Tales and Teachings. Some sections were more interesting that others to me.
The Teachings section was fascinating and reminded me of two things: modern self-help books and Polonius 'neither a borrower nor lender be' speech to Laertes before he heads off to University in Hamlet.
You learn a lot about Egyptian culture. How stratified it was. There are lots of bits of advice about how to put up with overbearing superiors. Women don't get a huge amount of a look in, especially lower class women (but that goes for lower class people in general.)
Wilkinson has tried to draw in texts that aren't just about the elite - who were the literate class in the main. There are letters from a middle class farmer but they're mostly mentioned in passing and in 'The Satire of the Trades' pretty disdainfully but that's meant to be a father advising his son on why he should study hard as look what you might have to do for a living instead if you can't become a scribe.
Other things I learned - Egyptians love a list, especially if it is of things won from defeated enemies. They also have real love of administration. Not just on a day-to-day basis but in the afterlife. Or what they hope would be the afterlife. They like making sure people know about their achievements too, but that is because they believed that words had real power. And a rulers key religious responsibility was building and beautifying temples so they wanted people to know what they'd done. The Battle Narratives are also indirectly amusing as they're entirely one-sided, almost as if they'd been written by a slightly milder version of the French taunter from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I recommend this if you want to get an idea of what Egyptian culture was like. It's a really solid introduction. I feel I know much more than I did before I read this book. But a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
It's translated by Toby Wilkinson who writes an excellent introduction that helps contextualise what you are about to read and explains both his selection process and how the book is laid out. You forget how long pharaonic Egypt lasted and the texts contain in here cover a huge time period.
As Wilkinson says the monumental nature of Egyptian buildings tends to over-shadow the literary culture of Ancient Egypt. And Egyptian literature is both carved in stone and written on papyrus. Writings from Ancient Egypt draws on examples from both.
The book is divided into sections by genre/topic: Autobiographical Inscriptions, Battle Narratives, Hymns, Lamentations, Legal Texts, Letters, Mortuary Texts, Royal Inscriptions, Songs, Tales and Teachings. Some sections were more interesting that others to me.
The Teachings section was fascinating and reminded me of two things: modern self-help books and Polonius 'neither a borrower nor lender be' speech to Laertes before he heads off to University in Hamlet.
You learn a lot about Egyptian culture. How stratified it was. There are lots of bits of advice about how to put up with overbearing superiors. Women don't get a huge amount of a look in, especially lower class women (but that goes for lower class people in general.)
Wilkinson has tried to draw in texts that aren't just about the elite - who were the literate class in the main. There are letters from a middle class farmer but they're mostly mentioned in passing and in 'The Satire of the Trades' pretty disdainfully but that's meant to be a father advising his son on why he should study hard as look what you might have to do for a living instead if you can't become a scribe.
Other things I learned - Egyptians love a list, especially if it is of things won from defeated enemies. They also have real love of administration. Not just on a day-to-day basis but in the afterlife. Or what they hope would be the afterlife. They like making sure people know about their achievements too, but that is because they believed that words had real power. And a rulers key religious responsibility was building and beautifying temples so they wanted people to know what they'd done. The Battle Narratives are also indirectly amusing as they're entirely one-sided, almost as if they'd been written by a slightly milder version of the French taunter from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I recommend this if you want to get an idea of what Egyptian culture was like. It's a really solid introduction. I feel I know much more than I did before I read this book. But a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
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