Writing and Education

I. What scribes did

 They kept official records and preformed jobs for the government and
religious institutions
 They helped administer the laws, collect taxes, and supervise government
projects
 They worked at the pharaoh’s palace or went with the court to keep official
records of events
 They were often well respected and awarded, they sometimes achieved high
ranks and honors

II. How they were treated

 Only men were allowed to become scribes, but some women learned to read
and write
 Scribes were taught by priests
 The most important thing they learned was to read and write hieroglyphics
which was used to record everything
 It took years for anyone to master hieroglyphics
 Most students learned hieratic script which was easier, was used for everyday
things

III. School for children

 The school day was long, it sometimes lasted all day
 Schoolmasters were strict, they treated students harshly, like if a student did
not want to learn, they were scolded or beaten
 Students training to become scribes copied hieroglyphic signs over and over
for max. 4 years on their writing tablets
 After that, successful students were allowed to write on papyrus (a scroll
made from the papyrus plant)

IV. Students who completed training worked with scribes

 Scribes traveled through cities and villages keeping track of tax records for
the pharaoh
 Scribes kept records of food supply and grain to prevent a famine and
measured the rise of the Nile
 Scribes kept the census and traveled with military expeditions

A
Scribe
Hieroglyphi
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Picture from: Picture from:

http://www.historylink101.net/egypt_1/a-scribes.htm http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/explore/main.html