The Influence Of Ptah-Hotep In Ancient Egyptian Culture

Dating back to the century of 2200 BCE, there had been many different artifacts that have allowed many scholars to understand the time period back during the ancient Egyptian culture. After learning about the culture that had been extremely influential, many people had discovered that Ptah was a leader who had made and ruled the capitol city of Memphis in Egypt. Therefore, the Precepts of Ptah give our historians an insight to the world that used to be, based off of the main God that the Egyptian people had worshiped.

The Ptah-Hotep had been a famous Egyptian sage, that was popular for his position in the Egyptian kingdom. Ptah-Hotep was a respected individual who worked below the King, but still had a lot of authority. He is also credited to have created the Precepts of Ptah, but there are some historians who argue that the true author is not Ptah-Hotep. Even though the author of the precepts is debatable, the words that had been written truly speak for themselves. Overall, the words are a guide to what someone should lead their life by. For example, when it states that “be not arrogant because of that which you know; deal with the ignorant as

with the learned; for the barriers of art are not closed, no artist being in possession of the perfection to which he should aspire,” the author is trying to tell the reader to not be egotistic; there is a lot of information that we may not know, but we must stay humble and respectful.
Aside from discussing the different topics of based off of a person’s mentality, the ancient words also give tips that discussed a situation that someone can come across during their lifetime. In particular, when the words say, “if you find a disputant while he is hot, and if he is superior to you in ability, lower the hands, bend the back, do not get into a passion with him,” it is describing how someone should not get into a brawl with other person if there is anger and greater authority present. As most people may know, when a fight occurs, eventually someone will get hurt; so avoiding the fight will decrease the chance of any accidents or regrets later on.
The historical and archaic words that had been written during this time period provide a means of guidance and direction for the people of the Egyptian kingdom.

The Percepts of Ptah resemble the wise words of wisdom that an influential leader of our society may give to us. A common example of wisdom could be given from a parental figure in someone’s life. For instance, my father has told me multiple times that “school is the only place that can lead to a better future.” Hearing the sophisticated and authentic meaning behind this simple sentence is enough to make me believe that he is right. Hence the percepts that had been discussed show a leader trying to lead and guide the people whom they love. So by leading these citizens in the right direction, they can have a better society with people who lead improved

lifestyles.