Ptahhotep (ptāħ ħwtp, sometimes known as Ptahhotpe or Ptah-Hotep, was an ancient Egyptian official during the late 25th century BC and early 24th century BC.

Life [link]

Ptahhotep was the city administrator and vizier (first minister) during the reign of Djedkare Isesi in the 5th Dynasty. He is credited with authoring The Instruction of Ptahhotep, an early piece of Egyptian "wisdom literature" meant to instruct young men in appropriate behavior.

He had a son named Akhethotep, who was also a vizier. He and his descendants were buried at Saqqara.

Ptahhotep's tomb is located in a mastaba in North Saqqara where he was laid to rest by himself. His grandson Ptahhotep Tshefi, who lived during the reign of Unas, was buried in the mastaba of his father.^[1] Their tomb is famous for its outstanding depictions.^[2]

The Maxims of Ptahhotep [link]

There are authors who date the Maxims of Ptahhotep much earlier than the 25th century. For instance, Pulitzer Prize winning historian Will Durant dates these writings as early as 2880 BCE within The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental History. Durant claims that Ptahhotep could be considered the very first philosopher in virtue of having the earliest and surviving fragments of moral philosophy (i.e., "The Maxims of Ptah-Hotep").

Ptahhotep's grandson, Ptahhotep Tshefi, is traditionally credited with being the author of the collection of wise sayings known as The Maxims of Ptahhotep,^[3] whose opening lines attribute authorship to the vizier Ptahhotep: Instruction of the Mayor of the city, the Vizier Ptahhotep, under the Majesty of King Isesi.^[4] They take the form of advice and instructions from a father to his son and are said to have been assembled during the late Old Kingdom. However, their oldest surviving copies are written in Middle Egyptian dating to the late First Intermediate Period of the Middle Kingdom.^[5]

The 1906 translation by Battiscombe Gunn, published as part of the "Wisdom of the East" series, was made directly from the papyrus in Paris, rather than from copies, and is still in print.^[6]

A manuscript copy, the Prisse Papyrus, is on display at the Louvre.

Modern influence [link]

In the popular 1960 book Initiation, author Elizabeth Haich makes the claim that in a past life she was the student and niece of Ptahhotep.

References [link]

• Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, Blackwell Publishing, 1992

External links [link]

• "Ptah-Hotep", AfricaWithin.com
• Brian Brown (ed.) (1923) The Wisdom of the Egyptians. New York: Brentano's
• Texts from the Pyramid Age by Nigel C. Strudwick, Ronald J. Leprohon, 2005, Brill Academic Publishers
• Ancient Egyptian Science: A Source Book by Marshall Clagett, 1989
• The Instruction of Ptah-Hotep - AAA Encyclopedia
• "The Maxims on Good Discourse of Ptahhotep". https://www.sofiatopia.org/maat/ptahhotep.htm. 

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