The Satire of the Trades
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The Satire of the Trades, also called The Instruction of Dua-Kheti, is a work of didactic ancient Egyptian literature. It takes the form of an Instruction, composed by a scribe from Sile named Dua-Kheti for his son Pepi. The author is thought by some to have composed the Instructions of Amenemhat as well. It describes a number of trades in an exaggeratedly negative light, extolling the advantages of the profession of scribe. It is generally considered to be a satire, though Helck thought it reflected the true attitude of the scribal class towards manual labourers.
The text has survived in its entirety, but extremely corrupted, in the Sallier II Papyrus written during the Nineteenth Dynasty, which is kept at the British Museum. A number of fragments are kept at the British Museum, the Louvre, the Pierpont Morgan Library, and other institutions. It was one of the texts most frequently copied by students during the Ramesside Period.
References
- M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, volume I, 1973, pp. 184-193
- S. Quirke, Egyptian Literature 1800 BC, questions and readings, London 2004, pp. 121-126
