The Ancient Egyptian “Satire on the Trades“ (Prague Hieratic Literary Ostraca I)

Vol.3,No.2(2012)

Břetislav Vachala

https://doi.org/10.5817/AI2012-2-17

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Abstract
The Instruction of Dua-Khety, a text also known as “The Satire on the Trades“, was composed at the very beginning of the Middle Kingdom (during the reign of Amenemhet I, c. 1991-1962 BCE). The text of the Instruction is known from almost 300 fragments on papyrus, ostraca, leather manuscripts and wooden tablets, all of New Kingdom date (especially the Ramesside period). The most complete running version is that of Papyrus Sallier II (from the late 19th dynasty). Being a very popular composition, the Instruction served as a teaching tool at schools. On the other hand, its popularity led to extreme cases of text corruption, the mistakes and misunderstandings, due to careless scribal copying by the pupils of the schools of writings. A new Czech translation of The Instruction of Dua-Khety is presented in the article. Two limestone hieratic ostraca  with parts of this composition are deposited in the National Museum – Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures in Prague, the first one (P 3838: Figs. 1,2) being dated back to the 19th dynasty, the second one (P 3804: Figs. 3,4) to the 20th dynasty (probably the reign of Ramesses III). Previously unrecognized hieratic ostraca, both coming from Deir el-Medina, are illustrated with photographs, and hieroglyphic transcriptions and translations are provided as well.

Keywords:
Ancient Egyptian literature; The Instruction of Dua-Khety; “The Satire on the Trades“; hieratic ostraca
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