The Oldest Book in the World: Philosophy in the Age of the Pyramids

Egyptologist Manley (Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners) provides an accessible translation of the Teachings of Ptahhatp, the “earliest complete statement of philosophy surviving from ancient Egypt.” Ptahhatp, a vizier to pharaoh Izezi, who reigned during the 25th century BCE, recorded his wide-ranging thoughts on how life should be lived nearly two millennia before the classical Greek philosophers shared theirs. In 37 pithy sections, he opines on such topics as gossip (“Repeat only statements of fact rather than listening to a world of piss-taking”), responding to those seeking conflict (“show that you are better than them with silence”), and the importance of listening well (“Those who rely on you need to say what is on their mind even more than they need to get something done about it”). Elsewhere, he addresses friendship, politeness, and parenting. While none of the guidance will strike modern readers as particularly revelatory, Manley’s clear translation and several chapters of historical and philosophical context successfully illustrate that Egyptian philosophy is “not the banal, proscriptive mouthpiece of a despotic regime, but rather the reasoned voice of experience... engaged in an open discussion about the meaning of life.” This is an important addition to the bookshelves of armchair Egyptologists. (July)