Cotton 1
Barness M. Cotton III
Dacowski
Course Number
9/26/2023
Habits of Highly Successful Egyptians
We know in any society with a complex social structure, there are certain etiquettes and
taboos high-class members abide by; what form did that take for high-class Egyptians? Egypt
was a very religious society. Their leaders’ moral and social expectations were holy commands
as much as political norms. I argue that highly successful Egyptians would value exercising
obeisance to their superiors, governing their inferiors peaceably, and ensuring that their actions
were in union with Ptah-Hotep’s commandments. The precepts were written during the latter part
of The Old Kingdom to give historical context. Pharaohs were at their height of influence and
were still viewed as divine. Also, concern for the gods' will was paramount in the Egyptians’
minds at this point. The sources I will be using are the “Precepts of Ptah-Hotep.” and the
textbook “World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500.”
Throughout the precepts Ptah-Hotep instructs Egyptians of high rank to adhere to these
two crucial values. Ptah-Hotep commanded them to obey their superiors and be kind to their
inferiors. Bluntly, Ptah wrote, “Bend your back before your superior.” (Precepts of Ptah-Hotep,
para 32. ln. 1) Regarding behavior concerning superiors, the precepts are pretty straightforward.
Ptah-Hotep expected Egyptian leaders to obey their higher-ups. During the time this was written,
the influence of the Pharaoh was at its peak. The law was the word of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh was
divine. The textbook World History states, “The Old Kingdom saw pharaohs harness their
influence to build pyramids to emphasize their relationship to the divine and facilitate their
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ascent to the gods after their earthly deaths.” (World History, pg 47. para 3.) Another instance of
this command of acquiescence is when Ptah implores Egyptians to pay homage and affection to
“great men,” and they will receive comparably great boons from their “great man.” (Precepts of
Ptah-Hotep, para 28. ln. 1-7) However, Ptah-Hotep demanded these “Great Men” deal with their
subordinates graciously and kindly. Ptah wrote, “Treat your dependents well, in so far as it
belongs to you to do so; and it belongs to those whom Ptah has favored.” So, it is clear that PtahHotep wanted this benevolent relationship to be symbiotic. Under Ptah-Hotep, high-class
Egyptians were to treat their lessers with kindness and dignity, and lessers were to show high-ups
due respect and reverence. To sum it up, Ptah-Hotep expected highly successful Egyptians to
foster benevolent relationships and dealings with their inferiors and for those successful
Egyptians to likewise show obeisance to their greater Pharaoh!
As stated before, Ptah-Hotep names fundamental values a high-ranked Egyptian should
have; however, Ptah-Hotep details four major traits said Egyptian elites should cultivate. The
first trait they mention is Peaceability. For example, Ptah-Hotep says one should not provoke
someone they are in dispute with but let the disputant shame themselves with their “evil words.”
(Precepts of Ptah-Hotep, para. 4, ln. 6-7). Ptah encourages high ranking Egyptians to be slow to
provocation and to not allow their words to bring shame upon them. In the process they would
deescalate the dispute. The precepts encouraged elite Egyptians to be peaceable in several ways.
Ptah says one should not agitate their neighbor, spread gossip, or take what they have not earned.
(Precepts of Ptah-Hotep, para. 24, ln. 1-9). Again, Ptah is urging these leaders to avoid
needlessly provoking their peers in turn keeping peace. This focus on keeping the peace is
byproduct of the period of time in which the precept was written. The Old Kingdom was a
timespan of relative peace for Egypt. The text World History states, “During the Old Kingdom,
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Egypt did not have a standing army and faced few foreign military threats.” (World History, pg
49. para. 2) The next personality traits Ptah describes is Attentiveness. Ptah-Hotep wrote,
“Listen to the discourse of the petitioner. Be not abrupt with him...a clear explanation is to listen
with kindness.” (Precepts of Ptah-Hotep, para. 18. ln. 1-5) Here, Ptah says a leader should listen
with “kindness,” meaning they must be attentive when others speak and genuinely strive to
understand them. The third trait expounded upon was Impartiality. Ptah also wrote, “Be not
arrogant because of that which you know; deal with the ignorant as with the learned.” (Precepts
of Ptah-Hotep, para. 3. ln. 1) Here, Ptah is telling leaders they need to view the input of all
people as possibly valuable, obviously encouraging impartiality.
The last trait Ptah-Hotep encourages is humility, arguably the most vital aspect that PtahHotep commands their adherents. Ptah presents multiple scenarios where a leader should display
humility if he wishes to rule well and have Ptah-Hotep’s good blessings. To illustrate, Ptah said,
“While the man who is master of his soul is superior to those whom Ptah has loaded with his
gifts; the man who obeys his passion is under the power of his wife.” (Precepts of Ptah-Hotep,
para. 15. ln. 7-9) To give context, this precept spoke on how one should not let excessive flattery
puff him up with pride and let that pride guide his actions. That inflated hubris is the “passion”
this citation references. Ptah-Hotep is saying leaders who master their pride and don’t let it rule
them will fare better than those whom even Ptah-Hotep gifts with blessings. Another illustration
of humility is when Ptah wrote that leaders should not make plans based on what will gain them
fame and recognition but plan using reason and perfect logic. (Precepts of Ptah-Hotep, para. 17.
ln. 1-3) Lastly, Ptah-Hotep says that leaders who have achieved a high status should not forget
the low standing from which they came and not to forsake their former neighbors. In Ptah’s own
words, “Know how not to take advantage of the fact that you have reached the first rank...Put not
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behind you the neighbor who is like you; be unto him as a companion.” (Precepts of Ptah-Hotep,
para. 31. ln. 2-5). It is evident that Ptah-Hotep wants high-ranking Egyptians and leaders to
remain humble in their grand statuses. In summary, to gain the core values of Ptah-Hotep, one
must cultivate the traits of peaceability, impartiality, attentiveness, and humility.
In Conclusion, I argued that highly successful Egyptians would value exercising
obeisance to their superiors, governing their inferiors peaceably, and ensuring that their actions
were in union with Ptah-Hotep’s commandments. Through cited evidence, it has been made clear
what Ptah-Hotep expects of Egyptian leaders. They are to show kindness to their subordinates
and be in submission to those of even greater status than them. These are the two values PtahHotep holds most paramount. It has also been shown how Ptah-Hotep described four major traits
that, if cultivated, will allow successful Egyptians to adhere to his values. These traits being
Peaceability, Impartiality, Attentiveness, and, most significant of all, Humility. Egypt was a very
religious society. Egyptian leaders' moral and social expectations were holy commandments as
much as political norms. We know in any society with a complex social structure, there are
certain etiquettes and taboos high-class members abide by; this is the form it took for highly
successful Egyptians!
Work Cited:
Ptah-Hotep. "Precepts of Ptah-Hotep." Internet Ancient History Sourcebook. 1998.
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/ptahhotep.asp. Accessed August 17, 2022.
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Berger, Eugene, George Israel, Charlotte Miller, Brian Parkinson, Andrew Reeves, and Nadejda
Williams. “World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500.” Dahlonega GA: University
of North Georgia Press, 2016.