Information about Ancient Egyptian Literature

The literature of Ancient Egypt developed from enscriptions, associated with kingship, labels and tags for items found in royal tombs, etc. This developed by the Old Kingdom into the tomb autobiography. The genre known as Instructions evolved to provide teachings and guidance from famous nobles, the Ipuwer papyrus, a poem of lamentations describing natural disasters and social upheaval, is an extreme example of an instruction, although from an uncertain date. During the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom, the prose style of literature evolved, with the Story of Sinuhe perhaps being the classic of Egyptian Literature.^[1] Towards the end of the New Kingdom, the Story of Wenamun tells the story of a noble who is robbed on his way to buy cedar from Lebanon, and his struggle to return to Egypt, and shows the end of the united Egypt, and the start of the Third Intermediate Period, a period of turmoil known as Whm Mswt.

Notes and References

Other major works

• Ebers papyrus - A medical papyrus listing diagnoses, treatments, and magic spells
• Papyrus Harris I - A list of temple endowments and a history of the reign of pharaoh Ramesses III

References

Further reading

• Parkinson, Richard (2002). Poetry and Culture in Middle Kingdom Egypt: A Dark Side to Perfection. London, New York: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-5637-5. 
• Lichtheim, Miriam (1973-1980). Ancient Egyptian Literature. The University of California Press.