Aspects of Daily Life in Ancient Egyptian Letters

The images of the deceased Sennofer and his family are accompanied by textual detail reflecting his status, occupation, achievements, the following of the codes of right behaviour – a eulogistic record of his life and character such as Sennofer’s assertion “I was a man of virtue, patient and calm-tempered, free of falsehood”.

A more realistic insight into a person’s character comes from the scribe Neb’s letter to the priest Khenenenuskhet. Firstly he asks the priest to reprimand a woman Tit as she has denied property belonging to him, stating he is “a man impatient to divorce the woman.” Secondly he shows antagonism towards another woman, Tey. It seems there has been a serious disagreement. The priest should tell her “if she comes to me I will strike her”. In contrast to the idealistic view of a stela, the content of a personal letter is a source of insight into a scribe’s personality, his problematic relationships, and actual reaction.

From the current excavation and stratification of a site comes architectural insight using up-to-date technology and measurement. From the perspective of ancient Egyptian methods the lack of working sketches makes it difficult to determine actual building plans. The way a piece of personal correspondence can be the source of this information is shown by a letter about the building of a house. From the mayor Mentuhotep to the scribe Ahmose it gives insight into the administrative and construction process. The sender gives detailed instructions as to the height of walls, doors, the house itself and its width, and when the mats and beams of the storerooms at the rear of the house should be installed. These specific requirements for an actual building project evidence the design and materials required, showing how a personal letter can augment modern visual assessment.

Another aspect of letters, in addition to the insight provided through their content (the reason for writing), is the way in which the structure of address can indicate the status of the sender to the recipient. For example, the sender can use the brief “says to” indicating a superiority, presuming the recipient will follow any instructions stipulated, or the sender can place the recipient’s name first to emphasise the recipient’s higher status. Addressing a recipient by invoking the various gods to ensure the person’s good life and health, shows a more equal status and relationship.

While this study of these personal letters from the New Kingdom (c.1539-1075 BCE), covers only a small selection of the extensive range of ancient Egyptian correspondence found preserved on papyrus, often folded, tied with string and sealed, for delivery by a letter-carrier. The sources for even briefer letters have been the writing on flakes of limestone or potsherds, known as “ostraca”. Overall they evidence the additional knowledge research into such correspondence can provide regarding aspects of ancient Egyptian daily life. Their distinctiveness lies in the information about the ancient Egyptian people – actual events and issues occurring in their lives – insight at a personal level adding an important extra dimension to the view of ancient Egyptian society found in the other sources discussed.