Noted author and Egyptologist Bill Manley renders into approachable modern English for the first time the oldest surviving statement of philosophy from the ancient world: the thirty-seven teachings and twelve conclusions of The Teaching of Ptahhatp, vizier, or chief minister, to the Old Kingdom pharaoh Izezi (2390ā2350 BCE). Manleyās expert commentary elucidates Ptahhatpās profound yet practical philosophy, which covers such topics as ambition, fame, confrontation, sex, and wisdom, and offers a unique window onto ancient Egyptian life and society.
The Teaching of Ptahhatp ought to begin the list of the worldās classics of philosophy, yet it has been largely forgotten since its rediscovery in the nineteenth century. Manleyās new translation corrects this oversight, making accessible for the first time the Old Kingdom vizier Ptahhatpās concise, helpful insights into the human condition.
New translations of two further textsāThe Dialogue Between a Man and His Soul, in which a man asks himself, āWhat is the point of living?,ā and Why Things Happen, the oldest surviving account of creation from anywhere in the worldādemonstrate how Ptahhatpās philosophy was founded in ancient Egyptian beliefs about truth and reality. Manley introduces the vizier and the world within which he operated, as well as the significance of the āoldest book of the world,ā preserved in a scroll now known as the Papyrus Prisse in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. Together these works by Ptahhatp provide a new perspective on the Pyramid Age and overturn traditional stereotypes about the origins of Western philosophy.
This book title, The Oldest Book in the World (Philosophy in the Age of the Pyramids), ISBN: 9780500252321, by Bill Manley, published by Thames & Hudson (June 20, 2023) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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