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Ptahhotep
Sign in to saveAlso known as Ptah-Hotep, Ptah-hotep, Ptah Hotep, Ptahhotpe
Ptahhotep ( "Peace of Ptah"; ), sometimes referred to as Ptahhotep I or Ptahhotpe, was a vizier during the reign of Djedkare Isesi in Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty. He is best known as the author of The Maxims of Ptahhotep, one of the earliest works of Egyptian wisdom literature, intended to instruct young men in proper conduct and ethical behavior.
OverviewAI-generated
Ptahhotep was a male philosopher from Ancient Egypt. He is recognized as the author of the notable work *The Maxims of Ptahhotep*. His literary output includes six works, with other significant titles such as *The teaching of Ptahhotep*, *Les maximes de Ptaḥḥotep*, *Teachings of Ptahhotep*, *Instruction of Ptah-Hotep and the Instruction of Ke'gemni; the Oldest Books in the World;*, and *The instruction of Ptah-hotep*.
Ptahhotep lived during the third millennium BCE. He was born in 2450 BCE and died in 2400 BCE. His period of activity, or floruit, is recorded as 2500 BCE. He conducted his work within Ancient Egypt.
Synthesized by Vinony from 12 facts across 2 sources: Wikidata, Open Library. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Person · Open Library
- Works
- 6
Top works
- The teaching of Ptahhotep
- Les maximes de Ptaḥḥotep
- Teachings of Ptahhotep
- Instruction of Ptah-Hotep and the Instruction of Ke'gemni; the Oldest Books in the World;
- The instruction of Ptah-hotep
via Open Library + Wikidata
Key facts
- Egyptian dignitary.Name
- Ptahhotep
- Egyptian dignitary.egyptian_name
- p:t-H-Htp:t*p-A1
- Egyptian dignitary.Image
- Statuevizir095.jpg
- Egyptian dignitary.Caption
- Ptahhotep with two different wigs - Imhotep Museum in Saqqara
- Egyptian dignitary.Style
- Vizier of Egypt
- Egyptian dignitary.Tenure
- 2400 BC
- Egyptian dignitary.Pharaoh
- Isesi
- Egyptian dignitary.Burial
- Mastaba D62, Saqqara, Egypt
- Egyptian dignitary.Wife
- Khamerernebty
- Egyptian dignitary.Children
- Akhethetep
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Ancient Egypt
- Occupation
- philosopher
- Notable work
- The Maxims of Ptahhotep
- Image
- Ptahhotep-Khamerernebty.jpg
- Work location
- Ancient Egypt
Show 5 more facts
- Commons category
- Ptahhotep
- floruit
- 2500-00-00
- date of birth
- 2450-00-00
- date of death
- 2400-00-00
- on focus list of Wikimedia project
- Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
7 sectionsContents
- Life
- Mastaba
- ''The Maxims of Ptahhotep''
- Possible deification
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Ptahhotep ( "Peace of Ptah"; ), sometimes referred to as Ptahhotep I or Ptahhotpe, was a vizier during the reign of Djedkare Isesi in Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty. He is best known as the author of The Maxims of Ptahhotep, one of the earliest works of Egyptian wisdom literature, intended to instruct young men in proper conduct and ethical behavior.
Ptahhotep held the highest administrative office under the pharaoh, but his legacy extends beyond politics. He is regarded as one of the earliest recorded philosophers, whose teachings emphasized humility, justice, restraint in speech, and respect for social order (Maat). His writings were addressed initially to his son, Akhethetep, and later copied by scribes for centuries, ensuring their influence on Egyptian thought.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ptahhotep” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.