The Satire of the Trades, also called The Instruction of Kheti, is a didactic work of ancient Egyptian literature. It takes the form of an instruction and was composed by a scribe from Sile named Kheti for his son Pepi. The Satire exalts the career of a scribe while remarking on the drudgery experienced in other professions. Laborers are described in the document as having tired arms and to be living in subpar conditions. This poor standard of living is juxtaposed with the life of a scribe, whose job is "greater than any profession". Egyptologists disagree on whether or not the text is satirical. The same Kheti may have composed the Instructions of Amenemhat, but this is unclear.
This ancient Egyptian scribe's palette is estimated to be from 1500-500 BCE.
19th Dynasty ostrakon inscribed with part of the Satire of the trades. Turin, Museo Egizio
Ancient Egyptian literature
Ancient Egyptian literature was written with the Egyptian language from ancient Egypt's pharaonic period until the end of Roman domination. It represents the oldest corpus of Egyptian literature. Along with Sumerian literature, it is considered the world's earliest literature.
Egyptian hieroglyphs with cartouches for the name "Ramesses II", from the Luxor Temple, New Kingdom
The slab stela of the Old Kingdom Egyptian princess Neferetiabet (dated c. 2590–2565 BC), from her tomb at Giza, with hieroglyphs carved and painted on limestone
Abbott Papyrus, a record written in hieratic script; it describes an inspection of royal tombs in the Theban Necropolis and is dated to the 16th regnal year of Ramesses IX, c. 1110 BC.
An ostracon with hieratic script mentioning officials involved in the inspection and clearing of tombs during the Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt, c. 1070–945 BC