Wayward Sons and Scribes (Re-Release)

The History of Egypt Podcast

Dominic Perry

History, Society & Culture

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 January 2023

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Two letters that tell tales. A model letter from c.1250 BCE tells us of a wayward scribe, who fell off the path of ma’at and became lost in drunkeness, indolence and womanizing. Disappointed in his former pupil, a schoolmaster writes to the scribe, rebuking him for his lifestyle and failures. Then, around 1250 BCE an Egyptian father wrote a letter to his wayward son. The boy had joined a ship’s crew and was now abroad, but had not sent any word of his well-being. Anxious, the father wrote a poignant letter begging his son to return. That letter survives and reveals wonderful parts of ancient life… Warning: this episode may not be suitable for all ages. It contains reference to ancient Egyptian beer and alcoholism. Logo: A man of Syrian(?) descent consuming beer with a straw, from a stela of the New Kingdom c.1350 BCE. Image via worldhistory.org. Information about these tales at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Mini Episode: A Wayward Scribe – The History of Egypt Podcast (egyptianhistorypodcast.com) Mini Episode: The Lost Son – The History of Egypt Podcast (egyptianhistorypodcast.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, this is Matt from the Explorers Podcast.
0:08.1	I want to invite you to join me on the voyages and journeys of the most famous explorers
0:12.0	in the history of the world.
0:14.0	These are the thrilling and captivating stories of Vegellen, Shackleton, Lewis and Clark,
0:18.6	and so many other famous and not so famous adventures from throughout history.
0:23.0	Go to ExplorersPodcast.com or just look us up on your podcast app.
0:27.2	That's the Explorers Podcast.
0:30.0	You are a parent, your child has grown to adulthood.
0:54.2	Proud of their growth and survival, you give them leave to begin a search for their
0:59.4	satisfaction in life.
1:02.0	Of course you hope that the child will remain close and contribute to the household, but
1:07.8	for a time you let them out to explore their world.
1:12.4	Then the child does not return.
1:15.8	In a text copied down around 1200 BCE, an ancient Egyptian father lamented the disappearance
1:23.6	of his son.
1:25.2	When he grew up, the boy had taken a job on a ship.
1:29.0	Now he sailed the ocean in distant lands and the father had not heard from him.
1:35.2	The father's name was Menna.
1:37.8	His son was Paiiri.
1:40.7	Menna was concerned he worried for Paiiri's safety and he wished that he would come home.
1:47.1	Over the course of an anguished letter, Menna besieged his son to come back to safety.
1:54.2	This is a letter of need.
	...

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