Ma’at, a concept that encapsulates order and justice, is a foundational element of Egyptian culture. Each social class has its own unique way of interacting so that Ma’at is fulfilled. There are the peasants, who must defer to their superiors, the elite, who mediate between the lower classes and those above them, and even the king, who guides them all and protects them from foreigners, who inherently go against Ma’at. Both “The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant” and “The Story of Sinuhe” demonstrate this
more powerful than the gods. This force was deeply ingrained into the Egyptian’s lifestyle since the Pharaohs emerged. Class. As depicted in The Eloquent Peasant and Ptah-hotep’s Instructions, primary documents from the time, almost all social dynamics in Pharonic Egypt were characterized by rigid class hierarchies, ranging from the Pharaoh, down to peasant women. In the Egyptian pyramid-like class system, each subservient demographic offered service to the higher classes. In return, individuals in
Hammurabi’s Code, The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, and an Assyrian Law and a Palace Decree essentially discusses the relationship between justice and the law in the individual civilizations. Each bring out different understandings of the communities on how justice applies in society as well as how we refer to such laws today. Hammurabi's code refers to the set of rules or laws that were put into place by the Babylonian king: Hammurabi. Setting the basis for most modern laws, this code was meant
The Eloquent Peasant is a piece of Egyptian folklore that was passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Historians have traced it back to the 12th Dynasty approximately 1800BCE. Despite the approximate date of creation, the story is set sometime between the 9th dynasty and the 10th dynasty. In this tale an Egyptian peasant named Hunanup prepares to leaves his home and travel to Ehnas. At a crossroads he encounters Dehuti-necht, the son of a serf to the chief steward, Meruitensi. Despite