What Did Scribes Do?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

The work of scribes can involve

copying manuscripts and other texts

as well as secretarial and administrative duties such as the taking of dictation and keeping of business, judicial, and historical records for kings, nobles, temples, and cities.

Who were scribes and what did they do?

Scribes were people in ancient Egypt

(usually men) who learned to read and write

. Although experts believe that most scribes were men, there is evidence of some female doctors. These women would have been trained as scribes so that they could read medical texts.

What did ancient scribes do?

Scribes were the few Egyptians who

knew how to read and write

. … The scribes used a kind of paper called papyrus, which was made from reeds otherwise known as the papyrus plant. What was the job of the Scribe? A scribe recorded in writing the everyday life and extraordinary happenings in ancient Egypt.

What were scribes known for?

Scribes were in attendance

to record the stocks of foods, court proceedings, wills and other legal documents

, tax records, magic spells and all of the things that happened every day in the life of the pharaoh. Scribes were one of the most important functions that kept the administration in order.

What did scribes do and why were they important?

Scribes were very important people.

They were trained to write cuneiform and record many of the languages spoken in Mesopotamia

. Without scribes, letters would not have been written or read, royal monuments would not have been carved with cuneiform, and stories would have been told and then forgotten.

How did scribes make money?

Scribes wrote letters and legal documents,

collected taxes, took records and tallies

, and performed all manner of clerical duties. … The prestige of the position also meant a scribe’s earnings were never taxed.

How much did the scribes get paid?

In California, the state average for scribes is

between $14 and $15 per hour

and some ranging as high as $20 per hour depending on experience and specialty. The average yearly salary for a medical scribe in Los Angeles is $30,448, and in Sacramento, it is $33,085.

Who was a famous scribe?

Scribe Time period
General Djehuty

important general for Thutmosis III
Dua-Kheti – Hesy-Ra scribe for Pharaoh Djoser (3rd dynasty) Hori & Amenemope –

Who was the first scribe?

The find challenges the widely-held belief that the first people to write were the

Sumerians

of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) sometime before 3000 BC. The exact date of Sumerian writing remains in doubt but the new Egyptian discoveries have been confidently dated to between 3300 BC and 3200 BC using carbon isotopes.

Why did Egyptian scribes have such a wide variety of jobs?

The Work of the Scribes Ancient Egyptians kept all kinds of records, so scribes held a wide variety of jobs. They

recorded accounts of the grain and food supply

. They wrote down the results of the government census, which counted the people living in Egypt. Some scribes calculated and collected taxes.

Why did it take many years to become a scribe?

Why did it take many years to become a scribe?

Papyrus was very difficult to write on

. Students had to save money to buy a position. There were hundreds of hieroglyphs to learn.

How long did it take scribes to copy the Bible?

It typically took a scribe

fifteen months

to copy a Bible. Such books were written on parchment or vellum made from treated hides of sheep, goats, or calves. These hides were often from the monastery’s own animals as monasteries were self-sufficient in raising animals, growing crops, and brewing beer.

What did scribes do in their free time?

What did scribes do in their free time? Scribes spent a lot of time

copying hieroglyphics

in their spare time. Many scribes were civil servants who kept records and accounts and wrote letters, reports and legal documents.

What are the scribes in the Bible?


A group of Jewish leaders who flourished from the time of the Exile until the destruction of the Jewish state by Titus

(70 a.d.). With the chief priests, sadducees, and Pharisees, the scribes composed the Jewish aristocracy of the time; and many were members of the sanhedrin. …

What challenges did scribes face?

  • 1 Lengthy Learning. The first challenge every scribe had to overcome was learning the skills of the trade. …
  • 2 Tough Text. …
  • 3 Tough Teachers. …
  • 4 Criminal Conspiracies. …
  • 5 Fighting Fraud. …
  • 6 Toting Tools.

What does the Scarab symbolize?

The Egyptians saw the Egyptian scarab (Scarabaeus sacer) as a

symbol of renewal and rebirth

. … The connection between the beetle and the sun was so close that the young sun god was thought to be reborn in the form of a winged scarab beetle every morning at sunrise.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.