A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Ancient Egypt did not have a public school system, so the average Egyptian could neither read nor write. It is estimated that fewer than 1% of Egyptians—at least during the Old Kingdom—were literate.
Credit: Harald Gaertner - CC BY-SA 3.0, Walters Art Museum - Public Domain, Image compilation AncientPages.com
Therefore, scribes were in high demand across the country. They represented the largest group of workers (after farmers), including thousands of officials, individuals hired to handle various accounts, official correspondence for large estates, and many freelancers.
Successful scribes never had to do manual labor like others, and society widely respected them.
Sources about ancient Egyptian scribes are known not only from tombs and depictions but also from papyri, various seals, and graffiti.
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See also:
The Magic At The Court Of Cheops
Unas (Unis): First Pharaoh Who Decorated His Burial Chamber With Pyramid Texts
Ancient Egyptian Wisdom Book Reveals The Best Profession
