Statue of the royal scribe Rahotep. Pink granite. From his mastaba at Saqqara. Old Kingdom, Fifth Dynasty, 2465-2323 BC.

Particularly popular and lucrative, the scribe’s profession was mostly hereditary. Scribes had careers in the government, priesthood, and army. They began their rigorous training in their early childhood. Most of the training took place inside a building called the “House of Life”, attached to a temple. /p>