The Oldest Book in the World. Philosophy in the Age of the Pyramids

A new translation of a philosophical and practical advice classic of the ancient world, The Teaching of Ptahhatp, written in Egypt four thousand years ago and still relevant for modern readers today.
Noted author and Egyptologist Bill Manley renders into approachable modern English for the first time the oldest surviving statement of philosophy from the ancient world: the thirty-seven teachings and twelve conclusions of The Teaching of Ptahhatp, vizier, or chief minister, to the Old Kingdom pharaoh Izezi (2390–2350 BCE). Manley's expert commentary elucidates Ptahhatp's profound yet practical philosophy, which covers such topics as ambition, fame, confrontation, sex, and wisdom, and offers a unique window onto ancient Egyptian life and society.
The Teaching of Ptahhatp ought to begin the list of the world's classics of philosophy, yet it has been largely forgotten since its rediscovery in the nineteenth century.