The Oldest Fragment of Wisdom in the World
The Instruction of Kagemni is the oldest surviving fragment of wisdom literature in the world — older even than the Instruction of Ptahhotep that follows it in the same manuscript. Attributed to the vizier Kagemni (Ke'gemni), who served during the transition from the Third to the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt (c. 2600 BCE), it is a brief collection of teachings on restraint, courtesy, and right conduct.
The text survives only in its final two pages, preserved on the Prisse Papyrus — the same hieratic manuscript that carries the Instruction of Ptahhotep. The beginning is lost. What remains is a fragment: a handful of maxims on the virtues of silence, moderation, and gentleness, followed by a brief epilogue recording that Kagemni was made Vizier under King Sneferu (Senfôru in Gunn's rendering). The papyrus itself dates to the Middle Kingdom (Eleventh or Twelfth Dynasty), though the composition it preserves is far older.
Where Ptahhotep offers thirty-seven maxims on the full range of human conduct, Kagemni's surviving instruction is intimate and narrow — concerned almost entirely with how a man should behave at another's table and in the company of others. The counsel is practical and warm: do not eat too much, drink when offered, be kind, and never be proud of your strength. In four and a half thousand years, the advice has not aged.
This translation is by Battiscombe G. Gunn, published in 1906 as part of the "Wisdom of the East" series (John Murray, London). Gunn titled the volume "The Instruction of Ptah-Hotep and the Instruction of Ke'Gemni: The Oldest Books in the World." The text was digitised by Project Gutenberg (EBook #30508).
The beginning of the instruction is lost. Only the final two pages of the Prisse Papyrus preserve this text. The surviving portion begins here.
The cautious man flourisheth, the exact one is praised; the innermost chamber openeth unto the man of silence. Wide is the seat of the man that hath made him a place by the rapier ———
On Restraint at Table
If thou sit with a company of people, desire not the bread that thou likest; short is the time of restraining the heart, and gluttony is an abomination; therein is the quality of a beast. A cup of water quencheth the thirst, and a mouthful of melon supporteth the heart. A good thing standeth for goodness, but some small thing standeth for plenty. A base man is he that is governed by his belly; he departeth only when he is no longer able to fill full his belly in men's houses.
On Dining with the Greedy
If thou sit with a glutton, eat thou when his greed hath passed. If thou drink with a drunkard, accept and his heart shall be satisfied. Refuse not meat when with a greedy man. Take that which he giveth thee; set it not on one side, thinking that it is not courteous.
On Good Fellowship
If a man be lacking in good fellowship, no speech hath any influence over him. He is sour of face toward the glad-hearted that are kindly to him; he is a grief unto his mother and his friends; and all men cry: Let thy name be known; thou art silent in thy mouth when thou art addressed!
On Humility Among Soldiers
Be not haughty because of thy might in the midst of thy young soldiers. Beware of making strife, for one knoweth not the things that the God will do when He punisheth.
Epilogue
The Vizier caused his sons to be summoned, after he had gained a knowledge of the nature of men, and their character had become clear unto him. And he said unto them at the last: All that is written in this book, hearken thereto even as I have said it unto you; go not beyond that which hath been ordained. And they fell on their bellies, and they recited it aloud, even as it was written; and it was better in their hearts than anything that was in the whole land. And they stood up and they sat down thereafter accordingly.
Now they were living when His Majesty, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Heuni, departed; and His Majesty, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Senfôru, was enthroned as a gracious king in the whole of this land.
Then was Ke'gemni made Governor of his City and Vizier.
Colophon
The Instruction of Kagemni (Ke'gemni) — the oldest surviving fragment of wisdom literature in the world, attributed to the vizier Kagemni of the late Third Dynasty of Egypt (c. 2600 BCE). Only the final two pages of the instruction survive, preserved on the Prisse Papyrus, a hieratic manuscript dating to the Middle Kingdom and now held in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Translated from the Egyptian by Battiscombe G. Gunn. Published in The Instruction of Ptah-Hotep and the Instruction of Ke'Gemni: The Oldest Books in the World (London: John Murray, 1906), in the "Wisdom of the East" series, edited by L. Cranmer-Byng and Dr. S. A. Kapadia. Digitised text verified against Project Gutenberg EBook #30508. The structure and key passages — including the opening line, the epilogue, and specific phrases — were verified against the live Gutenberg source; the full text is reproduced from Gunn's 1906 translation as preserved in the archiver's training data.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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