Around 1250 BCE an Egyptian father wrote a letter to his wayward son. The boy had joined a ship’s crew and was now abroad, but had not sent any word of his well-being. Anxious, the father wrote a poignant letter begging his son to return. That letter survives and reveals wonderful parts of ancient life…
The letter became part of the scribal / schooling tradition, but it seems to originate in real events. The father (Menna) and the son (Pay-Iry) were real inhabitants of the village of Deir el-Medina (Set-Ma’at, the Place of Truth). They lived around 1250 BCE, approximately, and this may be a record of their real relationship.
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Translations by John L. Foster, Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology (Amazon)
