This is remarkable literary relic dating to the First Intermediate Period (2134–2040 B.C.E.), or perhaps later. Egypt, bereft of a strong royal house, suffered a series of rival kingdoms during this time and a reversal of the traditional social customs. The Admonitions are profoundly pessimistic for this reason, questioning the cosmic implications of Egypt’s fallen state. The text was discovered in the Leiden Papyrus 344, having been copied from an earlier version by Nineteenth Dynasty scribes (1307–1196 B.C.E.). Ipuwer calls for a strong pharaoh to restore the spirit of MA’AT, justice, piety, and peace to the Nile kingdoms. Such didactic literature was always popular in Egypt.
