Ancient Egyptian scribe’s box

This small wooden object is an ancient Egyptian scribe’s box with compartments for ink and pens. It is designed to be portable and compact. The styli could be bone or wood and were used for stratching into wax or other surfaces. Writing was very important to the ancient Egyptians and they have left a vast amount of written material. The written word was sacred and believed to have magic power. The Book of the Dead was placed in a person’s tomb and contained all the spells and prayers that were needed to ensure the deceased would have a long and comfortable afterlife.