The Scribe's Sacred Ink
Narrator: Welcome to the ancient city of Thebes in Egypt. The year is 1300 BCE. Inside the cool shade of a grand stone temple courtyard, two young students sit cross-legged on the floor. They are learning the difficult and sacred art of writing.
Seneb: (Sighing) My knees ache, Kiya! We have been sitting here since the morning sun peeked over the Nile River.
Kiya: Shh, Seneb! Do you want Master Amenhotep to hear you? He has the ears of a desert jackal. Keep practicing your signs.
Seneb: But my reed pen is split, and the black ink is dripping everywhere. Look at this papyrus! My owl hieroglyph looks more like a squashed desert beetle.
Master Amenhotep: (Walking over, sounding stern) What is this noise? A true scribe does not complain about his tools, Seneb. A true scribe commands them with patience.
Kiya: Master Amenhotep, Seneb is trying his best. But the papyrus is so rough. How do they make these sheets so flat and strong?
Master Amenhotep: Ah, a good question, Kiya. Curiosity is the mark of a worthy student. Papyrus is made from the tall reeds that grow along the marshy banks of the Nile. We peel the stalks, cut them into thin strips, and lay them in overlapping layers.
- Papyrus:
- A thick paper-like material made from reeds that grow along the Nile River, used for writing in ancient Egypt.
- Scribe:
- An official writer and record-keeper in ancient times whose job was highly respected.
- Hieroglyphs:
- Symbols and pictures that made up the sacred writing system of ancient Egypt.
- Palette:
- A wooden board or tray used by ancient scribes to hold their writing inks.
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- 1Where and when does this readers' theater script take place?
- 2Why is Seneb complaining at the beginning of the play?
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About this reader's theater passage for Upper Elementary
“The Scribe's Sacred Ink” is a reader's theater reading passage about Ancient Egyptian Scribes and Hieroglyphics, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 4 minutes to read (574 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.