Impartiality as an Ethical Behavior in Ancient Egypt: A Textual Investigation

The occasional recurrence of formulae concerning assertion of equality among people is tempting to explore. In shaping the image of the good character, fairness was regarded as a rule establishing connections among human beings in the ancient Egyptian civilization. The research is a study of a personal attitude that strengthens our understanding of the concepts of impartiality in ancient Egypt. The texts identify the principles governing proper conduct, outlining an important self-portrait and identifying a key structural issue in relationships. Several textual sources include warnings to commit morally denied social acts; among which partiality is mentioned. The study is an attempt to contextualizing impartiality, considered as the correct conventional character in the culture of the ancient Egyptian society. Based on the lexicographical and textual study, the analysis brings forth examining contexts in which people conceived favouring someone’s side as unjust and partial. Concerning the topic of impartiality, the ancient Egyptian language was expressive. All the terms are complementary in emphasizing morality and rendering fair judgements. The texts confirm the importance of not favouring one of two persons by supporting one instead of the other. Expressions denoting impartiality made their appearance starting from the Old Kingdom.