A scribe (or scrivener) is an ancient professional whose job involved
learned reading and writing, especially within the Renaissance Age. This
work usually involved secretarial and administrative duties such as
taking of dictation and the keeping of business, judicial and historical
records for kings, nobility, temples and cities. Later the profession
developed into public servants, journalists, accountants and lawyers.
However, present-day journalists and authors tend to be the closest to
the ancient profession.

The Ancient Egyptian scribe was an important function, one that
developed a tradition of schooling to meet society's needs. The scribal
profession also had its companion people who were the painters and
artisans who decorated tombs, buildings, furniture, statuary, and other
relics with pictures and hieroglyphic text. In Ancient Egypt, the
profession was restricted to males.

Being a scribe was very difficult. The scribes had to be efficient at
writing the hieroglyphs quickly, and be well-educated in mathematics.
They used a type of paper called papyrus, made from the reed of the same
name.


Where I work we have to keep accurate records and if we chart too early
it is called false documentation. I thought it was interesting how the
job of being a scribe has evolved.

The semantics of words are always interesting, not only in what they
might mean, but in the differnet ways that people might use them.

You can basically exchange the ancient word ‘scribe’ for modern word
‘writer’ and ask what does it mean?

Well, it can mean a lot of things from a technical transcriber who
fundamentally writes or rewrites the thoughts of others, to a totally
freelance writer who writes whatever they like.

I imagine in the ancient times a professional ‘scribe’ was most likely a
person who accurately records and documents the thoughts of others,
although, many scribes may have also written their own thoughts too.
Would the authors of doctrines been considered ‘scribes’?

One thing I also find fascinating is that today with the advent of the
Internet basically most people are scribes in that they are writing
posts and publishing them for the world to see. The words we write so
fleetingly on Internet forum potentially have the ability to last far
into the future. Many servers will back up archived forums on CD ROMS
to serve as legal records. So every post we make has the potential to
be discovered by some civilization far into the future.

Back in the days of papyrus there were few people who could read and
write (in comparison with the populations at large), moreover it was
probably difficult to come by papyrus and pencilruses. (ha ha)

There sure is a difference in technical writing and creative writing. I
was majoring in English and was doing great in Creative Writing but then
took a Business course called Technical Writing. Technical Writing was
definately harder.

Freelance and Technical you called them. The court reporter's job is
definately more technical than Freelance.

I am sure you remember the 'Yellow Pages' or what they called
Sensational writing as well as the early writing in America when King
George had control of what the early newspapers could print. Two
different extremes.

I accuatally see most modern Journalists as not scribes but gossips.

Most print only what they hear and leave the fact gathering to others.

Adventure, that would definately have an effect on how the populace
would construe the truth.

Thing is that history repeats itself time and time again.

Where those that write in the past any more ethical then compared to
those that write now?

I would think they are basically the same. Wasn't it Francis Scott Key
who said that, "The past is the key to the future. ?"

I am not sure. I usuall read something to understand it an not memorize
it.

However that does sound right.

And the through the present the future will happen in spite of the past.