Mental and Emotional Experience in Large-Sized Ostraca Writing: A Focus on the Book of Kemyt

The “Book of Kemyt”—commonly regarded as a school text integral to the scribal curriculum of the New Kingdom—exhibits a wide range of handwriting styles, from scribes-in-training throughout their assistantship or apprenticeship to early career scribes to master scribes. This paper concentrates on the writing process evident
in five large limestone ostraca:ANAsh.Mus.H.O.1191, O. Brussels E 3208+O. DeM 1171A-B, O. Cairo JE 56842A-B, O. MMA Field No. 35144, and O. MMA Field No. 36112. The analysis begins by examining material characteristics, including the writing support (type and size), excerpt
size, dipping patterns, ink color choices, and mechanical elements of writing, including ligatures and group writings. It then investigates layout configurations and paratextual features, demonstrating how these elements, when considered alongside material aspects, shed light on the mental/emotional experiences of writing. Subsequently, the study turns to the distinctive nature of the Kemyt script, characterized by a repertoire of allographs (or “diagnostic signs”) that challenges its interpretation as cursive (linear) hieroglyphs.The discussion argues it offers access to the scribes’ mental/emotional experience, displaying a spectrum of approaches, and enlightens the raison-d’être of these master copies.