Since 2200 BC, there is a man who founded the arts and sciences of modern public relations, he is Ptah Hotep, he is an ancient Egyptian official who lived between the 25th and 24th centuries BC and was working as a minister during the reign of the pharaoh {grandfather of Ka Ra}, the founder of the Fifth Pharaonic dynasty, and he has a famous book on “ethics and good behavior”, which is called the book “The Teachings of Ptah Hotep”, which is one of the ancient Egyptian masterpieces in the so-called “wisdom literature” that is concerned with guiding young people and directing them to good morals. Some of his papyri are in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, others in the British Museum.
Here is the story of Ptah Hotep, the founder of public relations science, in brief
It would be useful to elaborate on Petah Hotep, whom Will Durant, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his famous book The Story of Civilization, considers to be the first philosopher in world history. It is mentioned about “Ptah Hotep” that he is an ancient Egyptian official who lived between the 25th and 24th centuries BC and was working as a minister during the reign of the pharaoh {grandfather of Ka Ra}, the founder of the Fifth Pharaonic dynasty, and he has a famous book on “morals and good behavior”, which is called the book “The Teachings of Ptah Hotep”, which is one of the ancient Egyptian masterpieces in the so-called “wisdom literature” that is concerned with guiding young people and directing them to good morals. Some of his papyri are in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, others in the British Museum.
The book is a collection of proverbs, judgments and advice on human relations, taken from the translation of Christian Jacques in his book (The Wisdom of Living in Ancient Egypt). The proverbs begin with the author’s explanation of the reason for writing them, which is his reaching old age, and his desire to transmit the wisdom of his ancestors, which he described as “the words of the gods”, and these proverbs glorify the virtues of proper behavior among people, such as, honesty, justice, self-control, kindness to others, the call to learn by listening to everyone, knowing that human knowledge will never be complete, in addition to avoiding conflicts whenever possible, and this should not be considered weakness, and justice should be sought.
Some tips point to how to choose the right master (leader) and serve him, and others teach lessons about the right way to lead through openness and kindness, and these guidelines consider that greed is the basis of all evil and should be guarded against, and that generosity with family and friends is commendable.
Here are excerpts from some of all these proverbs and tips:
- Only speak if you have something reasonable to say
- Proper behavior you know from the right way of dealing.
- Do not repeat rumors and do not listen to them.
- Think about living in peace with what you have, and what God wants, he is powerful.
- Do not brag about what you know, and consult the ignorant and wise.
- And you, O man, teach your son the inherited words, perhaps he is an example for the sons of the great to follow, and they may find in him understanding and justice for everyone who addresses him, since man is not born wise.
- Listening is better than anything, and that’s how perfect love is born.
- The ignorant who does not listen does not reach anything, he equates knowledge with ignorance, between the useful and the harmful, and he does impurities and people resent him daily.
- The good word is buried deeper than the gemstone, and is found next to the servants working in the mill.
- If the listener listens well, he will understand well.
- Listening benefits for the listener.
- Don’t gossip in your neighborhood, people respect the silent.
- Follow your heart throughout your life, and don’t increase violence toward what you decide.
- Punish according to the rules, and if you teach, let your education be meaningful, fighting disadvantages leads to randomness.
- Injustice exists in abundance, but evil can never succeed in the long run.
- The behavior must be together to the point of measuring it on the plumb (the balance of the builders).
Pharaonic heritage
I don’t want to be accused of being an Egyptian and proud of my pharaonic heritage, but if we want fairness, I had to put “Bataa Hoteb” at the top of the list of public relations legends in the world and in history. As we will see later, all the teachings and advice written by this giant intellectual philosopher were not without any of the advice of modern public relations mythology.
Pharaonic Minister
This Pharaonic minister who used to write all these advice and rulings while in power and responsibility, and not just a member of the rebellious people and activists calling for reform. If these were the ideas of Pharaoh’s prime minister nearly 4,500 years ago, how were the feelings and thoughts of the subjects, there is no doubt that civilizations are built only by sound ideas and morals.
I would suggest to those who can make every effort to perpetuate this sage, philosopher, pioneer of public relations and human relations, by organizing a prestigious international award held in his name annually, awarded to any of the world’s public relations leaders who advocate and emphasize the ethical practice of public relations based on the teachings of this pharaoh “Ptah Hotep”. The annual ceremony can be held at the Grand Egyptian Museum. In full view of the world, and to be a strong incentive for Egyptians and Arabs to excel in the field of public relations and be a support for their nation and an alternative to foreign companies that are fighting for lucrative contracts from Arab companies and countries in order to provide their services in the field of public relations.
