Scribes
What we would call administrative assistants made up the larger part of the scribal class. Some worked as letter writers within their local community, some for the local or regional government, others in the administration of an estate for a temple or nobleman. Boys learned to read and write at fee-paying schools, usually run by temples. Only those whose parents could afford it were able to go to school for the required seven years.
A scribe’s equipment consisted of a palette holding his pens and inks, and a writing board to rest on. The writing board was adopted as an amulet for the dead, ensuring power over words. The papyrus plant, from which paper was made, also became an amulet that guaranteed rebirth for the dead.