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Another aspect of socio-historical setting in which Maatian ethics was shaped, was Egypt’s secure and peaceful context. As James notes, the settled, peaceful and tradition-oriented life “encouraged a more placid and benevolent attitude to humanity than might be found in countries afflicted by endemic warfare and poor living conditions.” In other words, “in Egypt where society was nurtured in such relatively comfortable conditions, the virtues of moderation and justice were more easily practiced and sustained than in lands tom by conflict,” such as Palestine and Mesopotamia. Wilson agrees with this, arguing that
>The relative sense of security bred in the ancient Egyptian an essential optimism about his career in this world and the next, and it permitted a marked element of individual freedom for the ordinary Egyptian.
Continuing, Wilson maintains that
>in contrast to his neighbors—the Babylonians and the Hebrews—the ancient Egyptian was not constrained to slavish obedience to authority in the interests of the complete conformance of the community.
On the contrary, “his rules were general and well-understood, but within those rules he enjoyed a high degree of liberty to exercise his own personality.”
*James, T.G.H. (1984). Pharaoh’s People. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
*Wilson, John. (1956). The Culture of Ancient Egypt. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
