Language and Literacy
Only a small proportion of Egypt's population were literate. Those trained as scribes became administrators and middle-managers and could, with the right connections, rise up the ranks to join the high elite. In later Egyptian history, scribes regarded the god Imhotep as a form of “patron saint”, and many offered him water before beginning their work.
When training, scribes first learnt Hieratic; this was a quick cursive form of writing used for administration and everyday business. Only scribes working in temples learnt the more complicated hieroglyphic system; this was used in sacred contexts, such as temples and tombs.
Being a multicultural society, foreign languages are also known from ancient Egypt, including Greek.