Ma’at

The Egyptian elite learned how to be part of the elite class through instructions text, such as The Instructions of Ptahhotep, that used Maat as the basis of concrete principles and guidelines for effective rhetoric. George Kennedy, a history of rhetoric scholar, defines rhetoric as the transmission of emotion and thought through a system of symbols, including words, to influence the emotions and thoughts of others. When rhetors are attempting to achieve balance in their arguments, they are practicing Maat. Male students were involved in physical training, while female students were asked to practice singing, dancing, and musical instruments. After that, the same methods were implemented to Middle Egyptian texts, in which grammar and vocabulary took the thunder empire pokies most part.

Scribes in particular held prestigious positions in ancient Egyptian society as they were a primary means for the transmission of religious, political, and commercial information. From the Fifth Dynasty (c. 2510–2370 BCE) onwards, the vizier responsible for justice was called the Priest of Maat and in later periods judges wore images of Maat. There is little surviving literature that describes the practice of ancient Egyptian law. In addition, several other principles within ancient Egyptian law were essential, including an adherence to tradition as opposed to change, the importance of rhetorical skill and the significance of achieving impartiality and "righteous action". An impious king could bring about famine, and blasphemy could bring blindness to an individual.

The Assessors of Maat are the 42 deities listed in the Papyrus of Nebseni, to whom the deceased make the Negative Confession in the Papyrus of Ani. The image contains a balancing scale with an upright heart standing on one side and the Shu-feather standing on the other. In the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, the hearts of the dead were said to be weighed against her single "Feather of Maat", symbolically representing the concept of Maat, in the Hall of Two Truths. The Maat temple at Karnak was also used by courts to meet regarding the robberies of the royal tombs during the rule of Ramesses IX.

In Ancient Egyptian Texts

Although few were formally literate, writing was an important part of citizens' lives in Ancient Egypt, and scribes, for the large part, carried out literate functions for large masses of individuals. Besides serving as the civil servant of the kingdom, the sesh had a central role in the society since the ethical and moral concepts of Maat were further formulated, promoted, and maintained by these individuals. Any disturbance in cosmic harmony could have consequences for the individual as well as the state. Maat was also the goddess who personified this concept and regulated the stars, seasons, and the actions of mortals and the deities who had brought order from chaos at the moment of creation. In doing so, they believed they sustained not only their own lives, but the continued harmony of the cosmos itself.