Figure of a seated scribe

Figurine of a seated scribe who is unrolling a papyrus. It is one of the very few representations of scribes from Cyprus and the only one known in clay. The information we have about Cypriot scribes is extremely limited. We do know, however, that until the 7th c. BC writing was used almost exclusively for administrative and religious purposes on the island. In Egypt and Mesopotamia, scribes formed a privileged professional group, who received special training and enjoyed elevated social status. This figurine suggests that a similar group of specialized scribes may have existed in 6th c. BC Cyprus, too. The hat of the figure is very unusual and may have been a professional headdress for scribes. The papyrus in his hands had probably come from Egypt.