The Maxims of Ptahhotep or Instruction of Ptahhotep is an ancient Egyptian literary composition based on the Vizier Ptahhotep’s wisdom and experiences. The Instructions were composed by the Vizier Ptahhotep, during the rule of King Izezi of the Fifth Dynasty. The text was discovered in Thebes in 1847 by Egyptologist M. Prisse d’Avennes.The Instructions of Ptahhotep are called wisdom literature, specifically under the genre of Instructions that teach something. They are four copies of the Instructions, and the only complete version, Papyrus Prisse, is located in the Bibliothéque Nationale in Paris.
(Source: wiki)