This is an anonymous Babylonian wisdom text from around 1000 BCE. It is notable for its exploration of ethical conduct and the nature of justice within ancient Mesopotamian society.
Sources for Counsels of Wisdom (Babylonian)
Counsels of Wisdom (Babylonian) in Wisdom Literature
Held in the Wisdom Literature chamber of the Babel Nexus Index.
- Maxims of Ptahhotep (Egyptian) (−2400)
- The Instructions of Shuruppak (Sumerian) (−2600)
- Instructions of Amenemhat (Egyptian) (−1900)
- Disputations or Literary Debates (Sumerian) (−2000)
- The Poem of the Righteous Sufferer (Ludlul bēl nēmeqi, Babylonian) (−1300)
- The Story of Aḥikar (Aramaic) (−500)
- Dialogue of Pessimism (Babylonian — "Nothing Is Of Value") (−1000)
- Instructions of Šūpê-amēli (Akkadian) (−1100)
- Instructions of Kagemni (Egyptian) (−2300)
- Nig-Nam Nu-Kal — "Nothing is of Value" (Sumerian) (−2000)
- Maxims of Ali ibn Abi Talib (c. 660)