Corrected entry: Supposedly writing was outlawed because it would prevent the people from having any recollection of history. This totally ignores the idea of oral history, the mechanism used before the development of writing and still used today by Native American and African cultures. In Africa these people are called griots and can literally recite history for days without ever repeating themselves.
Phoenix
18th Jul 2004
Correction: Ra may not have forbidden only writing, but also retelling about the past, which means oral history would be of no help. Furthermore, I doubt even the best of oral retellings could be efficiently transmitted after 3000 years. After all, what would *we* know of ancient Egypt, weren't it for hieroglyphs?
Sereenie