Minutiae from the Ancient World

[Dylan Black]

Update! I came across this ancient Egyptian tablet listing excuses for why people didn’t show up at work.

Here’s a list of all the excuses compiled by user jamesfisher on Hackernews:

67 ILL

49 WITH HIS BOSS

17 BREWING BEER

13 WITH AAPEHTI

8 WITH THE SCRIBE

6 MAKING REMEDIES FOR THE SCRIBE’S WIFE

5 WRAPPING (THE CORPSE OF) HIS MOTHER

5 OFFERING TO THE GOD

5 HIS WIFE WAS BLEEDING

5 FETCHING STONE FOR THE SCRIBE

4 WITH KHONS MAKING REMEDIES

4 SUFFERING WITH HIS EYE

4 OFF ABSENT

4 HIS DAUGHTER WAS BLEEDING

3 WITH HOREMWIA

3 WITH HIS BOSS DITTO

3 LIBATING TO HIS FATHER

2 WRAPPING (THE CORPSE OF) HIS SON

2 HIS MOTHER WAS ILL

2 HIS FEAST

2 FETCHING STONE FOR QENHERKHEPSHEF

2 BURYING THE GOD

1 WITH HIS GOD

1 THE SCORPION BIT HIM

1 STRENGTHENING THE DOOR

1 OFFFERING TO THE GOD

1 OFFERING TO HIS GOD

1 OFF ABSENT WITH THE SCRIBE

1 MOURNING HIS SON

1 LIBATING FOR HIS SON

1 LIBATING FOR HIM

1 LIBATING

1 EMBALMING HORMOSE

1 EMBALMING HIS BROTHER

1 DRINKING WITH KHONSU

1 BUILDING HIS HOUSE