Why did a person who can read and write seemed to the Egyptians a real sage?

This is due to the fact that knowledge in Ancient Egypt was transmitted not with the help of letters, but with the help of special signs – symbols. Each of them had a very long and ambiguous interpretation. A person who could correctly decipher the encoded information was considered a real genius. A person who can read records on sarcophagi, dishes, walls of temples and tombs could reveal the secrets hidden in painting. If in our alphabet words consist of letters, then in Egypt one word can be depicted using dozens of symbols and drawings. In addition to the fact that a person understood these signs – symbols, hieroglyphs, he could also write and read them. And since the written language was not yet very well developed, people with such skills and knowledge were highly valued and their work (writing books, rewriting books) was paid very decently.