AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL LITERATURE
Attention has already been called to the very great importance of the
autobiographies of the military and administrative officials of the
Pharaohs, and a selection of them must now be given. They are, in many
cases, the only sources of information which we possess about certain
wars and about the social conditions of the periods during which they
were composed, and they often describe events about which official
Egyptian history is altogether silent. Most of these autobiographies are
found cut upon the walls of tombs, and, though according to modern
notions their writers may seem to have been very conceited, and their
language exaggerated and bombastic, the inscriptions bear throughout the
impress of truth, and the facts recorded in them have therefore especial
value. The narratives are usually simple and clear, and as long as they
deal with matters of fact they are easily understood, but when the
writers describe their own personal characters and their moral
excellences their meaning is sometimes not plain. Such autobiographies
are sometimes very useful in settling the chronology of a doubtful
period of history, and as an example of such may be quoted the
autobiography of Ptah-shepses, preserved in the British Museum. This
distinguished man was born in the reign of Menkaurā, the builder of the
Third Pyramid at Gīzah, and he was educated with the king's children,
being a great favourite of the king himself. The next king, Shepseskaf,
gave him to wife Maātkhā, his eldest daughter, in order to keep him
about the Court. Under the succeeding kings Userkaf and Sahurā he was
advanced to great honour, and he became so great a favourite of the
next king, Neferari-karā, that he was allowed to kiss the king's foot
instead of the ground on which it rested when he did homage. He was
promoted to further honours by the next king, Neferefrā, and he lived to
see Userenrā ascend the throne. Thus Ptah-shepses lived under eight
kings, and his inscription makes it possible to arrange their reigns in
correct chronological order.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF UNA
This inscription was found cut in hieroglyphs upon a slab of limestone
fixed in Una's tomb at Abydos; it is now in the Egyptian Museum in
Cairo. It reads:
The Duke, the Governor of the South, the judge belonging to Nekhen,
prince of Nekheb, the _smer uat_ vassal of Osiris Khenti Amenti, Una,
saith: "I was a child girded with a girdle under the Majesty of King
Teta. My rank was that of overseer of tillage (?), and I was deputy
inspector of the estates of Pharaoh.... I was chief of the _teb_ chamber
under the Majesty of Pepi. His Majesty gave me the rank of _smer_ and
deputy priest of his pyramid--town. Whilst I held the rank of ... His
Majesty made me a 'judge belonging to Nekhen.' His heart was more
satisfied with me than with any other of his servants. Alone I heard
every kind of private case, there being with me only the Chief Justice
and the Governor of the town ... in the name of the king, of the royal
household, and of the Six Great Houses. The heart of the king was more
satisfied with me than with any other of his high officials, or any of
his nobles, or any of his servants. I asked the Majesty of [my] Lord to
permit a white stone sarcophagus to be brought for me from Raau.[1] His
Majesty made the keeper of the royal seal, assisted by a body of
workmen, bring this sarcophagus over from Raau in a barge, and he came
bringing with it in a large boat, which was the property of the king,
the cover of the sarcophagus, the slabs for the door, and the slabs for
the setting of the stele, and a pair of stands for censers (?), and a
tablet for offerings. Never before was the like of this done for any
servant. [He did this for me] because I was perfect in the heart of His
Majesty, because I was acceptable to the heart of His Majesty, and
because the heart of His Majesty was satisfied with me.
[Footnote 1: On the east bank, opposite Memphis,]
"Behold, I was 'judge belonging to Nekhen' when His Majesty made me a
_smer uāt_, and overseer of the estates of Pharaoh, and ... of the four
overseers of the estate of Pharaoh who were there. I performed my duties
in such a way as to secure His Majesty's approval, both when the Court
was in residence and when it was travelling, and in appointing officials
for duty. I acted in such a way that His Majesty praised me for my work
above everything. During the secret inquiry which was made in the king's
household concerning the Chief Wife Amtes, His Majesty made me enter to
hear the case by myself. There was no Chief Justice there, and no Town
Governor, and no nobleman, only myself, and this was because I was able
and acceptable to the heart of His Majesty, and because the heart of His
Majesty was filled with me. I did the case into writing, I alone, with
only one judge belonging to Nekhen, and yet my rank was only that of
overseer of the estates of Pharaoh. Never before did a man of my rank
hear the case of a secret of the royal household, and His Majesty only
made me hear it because I was more perfect to the heart of His Majesty
than any officer of his, or any nobleman of his, or any servant of his.
"His Majesty had to put down a revolt of the Āamu dwellers on the
sand.[1] His Majesty collected an army of many thousands strong in the
South everywhere, beyond Abu (Elephantine) and northwards of
Aphroditopolis, in the Northland (Delta) everywhere, in both halves of
the region, in Setcher, and in the towns like Setcher, in Arthet of the
Blacks, in Matcha of the Blacks, in Amam of the Blacks, in Uauat of the
Blacks, in Kaau of the Blacks, and in the Land of Themeh. His Majesty
sent me at the head of this army. Behold, the dukes, the royal
seal-bearers, the _smer uats_ of the palace, the chiefs, the governors
of the forts (?) of the South and the North, the _smeru_, the masters of
caravans, the overseers of the priests of the South and North, and the
overseers of the stewards, were commanding companies of the South and
the North, and of the forts and towns which they ruled, and of the
Blacks of these countries, but it was I who planned tactics for them,
although my rank was only that of an overseer of the estates of Pharaoh
of.... No one quarrelled with his fellow, no one stole the food or the
sandals of the man on the road, no one stole bread from any town, and no
one stole a goat from any encampment of people. I despatched them from
North Island, the gate of Ihetep, the Uārt of Heru-neb-Maāt. Having this
rank ... I investigated (?) each of these companies (or regiments);
never had any servant investigated (?) companies in this way before.
This army returned in peace, having raided the Land of the dwellers on
sand. This army returned in peace, having thrown down the fortresses
thereof. This army returned in peace, having cut down its fig-trees and
vines. This army returned in peace, having set fire [to the temples] of
all its gods. This army returned in peace, having slain the soldiers
there in many tens of thousands. This army returned in peace, bringing
back with it vast numbers of the fighting men thereof as living
prisoners. His Majesty praised me for this exceedingly. His Majesty sent
me to lead this army five times, to raid the Land of the dwellers on
sand, whensoever they rebelled with these companies. I acted in such a
way that His Majesty praised me exceedingly. When it was reported that
there was a revolt among the wild desert tribes of the Land of Shert[2]
... I set out with these warriors in large transports, and sailed until
I reached the end of the high land of Thest, to the north of the Land of
the dwellers on sand, and when I had led the army up I advanced and
attacked the whole body of them, and I slew every rebel among them.
[Footnote 1: _i.e._ the nomads on the Marches of the Eastern Desert.]
[Footnote 2: A part of Syria (?).]
"I was the ... of the Palace, and bearer of the [royal] sandals, when
His Majesty the King of the South and North, Merenrā, my ever living
Lord, made me Duke and Governor of the South land beyond Abu
(Elephantine) and of the district north of Aphroditopolis, because I was
perfect to the heart of His Majesty, because I was acceptable to the
heart of His Majesty, and because the heart of His Majesty was satisfied
with me. I was ... [of the Palace], and sandal-bearer when His Majesty
praised me for displaying more watchfulness (or attention) at Court in
respect of the appointment of officials for duty than any of his
princes, or nobles, or servants. Never before was this rank bestowed on
any servant. I performed the duties of Governor of the South to the
satisfaction [of every one]. No one complained of (or quarrelled with)
his neighbour; I carried out work of every kind. I counted everything
that was due to the Palace in the South twice, and all the labour that
was due to the Palace in the South I counted twice. I served the office
of Prince, ruling as a Prince ought to rule in the South; the like of
this was never before done in the South. I acted in such a way that His
Majesty praised me for it. His Majesty sent me to the Land of Abhat to
bring back a sarcophagus, "the lord of the living one," with its cover,
and a beautiful and magnificent pyramidion for the Queen's pyramid
[which is called] Khānefer Merenrā. His Majesty sent me to Abu to bring
back a granite door and its table for offerings, with slabs of granite
for the stele door and its framework, and to bring back granite doors
and tables for offerings for the upper room in the Queen's pyramid,
Khānefer Merenrā. I sailed down the Nile to the pyramid Khānefer Merenrā
with six lighters, and three barges, and three floats(?), accompanied by
one war boat. Never before had any [official] visited Abhat and Abu with
[only] one war boat since kings have reigned. Whensoever His Majesty
gave an order for anything to be done I carried it out thoroughly
according to the order which His Majesty gave concerning it.
"His Majesty sent me to Het-nub to bring back a great table for
offerings of _rutt_ stone (quartzite sandstone?) of Het-nub. I made this
table for offerings reach him in seventeen days. It was quarried in
Het-nub, and I caused it to float down the river in a lighter. I cut out
the planks for him in acacia wood, sixty cubits long and thirty cubits
broad; they were put together in seventeen days in the third month
(May-June) of the Summer Season. Behold, though there was no water in
the basins (?) it arrived at the pyramid Khānefer Merenrā in peace. I
performed the work throughout in accordance with the order which the
Majesty of my Lord had given to me. His Majesty sent me to excavate five
canals in the South, and to make three lighters, and four barges of the
acacia wood of Uauat. Behold, the governors of Arthet, Uauat, and Matcha
brought the wood for them, and I finished the whole of the work in one
year. [When] they were floated they were loaded with huge slabs of
granite for the pyramid Khānefer Merenrā; moreover, all of them were
passed through these five canals ... because I ascribed more majesty,
and praise (?), and worship to the Souls of the King of the South and
North, Merenrā, the ever living, than to any of the gods.... I carried
out everything according to the order which his divine Ka gave me.
"I was a person who was beloved by his father, and praised by his
mother, and gracious to his brethren, I the Duke, a real Governor[1] of
the South, the vassal of Osiris, Una."
[Footnote 1: _i.e._ his title was not honorary.]
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF HERKHUF
This inscription is cut in hieroglyphs upon a slab of stone, which was
originally in the tomb of Herkhuf at Aswân, and is now in the Egyptian
Museum in Cairo and upon parts of the walls of his tomb. Herkhuf was a
Duke, a _smer uat_, a Kher-heb priest, a judge belonging to Nekhen, the
Lord of Nekheb, a bearer of the royal seal, the shēkh of the caravans,
and an administrator of very high rank in the South. All these titles,
and the following lines, together with prayers for offerings, are cut
above the door of his tomb. He says:
"I came this day from my town. I descended from my nome. I builded a
house and set up doors. I dug a lake and I planted sycamore trees. The
King praised me. My father made a will in my favour. I am perfect.... [I
am a person] who is beloved by his father, praised by his mother, whom
all his brethren loved. I gave bread to the hungry man, raiment to the
naked, and him who had no boat I ferried over the river. O ye living men
and women who are on the earth, who shall pass by this tomb in sailing
down or up the river, and who shall say, 'A thousand bread-cakes and a
thousand vessels of beer to the lord of this tomb,' I will offer them
for you in Khert Nefer (the Other World). I am a perfect spirit,
equipped [with spells], and a Kher-heb priest whose mouth hath
knowledge. If any young man shall come into this tomb as if it were his
own property I will seize him like a goose, and the Great God shall pass
judgment on him for it. I was a man who spoke what was good, and
repeated what was loved. I never uttered any evil word concerning
servants to a man of power, for I wished that I might stand well with
the Great God. I never gave a decision in a dispute between brothers
which had the effect of robbing a son of the property of his father."
Herkhuf, the Duke, the _smer uat_, the chamberlain, the Judge belonging
to Nekhen, the Lord of Nekheb, bearer of the royal seal, the _smer uat_,
the Kher-heb priest, the governor of the caravans, the member of council
for the affairs of the South, the beloved of his Lord, Herkhuf,[1] who
bringeth the things of every desert to his Lord, who bringeth the
offering of royal apparel, governor of the countries of the South, who
setteth the fear of Horus in the lands, who doeth what his lord
applaudeth, the vassal of Ptah-seker, saith:
[Footnote 1: Some titles are here repeated.]
"His Majesty Merenrā, my Lord, sent me with my father Ara, the _smer
uat_ and Kher-heb priest, to the land of Amam to open up a road into
this country. I performed the journey in seven months. I brought back
gifts of all kinds from that place, making beautiful the region (?);
there was very great praise to me for it. His Majesty sent me a second
time by myself. I started on the road of Abu (Elephantine), I came back
from Arthet, Mekher, Terres, Artheth, in a period of eight months. I
came back and I brought very large quantities of offerings from this
country. Never were brought such things to this land. I came back from
the house of the Chief of Setu and Arthet, having opened up these
countries. Never before had any _smer_ or governor of the caravan who
had appeared in the country of Amam opened up a road. Moreover, His
Majesty sent me a third time to Amam. I started from ... on the Uhat
road, and I found the Governor of Amam was then marching against the
Land of Themeh, to fight the Themeh, in the western corner of the sky. I
set out after him to the Land of Themeh, and made him to keep the peace,
whereupon he praised all the gods for the King (of Egypt). [Here follow
some broken lines.] I came back from Amam with three hundred asses laden
with incense, ebony, _heknu_, grain, panther skins, ivory, ...
boomerangs, and valuable products of every kind. When the Chief of
Arthet, Setu, and Uauat saw the strength and great number of the
warriors of Amam who had come back with me to the Palace, and the
soldiers who had been sent with me, this chief brought out and gave to
me bulls, and sheep, and goats. And he guided me on the roads of the
plains of Arthet, because I was more perfect, and more watchful (or
alert) than any other _smer_ or governor of a caravan who had ever been
despatched to Amam. And when the servant (_i.e._ Herkhuf) was sailing
down the river to the capital (or Court) the king made the duke, the
_smer uat,_ the overseer of the bath, Khuna (or Una) sail up the river
with boats loaded with date wine, _mesuq_ cakes, bread-cakes, and
beer."[1]
[Footnote 1: Herkhuf's titles are here repeated.]
Herkhuf made a fourth journey into the Sūdān, and when he came back he
reported his successes to the new king, Pepi II, and told him that among
other remarkable things he had brought back from Amam a dancing dwarf,
or pygmy. The king then wrote a letter to Herkhuf and asked him to send
the dwarf to him in Memphis. The text of this letter Herkhuf had cut on
the front of his tomb, and it reads thus: Royal seal. The fifteenth day
of the third month of the Season Akhet (Sept.-Oct.) of the second year.
Royal despatch to the _smer uat_, the Kher-heb priest, the governor of
the caravan, Herkhuf. I have understood the words of this letter which
thou hast made to the king in his chamber to make him to know that thou
hast returned in peace from Amam, together with the soldiers who were
with thee. Thou sayest in this thy letter that there have been brought
back by thee great and beautiful offerings of all kinds, which Hathor,
the Lady of Ammaau, hath given to the divine Ka of the King of the South
and North, Neferkarā, the everliving, for ever. Thou sayest in this thy
letter that there hath been brought back by thee [also] a pygmy (or
dwarf) who can dance the dance of the god, from the Land of the Spirits,
like the pygmy whom the seal-bearer of the god Baurtet brought back from
Punt in the time of Assa. Thou sayest to [my] Majesty, "The like of him
hath never been brought back by any other person who hath visited Amam."
Behold, every year thou performest what thy Lord wisheth and praiseth.
Behold, thou passest thy days and thy nights meditating about doing what
thy Lord ordereth, and wisheth, and praiseth. And His Majesty will
confer on thee so many splendid honours, which shall give renown to thy
grandson for ever, that all the people shall say when they have heard
what [my] Majesty hath done for thee, "Was there ever anything like this
that hath been done for the _smer uat_ Herkhuf when he came back from
Amam because of the sagacity (or attention) which he displayed in doing
what his Lord commanded, and wished for, and praised?" Come down the
river at once to the Capital. Bring with thee this pygmy whom thou hast
brought from the Land of the Spirits, alive, strong, and healthy, to
dance the dance of the god, and to cheer and gratify the heart of the
King of the South and North, Neferkarā, the everliving. When he cometh
down with thee in the boat, cause trustworthy men to be about him on
both sides of the boat, to prevent him from falling into the water. When
he is asleep at night cause trustworthy men to sleep by his side on his
bedding. See [that he is there] ten times [each] night. [My] Majesty
wisheth to see this pygmy more than any offering of the countries of Ba
and Punt. If when thou arrivest at the Capital, this pygmy who is with
thee is alive, and strong, and in good health, [My] Majesty will confer
upon thee a greater honour than that which was conferred upon the bearer
of the seal Baurtet in the time of Assa, and as great is the wish of
[My] Majesty to see this pygmy orders have been brought to the _smer_,
the overseer of the priests, the governor of the town ... to arrange
that rations for him shall be drawn from every station of supply, and
from every temple without....
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AMENI AMENEMHĀT
This inscription is cut in hieroglyphs on the doorposts of the tomb of
Ameni at Beni-hasan in Upper Egypt. It is dated in the forty-third year
of the reign of Usertsen I, a king of the twelfth dynasty, about 2400
B.C. After giving the date and a list of his titles, Ameni says:
"I followed my Lord when he sailed to the South to overthrow his enemies
in the four countries of Nubia. I sailed to the south as the son of a
duke, and as a bearer of the royal seal, and as a captain of the troops
of the Nome of Mehetch, and as a man who took the place of his aged
father, according to the favour which he enjoyed in the king's house and
the love that was his at Court. I passed through Kash in sailing to the
South. I set the frontier of Egypt further southwards, I brought back
offerings, and the praise of me reached the skies. His Majesty set out
and overthrew his enemies in the vile land of Kash. I returned,
following him as an alert official. There was no loss among my soldiers.
[And again] I sailed to the South to fetch gold ore for the Majesty of
the King of the South, the King of the North, Kheperkarā (Usertsen I),
the ever living. I sailed to the south with the Erpā and Duke, the
eldest son of the king, of his body Ameni.[1] I sailed to the south with
a company of four hundred chosen men from my troops; they returned in
safety, none of them having been lost. I brought back the gold which I
was expected to bring, and I was praised for it in the house of the
king; the prince [Ameni] praised God for me. [And again] I sailed to the
south to bring back gold ore to the town of Qebti (Coptos) with the
Erpā, the Duke, the governor of the town, and the chief officer of the
Government, Usertsen, life, strength, health [be to him!]. I sailed to
the south with a company of six hundred men, every one being a mighty
man of war of the Nome of Mehetch. I returned in peace, with all my
soldiers in good health (or safe), having performed everything which I
had been commanded to do. I was a man who was of a conciliatory
disposition, one whose love [for his fellows] was abundant, and I was a
governor who loved his town. I passed [many] years as governor of the
Mehetch Nome. All the works (_i.e._ the forced labour) due to the palace
were performed under my direction. The overseers of the chiefs of the
districts of the herdsmen of the Nome of Mehetch gave me three thousand
bulls, together with their gear for ploughing, and I was praised because
of it in the king's house every year of making [count] of the cattle. I
took over all the products of their works to the king's house, and there
were no liabilities against me in any house of the king. I worked the
Nome of Mehetch to its farthest limit, travelling frequently [through
it]. No peasant's daughter did I harm, no widow did I wrong, no field
labourer did I oppress, no herdsman did I repulse. I did not seize the
men of any master of five field labourers for the forced labour
(corvée). There was no man in abject want during the period of my rule,
and there was no man hungry in my time. When years of hunger came, I
rose up and had ploughed all the fields of the Nome of Mehetch, as far
as it extended to the south and to the north, [thus] keeping alive its
people, and providing the food thereof, and there was no hungry man
therein. I gave to the widow as to the woman who possessed a husband. I
made no distinction between the elder and the younger in whatsoever I
gave. When years of high Nile floods came, the lords (_i.e._ the
producers) of wheat and barley, the lords of products of every kind, I
did not cut off (or deduct) what was due on the land [from the years of
low Nile floods], I Ameni, the vassal of Horus, the Smiter of the
Rekhti,[2] generous of hand, stable of feet, lacking avarice because of
his love for his town, learned in traditions (?), who appeareth at the
right moment, without thought of guile, the vassal of Khnemu, highly
favoured in the king's house, who boweth before ambassadors, who
performeth the behests of the nobles, speaker of the truth, who judgeth
righteously between two litigants, free from the word of deceit, skilled
in the methods of the council chamber, who discovereth the solution of a
difficult question, Ameni.
[Footnote 1: He afterwards reigned as Amenemhāt II.]
[Footnote 2: Titles of Ameni repeated.]
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THETHA
This inscription is cut in hieroglyphs upon a large rectangular slab of
limestone now preserved in the British Museum (No. 100). It belongs to
the period of the eleventh dynasty, when texts of the kind are very
rare, and was made in the reign of Uahānkh, or Antef. It reads:
Thetha, the servant in truth of the Horus Uahānkh, the King of the
South, the King of the North, the son of Rā, Antef, the doer of
beneficent acts, living like Rā for ever, beloved by him from the bottom
of his heart, holder of the chief place in the house of his lord, the
great noble of his heart, who knoweth the matters of the heart of his
lord, who attendeth him in all his goings, one in heart with His Majesty
in very truth, the leader of the great men of the house of the king, the
bearer of the royal seal in the seat of confidential affairs, keeping
close the counsel of his lord more than the chiefs, who maketh to
rejoice the Horus (_i.e._ the king) through what he wisheth, the
favourite of his Lord, beloved by him as the mouth of the seal, the
president of the place of confidential affairs, whom his lord loveth,
the mouth of the seal, the chief after the king, the vassal, saith:
I was the beloved one of his Lord, I was he with whom he was well
pleased all day and every day. I passed a long period of my life [that
is] years, under the Majesty of my Lord, the Horus, Uahānkh, the King of
the South and North, the son of the Sun, Antef. Behold, this country was
subject unto him in the south as far as Thes, and in the north as far as
Abtu of Then (Abydos of This). Behold, I was in the position of body
servant of his, and was an actual chief under him. He magnified me, and
he made my position to be one of great prominence, and he set me in the
place beloved (?) for the affairs of his heart, in his palace. Because
of the singleness [of my heart] he appointed me to be a bearer of the
royal seal, and the deputy of the registrary (?). [I] selected the good
things of all kinds of the offerings brought to the Majesty of my Lord,
from the South and from the North land whensoever a taxing was made, and
I made him to rejoice at the assessment which was made everywhere
throughout the country. Now His Majesty had been afraid that the
tribute, which was brought to His Majesty, my Lord, from the princes who
were the overlords of the Red Country (Lower Egypt), would dwindle away
in this country, and he had been afraid that the same would be the case
in the other countries also. He committed to me these matters, for he
knew that my administration was able. I rendered to him information
about them, and because of my great knowledge of affairs never did
anything escape that was not replaced. I was one who lived in the heart
of his Lord, in very truth, and I was a great noble after his own heart.
I was as cool water and fire in the house of my Lord. The shoulders of
the great ones bent [before me]. I did not thrust myself in the train of
the wicked, for which men are hated. I was a lover of what was good, and
a hater of what was evil. My disposition was that of one beloved in the
house of my Lord. I carried out every course of action in accordance
with the urgency that was in the heart of my Lord. Moreover, in the
matter of every affair which His Majesty caused me to follow out, if any
official obstructed me in truth I overthrew his opposition. I neither
resisted his order, nor hesitated, but I carried it out in very truth.
In making any computation which he ordered, I made no mistake. I did
not set one thing in the place of another. I did not increase the flame
of his wrath in its strength. I did not filch property from an
inheritance. Moreover, as concerning all that His Majesty commanded to
set before him in respect of the royal household (or _harim_), I kept
accounts of everything which His Majesty desired, and I gave them unto
him, and I made satisfactory all their statements. Because of the
greatness of my knowledge nothing ever escaped me.
I made a _mekha_ boat for my town, and a _sehi_ boat, so that I might
attend in the train of my Lord, and I was one of the number of the great
ones on every occasion when travel or journeying had to be performed,
and I was held in great esteem, and entreated most honourably. I
provided my own equipment from the possessions which His Majesty, the
Horus Uahānkh, the King of the South, the King of the North, the son of
the Sun, Antef, who liveth like Rā for ever, gave unto me because of the
greatness of his love for me, until he departed in peace to his horizon
(_i.e._ the tomb). And when his son, that is to say, the Horus
Nekhtneb-Tepnefer, the King of the South, the King of the North, the son
of Rā, Antef, the producer of beneficent acts, who liveth for ever like
Rā, entered his house, I followed him as his body-companion into all his
beautiful places that rejoiced [his] heart, and because of the greatness
of my knowledge there was never anything wanting (?). He committed to me
and gave into my hand every duty that had been mine in the time of his
father, and I performed it effectively under His Majesty; no matter
connected with any duty escaped me. I lived the [remainder] of my days
on the earth near the King, and was the chief of his body-companions. I
was great and strong under His Majesty, and I performed everything which
he decreed. I was one who was pleasing to his Lord all day and every
day.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AAHMES (AMASIS),
THE NAVAL OFFICER
This inscription is cut in hieroglyphs on the walls of the tomb of
Aahmes at Al-Kāb in Upper Egypt; this distinguished marine flourished in
the reigns of the first kings of the eighteenth dynasty, about 1600 B.C.
The text reads:
The captain of the transport men, Aahmes, the son of Abana, the
truth-speaker, saith: O all men, I will declare unto you, and will
inform you concerning the favours that were conferred upon me. Seven
times was I given gold in the sight of the whole land, and likewise
slaves, both male and female, and grants of land for estates to be held
by me in perpetuity were also made to me. Thus the name of a man bold
and brave in his deeds shall not be extinguished in this land for ever!
He saith:
I passed my childhood in the town of Nekheb (Eileithyiaspolis, Al-Kāb).
My father was a soldier in the army of the King of the South, the King
of the North, Seqenn-Rā, whose word is truth; Baba was his name, and he
was the son of Reant. I performed military service as his substitute in
the ship called the _Bull_ in the reign of the Lord of the Two Lands,
Nebpehtirā (Amasis I), whose word is truth. I was at that time a youth,
and was unmarried, and I slept in the _shennu_. Afterwards I got a house
(_i.e._ wife) for myself, and I was drafted off to a ship, the "North"
(?), because of my bravery. Then it became my lot to follow after the
king, life, strength, health [be to him!], on my feet whensoever he made
a journey in his chariot. The king sat down (_i.e._ besieged) before the
city of Hetuārt (Avaris), and it was my lot whilst I was on my two feet
to do a deed of bravery in the presence of His Majesty, whereupon I was
made an officer in the vessel [called] _Khā-em-Mennefer._ The king was
fighting on the arm of the river of Avaris [called] Patchetku, and I
rose up and engaged in the fight, and I brought back a hand.[1] The
royal herald proclaimed the matter, and the king gave me the gift of
gold [which was awarded] for bravery. The fighting was renewed at this
place (_i.e._ Avaris), and I again joined in the fight, and I brought
back a hand; and the king gave me the gift of gold [which was awarded]
for bravery a second time.
[Footnote 1: He had cut it off from a vanquished foe.]
Then the king fought a battle in Egypt, to the south of this place, and
I made prisoner a man and brought him back alive; I went down into the
water[1] and brought him along on the road to the town, being firmly
bound, and I crossed the water with him in a boat. The royal herald
proclaimed [this act], and indeed I was rewarded with a double portion
of the gold [which is awarded] for bravery. Then the king captured
Avaris, and I brought back prisoners from the town, one man and three
women, in all four persons. His Majesty gave these to me for slaves.
Then His Majesty sat down before (_i.e._ besieged) Sharhana[2] in the
fifth year, and captured it. I brought back from thence two persons,
women, and one hand. And the king gave me the gift of gold [awarded] for
bravery, as well as the two prisoners for slaves.
[Footnote 1: The water of the arm of the Nile.]
[Footnote 2: The Syrian town mentioned in Joshua xix. 6.]
Now after His Majesty had smitten the Mentiu of Satet[1], he sailed up
the river to Khenthennefer to crush the Antiu of Sti[2], and His Majesty
overthrew them completely, and slew very many of them. I rose up and
made three prisoners, viz. two men, alive, and three hands. And the king
rewarded me with a double portion of gold, and he gave me the two
prisoners to be my slaves. Returning His Majesty sailed down the river.
His heart was expanded with the bravery of strength, for he had [now]
conquered the Lands of the South [as well as] the Lands of the North.
[Then as for] Aatti, the accursed one, who came from the South, his
destiny came upon him, and he perished. The gods of the South laid their
hands upon him, and His Majesty found him in Thenttaāmu (?). His Majesty
brought him back bound alive, and with him were all his people loaded
with fetters. I captured two of the soldiers of the enemy, and I
brought them back, firmly fettered, from the boat of the foe Aatti. And
the king gave me five men and parcels of land, five _stat_ [in area] in
my city. This was likewise done for the sailors, one and all. Then that
vanquished foe came, Tetaān (the accursed one!) was his name, and he had
gathered together round about himself men with hearts hostile [to the
king]. His Majesty smote him and his accursed servants, and they ceased
to exist. His Majesty gave me three men and a parcel of land five _stat_
[in area] in my town.
[Footnote 1: Tribes of the Eastern Desert (?).]
[Footnote 2: The tribes of the Nubian Desert.]
I transported the King of the South, the King of the North, Tcheserkarā
(Amenhetep I), whose word is truth, when he sailed up the river to Kash
(Cush, Nubia) to extend towards the south the frontiers of Egypt. His
Majesty captured that accursed Anti of Nubia in the midst of his
accursed bowmen; he was brought back, fettered by the neck, and they
could not escape. [They were] deported, and were not allowed [to remain]
upon [their] own land, and they became as if they existed not. And
behold, I was at the head of our bowmen! I fought with all my strength
and might, and His Majesty saw my bravery. I brought back two hands and
carried them to His Majesty. And the king went and raided men, women,
and cattle, and I rose up and captured a prisoner and brought him alive
to His Majesty. I brought back His Majesty from Khnemet-heru,[1] and the
king gave me a gift of gold. I brought back alive two women whom I had
captured in addition to those I had already carried to His Majesty, and
the king appointed me to be "Āhatiu-en-Heq" (_i.e._ "Warrior of the
Princes," or "Crown-warrior"). I transported the King of the South, the
King of the North, Āakheperkarā, whose word is truth, when he sailed up
the river to Khent-hen-nefer, to put down the rebellion in Khet land,
and to put an end to the incursions of the people of Asemt. I fought
with great bravery in his presence in the troubled water during the
towing (?) of the fighting barges over the rapids(?), and the king made
me the "Captain of the Transport." His Majesty, life, strength, health
[be to him!] ... raged like a panther, he shot his first arrow, [which]
remained in the neck of the vanquished foe ... [the enemies] were
helpless before the flaming serpent on his crown; [thus] were they made
in the hour of defeat and slaughter, and their slaves were brought back
prisoners alive. Returning His Majesty sailed down the river having all
the mountains and deserts in his hand. And that accursed Anti of Nubia
was hung up head downwards, at the prow of the boat of His Majesty, and
[then] placed on the ground in the Apts (_i.e._ Karnak). After these
things the king set out on an expedition against Rethenu (Northern
Syria), to avenge himself on foreign lands. His Majesty went forth
against Neharina, where he found that the wretched enemy had set his
warriors in battle array. His Majesty defeated them with great
slaughter, and those who were captured alive and brought back by him
from his wars could not be counted. And behold, I was the captain of our
soldiers, and His Majesty saw my deeds of might. I brought out of the
fight a chariot with its horses, and he who had been driving it was
fettered prisoner inside it, and I carried them to His Majesty, who gave
me a gift of gold, a twofold portion. Then I waxed old, and I arrived at
a great age, and the favours [bestowed upon] me were as [many as those]
at the beginning [of my life] ... a tomb in the mountain which I myself
have made.
[Footnote 1: The "Upper Pool," site unknown.]
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AAHMES (AMASIS),
SURNAMED PEN-NEKHEB
This inscription is cut in hieroglyphs upon the walls of the tomb of
Aahmes at Al-Kāb in Upper Egypt. Aahmes was a contemporary of Aahmes the
transport officer, and served under several of the early kings of the
eighteenth dynasty. The text reads:
The Erpā, the Duke, the bearer of the seal, the man who took prisoners
with his own hands, Aahmes, saith: I accompanied the King of the South,
the King of the North, Nebpehtirā (Amasis I), whose word is truth, and I
captured for him in Tchah (Syria) one prisoner alive and one hand. I
accompanied the King of the South, the King of the North, Tcheserkarā,
whose word is truth, and I captured for him in Kash (Nubia) one prisoner
alive. On another occasion I captured for him three hands to the north
of Aukehek. I accompanied the King of the South, the King of the North,
whose word is truth, and I captured for him two prisoners alive, in
addition to the three other prisoners who were alive, and who escaped
(?) from me in Kash, and were not counted by me. And on another occasion
I laboured for him, and I captured for him in the country of Neherina
(Mesopotamia) twenty-one hands, one horse, and one chariot. I
accompanied the King of the South, the King of the North, Āakheperenrā,
whose word is law, and I brought away as tribute a very large number of
the Shasu[1] alive, but I did not count them. I accompanied the Kings of
the South, the Kings of the North, [those great] gods, and I was with
them in the countries of the South and North, and in every place where
they went, namely, King Nebpehtirā (Amasis I), King Tcheserkarā
(Amenhetep I), Āakheperkarā (Thothmes I), Āakheperenrā (Thothmes II),
and this beneficent god Menkheperrā[2] (Thothmes III), who is endowed
with life for ever. I have reached a good old age, I have lived with
kings, I have enjoyed favours under their Majesties, and affection hath
been shown to me in the Palace, life, strength, health [be to them!].
The divine wife, the chief royal wife Maātkarā, whose word is truth,
showed several favours to me. I held in my arms her eldest daughter, the
Princess Neferurā, whose word is law, when she was a nursling, I the
bearer of the royal seal, who captured my prisoners, Aahmes, who am
surnamed Pen-Nekheb, did this. I was never absent from the king at the
time of fighting, beginning with Nebpehtirā (Amasis I), and continuing
until the reign of Menkheperrā (Thothmes III). Tcheserkarā (Amenhetep I)
gave me in gold two rings, two collars, one armlet, one dagger, one
fan, and one pectoral (?). Āakheperkarā (Thothmes I) gave me in gold
four hand rings, four collars, one armlet, six flies, three lions, two
axe-heads. Āakheperenrā gave me in gold four hand rings, six collars,
three armlets (?), one plaque, and in silver two axe-heads.
[Footnote 1: The nomads of the Syrian desert.]
[Footnote 2: The titles, King of the North, King of the South, and the
words, "whose word is truth" occur with each name; they are omitted in
the translation.]
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF TEHUTI, THE ERPĀ
The autobiographies given hitherto are those of soldiers, sailors, and
officials who in the performance of their duties travelled in Nubia, the
Egyptian Sūdān, the Eastern Sūdān, the Red Sea Littoral, Sinai, and
Western Asia. The following autobiography is that of one of the great
nobles, who in the eighteenth dynasty assisted in carrying out the great
building schemes of Queen Hātshepset and Thothmes III. Tehuti was an
hereditary chief (_erpā_), and a Duke, and the Director of the
Department of the Government in which all the gold and silver that were
brought to Thebes as tribute were kept, and he controlled the
distribution of the same in connection with the Public Works Department.
The text begins with the words of praise to Amen-Rā for the life of
Hātshepset and of Thothmes III, thus: "Thanks be to Amen-[Rā, the King
of the Gods], and praise be to His Majesty when he riseth in the eastern
sky for the life, strength, and health of the King of the South, the
King of the North, Maātkarā (Hātshepset), and of the King of the South,
the King of the North, Menkheperrā (Thothmes III), who are endowed with
life, stability, serenity, and health like Rā for ever. I performed the
office of chief mouth (_i.e._ director), giving orders. I directed the
artificers who were engaged on the work of the great boat of the head of
the river [called] Userhatamen. It was inlaid (or overlaid) with the
very best gold of the mountains, the splendour of which illumined all
Egypt, and it was made by the King of the South, the King of the North,
Maātkarā,[1] in connection with the monuments which he made for his
father Amen-Rā, Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands, who is endowed
with life like Rā for ever. I performed the office of chief mouth,
giving orders. I directed the artificers who were engaged on the work of
the God-house, the horizon of the god, and on the work of the great
throne, which was [made] of the very best silver-gold[2] of the
mountains, and of perfect work to last for ever, which was made by
Maātkarā in connection with the monuments which he made for his father
Amen-Rā, &c. I performed the office of chief mouth, giving orders. I
directed the artificers who were engaged on the work of the shrine (?)
of Truth, the framework of the doors of which was of silver-gold, made
by Maātkarā, &c. I performed the office of chief mouth, giving orders. I
directed the artificers who were engaged on the works of
Tcheser-Tcheseru,[3] the Temple of Millions of Years, the great doors of
which were made of copper inlaid with figures in silver-gold, which was
made by Maātkarā, &c. I performed the office of chief mouth, giving
orders. I directed the artificers who were engaged on the work of
Khākhut, the great sanctuary of Amen, his horizon in Amen-tet, whereof
all the doors [were made] of real cedar wood inlaid (or overlaid) with
bronze, made by Maātkarā, &c. I performed the office of chief mouth,
giving orders. I directed the artificers who were engaged on the works
of the House of Amen, it shall flourish to all eternity! whereof the
pavement was inlaid with blocks of gold and silver, and its beauties
were like unto those of the horizon of heaven, made by Maātkarā, &c. I
performed the office of chief mouth, giving orders. I directed the
artificers who were engaged on the work of the great shrine, which was
made of ebony from Kenset (Nubia), with a broad, high base, having
steps, made of translucent alabaster [from the quarry] of Het-nub, made
by Maātkarā, &c. I performed the office of chief mouth, giving orders. I
directed the artificers who were engaged on the works of the Great House
of the god, which was plated with silver in which figures were inlaid
in gold--its splendour lighted up the faces of all who beheld it--made
by Maātkarā, &c. I performed the office of chief mouth, giving orders. I
directed the artificers who were engaged on the work of the great broad,
high doors of the temple of Karnak, which were covered with plates of
copper inlaid with figures in silver-gold, made by Maātkarā, &c. I
performed the office of chief mouth, giving orders. I directed the
artificers who were engaged on the work of the holy necklaces and
pectorals, and on the large talismans of the great sanctuary, which were
made of silver-gold and many different kinds of precious stones, made by
Maātkarā, &c. I performed the office of chief mouth, giving orders. I
directed the artificers who were engaged on the works in connection with
the two great obelisks, [each of which] was one hundred and eight cubits
in height (about 162 feet) and was plated with silver-gold, the
brilliance whereof filled all Egypt, made by Maātkarā, &c. I performed
the office of chief mouth, giving orders. I directed the artificers who
were engaged on the work of the holy gate [called] "Amen-shefit," which
was made of a single slab of copper, and of the images (?) that belonged
thereto, made by Maātkarā, &c. I directed the artificers who were
engaged on the work of the altar-stands of Amen. These were made of an
incalculable quantity of silver-gold, set with precious stones, by
Maātkarā, &c. I directed the artificers who were engaged on the work of
the store-chests, which were plated with copper and silver-gold and
inlaid with precious stones, made by Maātkarā, &c. I directed the
artificers who were engaged on the works of the Great Throne, and the
God-house, which is built of granite and shall last like the firmly
fixed pillars of the sky, made by Maātkarā, &c.
[Footnote 1: This queen frequently ascribed to herself male attributes.]
[Footnote 2: _i.e._ that kind of gold which is found in its natural
state alloyed with silver.]
[Footnote 3: The "Holy of Holies," the name of Hātshepset's temple at
Dēr al-Baharī.]
And as for the wonderful things, and all the products of all the
countries, and the best of the wonderful products of Punt, which His
Majesty presented to Amen, Lord of the Apts, for the life, strength, and
health of His Majesty, and with which he filled the house of this holy
god, for Amen had given him Egypt because he knew that he would rule it
wisely (?), behold, it was I who registered them, because I was of
strict integrity. My favour was permanent before [His Majesty], it never
diminished, and he conferred more distinctions on me than on any other
official about him, for he knew my integrity in respect of him. He knew
that I carried out works, and that I covered my mouth (_i.e._ held my
tongue) concerning the affairs of his palace. He made me the director of
his palace, knowing that I was experienced in affairs. I held the seal
of the Two Treasuries, and of the store of all the precious stones of
every kind that were in the God-house of Amen in the Apts,[1] which were
filled up to their roofs with the tribute paid to the god. Such a thing
never happened before, even from the time of the primeval god. His
Majesty commanded to be made a silver-gold ... for the Great Hall of the
festivals. [The metal] was weighed by the _heqet_ measure for Amen,
before all the people, and it was estimated to contain 88-1/2 _heqet_
measures, which were equal to 8592-1/2 _teben_.[2] It was offered to the
god for the life, strength, and health of Maātkarā, the ever living. I
received the _sennu_ offerings which were made to Amen-Rā, Lord of the
Apts; these things, all of them, took place in very truth, and I
exaggerate not. I was vigilant, and my heart was perfect in respect of
my lord, for I wish to rest in peace in the mountain of the
spirit-bodies who are in the Other World (Khert-Neter). I wish my memory
to be perpetuated on the earth. I wish my soul to live before the Lord
of Eternity. I wish that the doorkeepers of the gates of the Tuat (Other
World) may not repulse my soul, and that it may come forth at the call
of him that shall lay offerings in my tomb, that it may have bread in
abundance and ale in full measure, and that it may drink of the water
from the source of the river. I would go in and come out like the
Spirits who do what the gods wish, that my name may be held in good
repute by the people who shall come in after years, and that they may
praise me at the two seasons (morning and evening) when they praise the
god of my city.
[Footnote 1: The temples of Karnak and Luxor.]
[Footnote 2: The _teben_ = 90.959 grammes.]
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THAIEMHETEP,
THE DAUGHTER OF HERĀNKH
This remarkable inscription is found on a stele which is preserved in
the British Museum (No. 1027), and which was made in the ninth year of
King Ptolemy Philopator Philadelphus (71 B.C.). The text opens with a
prayer to all the great gods of Memphis for funerary offerings, and
after a brief address to her husband's colleagues, Thaiemhetep describes
in detail the principal incidents of her life, and gives the dates of
her birth, death, &c., which are rarely found on the funerary stelæ of
the older period. Thaiemhetep was an important member of the semi-royal,
great high-priestly family of Memphis, and her funerary inscription
throws much light on the theology of the Ptolemaic Period.
[Illustration: The Autobiography of Thaiemhetep, the daughter of
Herānkh.]
1. SUTEN-TA-HETEP,[1] may Seker-Osiris, at the head of the House of the
KA of Seker, the great god in Rāqet; and Hap-Asar (Serapis), at the head
of Amentet, the king of the gods, King of Eternity and Governor of
everlastingness; and Isis, the great Lady, the mother of the god, the
eye of Rā, the Lady of heaven, the mistress of all the gods; and
Nephthys, the divine sister of Horus, the 2. avenger of his father, the
great god in Rāqetit; and Anubis, who is on his hill, the dweller in the
chamber of embalmment, at the head of the divine hall; and all the gods
and goddesses who dwell in the mountain of Amentet the beautiful of
Hetkaptah (Memphis), give the offerings that come forth at the word,
beer, and bread, and oxen, and geese, and incense, and unguents, and
suits of apparel, and good things of all kinds upon their altars, to the
KA of 3. the Osiris, the great princess, the one who is adorned, the
woman who is in the highest favour, the possessor of pleasantness,
beautiful of body, sweet of love in the mouth of every man, who is
greatly praised by her kinsfolk, the youthful one, excellent of
disposition, always ready to speak her words of sweetness, whose counsel
is excellent, Thaiemhetep, whose word (or voice) is truth, the beloved
daughter of the royal kinsman, the priest of Ptah, libationer of the
gods of 4. White Wall (Memphis), priest of Menu (or Amsu), the Lord of
Senut (Panopolis), and of Khnemu, the Lord of Smen-Heru (Ptolemaīs),
priest of Horus, the Lord of Sekhem (Letopolis), chief of the mysteries
in Aat-Beqt, chief of the mysteries in Sekhem, and in It, and in
Khā-Hap; the daughter of the beautiful sistrum bearer of Ptah, the great
one of his South Wall, the Lord of Ānkh-taui, Herānkh, 5. she saith:
"Hail, all ye judges and all ye men of learning, and all ye high
officials, and all ye nobles, and all ye people, when ye enter into this
tomb, come ye, I pray, and hearken unto what befell me.
"The ninth day of the fourth month [2] of the season Akhet of the ninth
year under the Majesty of the King of the Two Lands, the god Philopator,
Philadelphus, Osiris the Young, the Son of Rā, the lord of the Crowns of
the South and of the North, Ptolemy, the ever living, beloved of Ptah
and Isis, 6. [was] the day whereon I was born.
"On the ... day of the third month [3] of the season Shemu of the
twenty-third year under the Majesty of this same Lord of the Two Lands,
my father gave me to wife to the priest of Ptah, the scribe of the
library of divine books, the priest of the Tuat Chamber, [4] the
libationer of the gods of the Wall, the superintendent of the priests of
the gods and goddesses of the North and South, the two eyes of the King
of Upper Egypt, the two ears of the King of Lower Egypt, the second of
the king in raising up the Tet pillar, [5] the staff of the king [when]
brought into the temples, 7. the Erpā in the throne chamber of Keb, the
Kher-heb (precentor) in the seat of Thoth, the repeater (or herald) of
the tillage of the Ram-god, who turneth aside the Utchat (sacred eye),
who approacheth the Utchat by the great Ram of gold (?), who seeth the
setting of the great god [who] is born when it is fettered, the
Ur-kherp-hem,[6] Pa-sher-en-Ptah, the son of a man who held like
offices, Peta-Bast, whose word (or voice) is truth, born of 8. the great
decorated sistrum bearer and tambourine woman of Ptah, the great one of
his South Wall, the Lord of Ānkh-taui, whose word (or voice) is truth.
"And the heart of the Ur-kherp-hem rejoiced in her exceedingly. I bore
to him a child three times, but I did not bear a man child besides these
three daughters. And I and the Ur-kherp-hem prayed to 9. the Majesty of
this holy god, who [worketh] great wonders and bestoweth happiness (?),
who giveth a son to him that hath one not, and Imhetep, the son of Ptah,
hearkened unto our words, and he accepted his prayers. And the Majesty
of this god came unto this Ur-kherp-hem during [his] sleep, and said
unto him, 10. 'Let there be built a great building in the form of a
large hall [for the lord of] Ānkh-taui, in the place where his body is
wrapped up (or concealed), and in return for this I will give thee a man
child.' And the Ur-kherp-hem woke up out of his sleep after these
[words], and he smelt the ground before this holy god. And he laid them
(_i.e._ the words) before the priests, 11. and the chief of the
mysteries, and the libationers, and the artisans of the House of Gold,
at one time, and he despatched them to make the building perfect in the
form of a large, splendid funerary hall. And they did everything
according as he had said. And he performed the ceremony of 'Opening the
Mouth' for this holy god, and he made to him a great offering of the
beautiful offerings of every kind, and he bestowed upon him sculptured
images 12. for the sake of this god, and he made happy their hearts with
offerings of all kinds in return for this [promise].
"Then I conceived a man child, and I brought him forth on the fifteenth
day of the third month[7] of the season Shemu of the sixth year, at the
eighth hour of the day, under the Majesty of the Queen, the Lady of the
Two Lands, Cleopatra, Life, Strength, Health [be to her!], 13. [the day]
of the festival of 'things on the altar' of this holy god, Imhetep, the
son of Ptah, his form being like unto that of the son of Him that is
south of his wall (_i.e._ Ptah), great rejoicings on account of him were
made by the inhabitants of White Wall (Memphis), and there were given to
him his name of Imhetep and the surname of Peta-Bast, and all the people
rejoiced in him. 14.
"The sixteenth day of the second month[8] of the season Pert of the
tenth year was the day on which I died. My husband, the priest and
divine father of Ptah, the priest of Osiris, Lord of Rastau, the priest
of the King of the South, the King of the North, the Lord of the Two
Lands, Ptolemy, whose word is truth, the chief of the mysteries of the
House of Ptah, the chief of the mysteries of heaven, earth, and the
Other World, the chief of the mysteries of Rastau, the chief of the
mysteries of Rāqet, the Ur-kherp-hem, Pa-sher-en-Ptah, placed me in
Am-urtet, 15. he performed for me all the rites and ceremonies which are
[performed] for the dead who are buried in a fitting manner, he had me
made into a beautiful mummy, and caused me to be laid to rest in his
tomb behind Rāqet.
"Hail, brother, husband, friend! O Ur-kherp-hem, cease not to drink, to
eat, to drink wine, 16. to enjoy the love of women, and to pass thy days
happily; follow thy heart (or desire) day and night. Set not sorrow in
thy heart, for oh, are the years [which we pass] so many on the earth
[that we should do this]? For Amentet is a land where black darkness
cannot be pierced by the eye, and it is a place of restraint (or misery)
for him that dwelleth therein. The holy ones [who are there] sleep in
their forms. They wake not 17. up to look upon their friends, they see
not their fathers [and] their mothers, and their heart hath no desire
for their wives [and] their children. The living water of the earth is
for those who are on it, stagnant water is for me. It cometh 18. to him
that is upon the earth. Stagnant is the water which is for me. I know
not the place wherein I am. Since I arrived at this valley of the dead I
long for running water. I say, 'Let not my attendant remove the pitcher
from the stream.' 19. O that one would turn my face to the north wind on
the bank of the stream, and I cry out for it to cool the pain that is in
my heart. He whose name is 'Arniau'[9] calleth everyone to him, and they
come to him with quaking hearts, and they are terrified through their
fear of him. 20. By him is no distinction made between gods and men,
with him princes are even as men of no account. His hand is not turned
away from all those who love him, for he snatcheth away the babe from
his mother's [breast] even as he doth the aged man. He goeth about on
his way, and all men fear him, and [though] they make supplication
before him, he turneth not his face away from them. Useless is it to
make entreaty to him, 21. for he hearkeneth not unto him that maketh
supplication unto him, and even though he shall present unto him
offerings and funerary gifts of all kinds, he will not regard them.
"Hail, all ye who arrive in this funeral mountain, present ye unto me
offerings, cast incense into the flame and pour out libations at every
festival of Amentet."
The scribe and sculptor, the councillor, the chief of the mysteries of
the House of Shent in Tenen, the priest of Horus, Imhetep, the son of
the priest Khā-Hap, whose word (or voice) is truth, cut this
inscription.
[Footnote 1: These words mean, "The king gives an offering," and the
formula is as old at least as the fourth dynasty. It is obvious that the
king could not make a funerary gift to every one who died, but the words
are always found in funerary texts down to the latest times.]
[Footnote 2: October-November.]
[Footnote 3: May-June.]
[Footnote 4: The Hall of Offerings in the tomb.]
[Footnote 5: The raising of the Tet pillar was an important ceremony,
which was performed at the annual miracle-play of Osiris; it symbolised
resurrection.]
[Footnote 6: This was the official title of the high-priest of Memphis.]
[Footnote 7: May-June.]
[Footnote 8: December--January.]
[Footnote 9: The great Death-god.]