12/3/2023 0 Comments Egyptian scribe translated![]() On thou goest jolting(?), thy chariot on its side. The ravine is on one side of thee, the mountain rises(?) on the other. Thy path is filled with boulders and pebbles, without a passable track(?), overgrown with reeds and brambles, briers (?) and wolf's-pad. Shuddering(?) seizes thee, (the hair of) thy head stands up(?), thy soul is in thy hand. Thou decidest(?) (the matter) by marching onward, though thou knowest not the road. Thou findest no ///////// to make for thee a way of crossing. Thou art alone, there is no helper(?) with thee, no army behind thee. The(?) narrow defile is infested(?) with Shosu concealed beneath the bushes some of them are of four cubits or of five cubits, from head(?) to foot(?), fierce of face, their heart is not mild, and they hearken not to coaxing. Amenemope's lack of experience causes him not to be apprehensive when he should be and then panicking when he should remain calm. Hori sets this up as an incident in which the incompetence, inexperience and fear of Amenemope results in damage to his chariot. Illustrations from the Battle of Kadesh provide an excellent background for Hori's tale showing the form of the chariots, and the size of the Shashu. Hori makes clear that these involve routes that should be well known to the scribes operating as mahers or messengers and scouts. The Shasu spies shown being beaten by the EgyptiansĪmenemope traverses a mountain pass. The composition of the satirical interchange between the scribes comes across as quite well written especially where Hori describes Amenemope as incompetent toward the end, giving as an example his poor management of not just his chariot but his character. It contains a lot of detail reflecting discreditably on his name and comparing him to Qedjerdi, the chief of Isser: "Thy name becomes like (that of) Qedjerdi, the chief of Isser, when the hyena found him in the balsam-tree." ![]() Hori then relates an imagined anecdote where Amenemope experiences an adventure of a maher. Gardiner suggests it must be the technical name of the Egyptian emissary in Syria. The word maher is found frequently in this papyrus, but nowhere else. Hori goes on to show that Amenemope is not skilled in the role of a maher. XIX An example of the satire in the text The stream of Jordan, how is it crossed? Cause me to know the way of crossing over to Megiddo which is above it(?). Pray teach me concerning the appearance(?) of Kin acquaint me with Rehob explain Beth-sha-el and Tereqel. Thou dost not know the name of Kheneredj which is in the land of Upe, a bull upon its boundary, the scene of the battles of every warrior. Thou dost not know Ideren, nor yet Djedpet. Thou hast not beheld Kirjath-anab and Beth-Sepher. Thou hast not gone to the land of Kadesh, Tekhes, Kurmeren, Temenet, Deper, Idi, Herenem. The border lands of Egypt's province of Caanan with Kadesh are defined on page XIX:Ĭome let me tell thee of other towns, which are above(?) them. There is a long list of towns which run along the northern border of the djadi or watershed of the Jordan in Canaan, which bound Lebanon along the Litani River and upper retnu and Syria along the Orontes. This papyrus is important to historians and Bible scholars above all for the information it supplies about towns in Syria and Canaan during the New Kingdom. In a long section Hori discusses the geography of the Mediterranean coast as far north as the Lebanon and the troubles which might beset a traveler there. The letter gives examples of what a scribe was supposed to be able to do: calculating the number of rations which have to be doled out to a certain number of soldiers digging a lake, or the quantity of bricks needed to erect a ramp of given dimensions, assessing the number of men needed to move an obelisk or erect a statue, and organizing the supply of provisions for an army. Content and importance to modern scholarship The papyrus was originally purchased from Giovanni Anastasi in 1839. One scribe, an army scribe, Hori, writes to his fellow scribe, Amenemope, in such a way as to ridicule the irresponsible and second-rate nature of Amenemope's work. Papyrus Anastasi I (officially designated papyrus British Museum 10247) is an ancient Egyptian papyrus containing a satirical text used for the training of scribes during the Ramesside Period (i.e. ( March 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations.
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