Instructions of Amenemhat (aka "Teaching of King Ammenemes I to His Son Sesostris") is a short ancient Egyptian poem of the ''

sebayt Sebayt (Egyptian '' sbꜣyt'', Coptic ⲥⲃⲱ "instruction, teaching") is the ancient Egyptian term for a genre of pharaonic literature. ''sbꜣyt'' literally means "teachings" or "instructions" and refers to formally written ethical teachings f ...

'' genre written during the early Middle Kingdom. The poem takes the form of an intensely dramatic

monologue In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

delivered by the ghost of the murdered 12th Dynasty pharaoh

Amenemhat I :''See Amenemhat, for other individuals with this name.'' Amenemhat I ( Ancient Egyptian: ''Ỉmn-m-hꜣt'' meaning 'Amun is at the forefront'), also known as Amenemhet I, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the first king of the Twelfth Dyna ...

to his son

Senusret I Senusret I ( Middle Egyptian: z-n-wsrt; /suʀ nij ˈwas.ɾiʔ/) also anglicized as Sesostris I and Senwosret I, was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1971 BC to 1926 BC (1920 BC to 1875 BC), and was one of the mos ...

. It describes the conspiracy that killed Amenemhat, and enjoins his son to trust no-one. The poem forms a kind of

apologia An apologia (Latin for apology, from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is a formal defense of an opinion, position or action. The term's current use, often in the context of religion, theology and philosophy, derives from Justin Mar ...

of the deeds of the old king's reign. It ends with an exhortation to Senusret to ascend the throne and rule wisely in Amenemhat's stead.

Authorship

The ''Instructions'' may have been authored at Senusret's command to eulogize his father and legitimize his claim to the throne. Several centuries later, in the

New Kingdom New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

Papyrus Chester Beatty IV, the authorship of the poem was attributed to "the foremost of scribes" Kheti. The principal source of this document comes from the Papyrus Millingen which was copied by A. Peyron in 1843. The original is now lost. Wooden tablets with parts of the ''Instructions'' dating to the 18th Dynasty and New Kingdom papyrus fragments and

ostraca An ostracon (Greek: ''ostrakon'', plural ''ostraka'') is a piece of pottery, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In an archaeological or epigraphical context, ''ostraca'' refer to sherds or even small pieces of sto ...

survive.Lichtheim, ''op.cit.'', p.136

Content

The ''Instructions'' open by identifying the author as "the late King of

Upper and Lower Egypt In Egyptian history, the Upper and Lower Egypt period (also known as The Two Lands) was the final stage of prehistoric Egypt and directly preceded the unification of the realm. The conception of Egypt as the Two Lands was an example of the duali ...

, Sehetepibre, the son of Re Amenemhat" and claim to be Amenemhat's advice to his son on how to maintain his kingship and prosperity. The king then warns his son not to trust anyone, for even those he had helped refused support and explains that he was assassinated by his guard while he was in bed. He briefly describes his provisions for Egypt; his military successes and his building accomplishments are given. The ''Instructions'' close with blessings for his son, Senusret, and advice on how he should rule.

Impact

This manuscript is one of the earliest references to "Asiatics". Later pharaohs copied parts of older writings to legitimize their deeds. The

25th Dynasty The Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXV, alternatively 25th Dynasty or Dynasty 25), also known as the Nubian Dynasty, the Kushite Empire, the Black Pharaohs, or the Napatans, after their capital Napata, was the last dynasty of th ...

pharaoh

Piye Piye (once transliterated as Pankhy or Piankhi; d. 714 BC) was an ancient Kushite king and founder of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt, who ruled Egypt from 744–714 BC. He ruled from the city of Napata, located deep in Nubia, modern-day Su ...

copied sections from the ''Instructions of Amenemhat'' almost ''verbatim''. The poem was still being read in the fifth century BC, some 1500 years after it was written.

Bibliography

*Translation in R. B. Parkinson, ''The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems''. Oxford World's Classics, 1999. *Stephen Quirke: ''Egyptian Literature 1800BC: Questions and Readings'', London 2004, 127-129 (translation and transcription) *

Miriam Lichtheim Miriam Lichtheim (3 May 1914, Istanbul – 27 March 2004, Jerusalem) was a Turkish-born American-Israeli Egyptologist, known for her translations of ancient Egyptian texts. Biography Miriam was born in Istanbul on May 3, 1914, to Richard Lichtheim ...

: ''Ancient Egyptian Literature'', Vol. I, 1980 University of California Press, pp. 135–138 * Adolf Erman, ''The Ancient Egyptians: A Sourcebook of Their Writings'', Harper & Row 1966 * Leonard H. Lesko, ''Pharaoh's Workers: The Villagers of Deir El Medina'', Cornell University Press 1994, *

James P. Allen James Peter Allen (born 1945) is an American Egyptologist, specializing in language and religion. He was curator of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1990 to 2006. In 2007, he became the Charles Edwin Wilbour Professor of Egypt ...

, '' Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs'', Cambridge University Press 2000, * Wolfgang Kosack: ''Berliner Hefte zur ägyptischen Literatur 1 - 12'': Teil I. 1 - 6/ Teil II. 7 - 12 (2 Bände). Paralleltexte in Hieroglyphen mit Einführungen und Übersetzung. Heft 9: Die Lehre des Königs Amenemhet I. an seinen Sohn. Verlag Christoph Brunner, Basel 2015. .

References and footnotes

External links

Translation
Ancient Egyptian texts Amenemhat I {{papyrus-stub