?

\5 125 (1998)
i\. Egberrs: \Xienamul1 93
::-.------'----'-----­ -----------_._------­

',-".l _.". :_. -" --" ,.

Bard Times: The Chronology of "The Report of Wenamun" Revised'

"Obemilliegen fertiggepragte, aber sellen genall :i(fltriffende

Begriffi Cttl! der Lmlcr, Z!I1Jleilen durch Klang ulid lUodegeltung
vnjii/mrisch, bereit einzuspringetl, sobalci den Schreibenden die
Energie des Gegenslandlichen ver/aJt"
Elich A uerbarh, Phil%gie der Weltliteratu/

\Vriting history is like reading literature: all it takes are texts, common sense, and a touch of
imagination, A well-balanced mix of these ingredients lies at the heart of Karl Jansen-Winkeln's
reappraisal of the evidence relating to the end of the New Kingdom 3• His main conclusion con­
cerns the sequence of the Theban high priests of Amun. Whereas the textbooks have it that
[·ferinor was succeeded by Piankh, J ansen-Winkeln pleads for the reverse order. This new inter­
pretation has been welcomed by some4 and rejected by others'. My present contribution to the
(kbate surrounding the date of Herihor's pontificate focuses on one of the most important
sources mentioning this dignitary, namely "The Report of Wenamun" (cited hereafter as "\'(/ena­
mun") , In the course of my argument, I will substantially revise some of the premises and con­
clllSio!1s contained in my previous study of the chronology of "Wenamun,,6. It should be noted,
though, that this reassessment does not affect my translations of the relevant passages, which
7
have already found their way into a recent anthology of ancient Egyptian literature •
Before plunging into detail, I must briefly address the issue of the use of literary texts as his­
torical samce material. I fed compelled to do so, because it has been malntained that the date

l 1 thank the following colleagues for giving me access to their papers presented at the symposium on ancient
Egyptian literature to the memory of Georges Posener, held at Leipzig, 1996: john Baines (On Wenamun as a
Literary Text); Christopher Eyre (Irony in the Story of Wenamun: The Politics or Religion in the 21st Dynasty);
Gerald Moers (Fiktionalitat und Intertextualitat als Parameter agyptologischer Literaturwissenschaft: Perspektiven
und Grenzen der Anwendung zeitgenossischer Literaturtheorie). These papers will be published in the proceedL.'1gs
,,!"the syrnposiurl1, Moreover, I am much indebted to Rob Demaree, Karl Jansen-W'inkdn, and Gerald Moers for
rhe~t comments 011 a draft of this article; and to Brian Muhs for improving my English prose.
. Originally published in 1952 and reprinted in: Gesammelte Aufsatze zur romanischen Philologie (Bern, 1967),
}lll-IO (the quotation is found on p. 309), .
~ K, J ansen- Winkeln, Das Ende des Neuen Reiches, zAs 119 (1992),22-37.
, ',R, Gundlach, Das Konigtum des Herihor: Zum Gmbruch in der itgyptischen Konigsideologie am Beginn
~!~r J. Zwischenzeit, in: M. Minas and J Zeidler (eds.), Aspekte spatagyptischer Kultur: Festschrift fUr Erich
'':!nter Zllm 65, Geburtstag (Aegyptiaca Treverensia 7; Mainz am Rhein, 1994), 133-8; J H, Taylor, Nodjmet,
Parankh and Herihor: The Early Twenty-first Dynast\< Reconsidered, in: C. Eyre (ed.), Seventh International Con­
~ress of Egyptologists, Cambridge, 3-9 September 1995: Abstracts of Papers (Oxford, 1995), 184-5; A. Eg b erts,
~:au~, Herihor, Dhutmose and Butehamun: .t\ Fresh Look at 0, Cairo CG 25744 and 25745, GM 160 (1997),
• .l-J.
5 S
/ ,ee the rderences comained in jansen-'\i:inkdn 's repiy ro his critics: Die tbeballlschen Grunder der
:~ Dyna~tie, GM 157 (1997), 49-74. See for yet another defence of the traditional view O. Goelet, A New
O,bbery Papyrus: Rochester ivlAG 51.346.1, JEA 82 (1996), t07 -27, esp. 124-7,
.' i\. Egberts, The Chronology of The Report ofW'enamun,jEA 77 (1991),57-6 7 . In the footnotes to this
,nick (:ne may find the basic bibliographic references relating to "\\;enamun",
'-, G. Moers, Die Reiseerzahlung des \Xienamun, in: O. Kaiser (ed.), Texte aus del' L'nw,'e!t des Alten Testa­
.i~nts, !fIlS (Gutersloh, 1995),912-21.
t)4 ,\, J·,g1J<::n~: \\enamUl1
with which "\\'enantun" opens is irrelevant to any hisl.Orical investigation of Uerihur and tht
times in which he Dourished'. This \ ito,,· is based on the >lssumption that "\,'enamun" should ~
classified as a piece of literature, and nol as a document ()n a par with judicial reports, necropo)u
ioumals, leLLers alld the like", Indeed, there can he no doubt that "\Venamun" deserves a place 0.1
h, )nour in the literary cabinet of the anciel1l I~gyptians. The il1lricacy of its plot''', the irony of its;'f.
di:lloglIC~Ji, and the occasional expressi\-cness of it~ narrativc.;ll are ever so 111any signs of litera>~~
ture. On thc other hand, it cannot be denied that "\,:enamun" presents documentary charaCter':.;;
istics as well", Stdislic features snch as lists and summations", the mention of prominel1l con.'·:~
lemporaries like l!crihor and Smendes, and rhe Jay-out of the manuscript on which "\\'enamun"i
has heen preserved'; tll'(; more suggestive of an administrative report rhan of an artistic master,'::,
piece. In nw opinioll, "\,'enamun" is best regarded as a literal'l' text dressed up like a document;~
liS aurhor must have had good reasons for choosing this disguise, but 1 prefer nor to dwell ori'~;
the subject, lest I take my speculations for his intentions"', :,;:"
I I' "\\'enal1lun" is a work of literature, it should be relegated to the realm of fiCtion like all other/
in\'cnlecl stories'-, Fiction is not the opposite of realitv. No matter what tlight the imagination mal''';'
take, a writer always has to dra\\- upon elements from the world as we know it in order to create and;:
communicate". Some literar)' gcnres require a high percentage of reality: these are dominaled by""
the r\rislOtelian principle of mimesis or \'erisimilitude". Examples of such genres are the historical"'.
"m'c1 and 19th·century realism, Ob\'iously, "\\'enamun" belongs to the Stlme category, since it'·
leems \\'itb rclere"ce, III re;t! pJaecs and peuple, while lhere is butliulc scope fur. Ii ,e sUpt:1'Il,'tural., :
,\ good mcthod in tn'ing to sifl. the chaff of fantas)' from the grain of truth contained in each,::
work of realist literature is to inter\'iew the writer and hope that he or shc has the decency nOl toN:
tell lies. For reasolls which 1 need not explain, this docs not wurk in Egyptology. The second~I'
best meth',I(,1 i~ !'o isohte from a li,,;ran' text those happenings which we believe to be bistorieatJ'
and 10 compare tbem with illformation gatbered from SOUl'ces of a documentary nature. TllU(~
we know from Suetonius, Plutarch and other reliable authorities that Shakespeare respected:',"
,\. ,\I,(,;llil~, I\liljl~ll utIli (";e~c.:]l~(;l:ai-l: l,ilJ lk:illag /,ur ~l..Jzi<l.lgt"~d):clll,1. di...:'i l"l;UL.11 Rt:ldu.. ~ (Sll.ldll·1l zuf~:;
,\rt:h;io!og:i<: und Gc.:schichtt.: i\11':ig-ypt<:ns 17; 11ciudbcrg, lY<J6),200-1; rll<' SillllC opinion is implicit in th~ raperlit'
(;, ,\ I oc r s mcntioned in n. 1 abm-c,
,\waiting till..: l>uiJlic<ltion of Ihe papers mc.:ntioncd in 11,1 alH.,\C, ol1t: ll1a~ COIlSull }\. Schct:pcr~. Lc rCc&
d'OUIl:lmoll: Lin tCxlt.: <djnt~raire)l ou «llOIl-liucmirc»)?, in: C, ObSOnlcr ~l1n 1\.-1.. Oosthuck (~ds.), Amosia(1tt
'\lclal1).!.c'"' offerls all Proft.::,!'cur Cl;lUdc YandcrsleYl:ll par ::;e!\ 311ck:ns ctudianlS (LOlI\'ain-la-r"t:U\'C, 1992), ,'\5,;-65.
r" See the paper h~· J. Baines mcntion<,.:d ill n, 1 ~b()\'c.
II Sec the paper by c:. I:~~ re 111l:l1tium.:d inll, 1 abun:.
\' Thc !I)I1U dns.ri(lfJ is ·t. 48-50: "I found him scatcd in his upper chamber wuh hi!' back turned h)WarJs S
window, wllilt: the wa\'cs of rhe great sea uf Kh()r bn)k<:: against the bnck of his hcaJ"j ~l;(,: 1\, j j, G arJ in (:: r, La(~:~
J :,g~Vli;m Swrie:- (BAc I j Hrussds, 1932),66,3-----6 (hcn:aftcr LL:~~).
, <;"ekl,jL\ 82,126.
" 1, C)-H) (J.I:.S, 61,12-3); 1, 10-2 (Ix'S, 62, 1-3); 2, 38 (J.hS, 70,1(,); 2, 40-2 (J.LiS, 71, 2-(,); 2,68;;'
\1.I·.S,74-5),
" .I. CCl'll~', Papef anJ Boub in :\1H:il:lll I·:g~p[ (l.tUlduJ1, 1952j, 22. Set: abu lill': appendix of th..: paper ~~!£a .
J. Baint:~ mcnriolH:d in 11. I abmT.
1', Cr. P. Dt.:rcilain, Auteurci S()CiCl~, in: A. J.oprit.:llo (cd.), ,\nciellt J':gyptian Lit<.:r;:uure: Hisroryand Fu(~!,
(1' i 1". Le/L1'n, !l)()(,), H3-l)4
, 'J he concept of ticuoIl.lht\ 1S dlSCUSSCU b\ A Lopncno. DcfU1lrlg Eh''1)llml I lll:ratuic i\nC1t::11l 'J exts and
,\Iot\<.:m '1'hf..·,urks. Anciellt E,I-r:-'ptian Lilt.:l'aturc. 39-58; Sl:e aJso tilt.: p"p<'rs by J. Baines and G. t\·locrs mentioned
in n, 'I "bm'c,
i' The :-choul of thought known a:-; postmorkrnisl1l ha::; cclcbrarcd th.., "los~ of n.:ality", hut being an J..,gypLO~O'"
gi:-I J prefer to remaill prcmodcrn, See for a readable introdllcdon to the sl1bjt:Cl oflitenuy theory P. Barry, BcglIt•.
ning 'j'h(,'ory: /\11 Introduction to Litcrar~' and Cultural'l'hcur~' (i\lanchest<::r, 19<)5). 'Ill(: necesshy of kecping nbre
willi die I';.\pidly ch,lI)ging fashj():l~ in lhis field has bC1,,;11 refrcshingly Ylicstiol)l:d by II. LJ. G umLrccht. Dod
F.g~:plology need a "'I11cory of Literature'?, j\ncicl1t Egyptian J.iterature, ,1-1 H. .,
.-\. I.uprit:n 0, Topus und i\lim~sis: ZUIll l\usHimlcr in dcr i:igYrri~cben l.i!t.:rmur (/\t\ 4H; \X-·i<..:~l>alkll, It)HS).
I.A':" IZ5 {I9W3} ..\, Lgl)l."l'Ls: \\ ell<lIllUIl ')5
,.---­ ----­
r(':\litl' bl' casting the honourable Brutus for the murderer of Julius Caesar. The third and final
Ine:hod is baldly worth)' of thaI' name; il applies when we ha\'e no reliahle doeUmenf>II'\' sources
:'1 ,)ur ,iispos;;i to check tbe literary text against, and consists of using what some would call
(Ollln)"n scnse and others the hermeneLltic approach. I'roeeeding from this principle, se\'e!'al
hi>torians hal'e taken the violenl death of a distant prl;decessor of Julius Caesar describ"d in the
'''['(';tching ofi,menemhat" as a fact of lif". JI has been objected thai "Iheir \'aL'ious strategies do
I1CJt fully incorporate the possibilit\, that the leXtma\' well have rC\\Tiltell l1i'lOr) fl)t artistic ends
or for reasons of decorum""'. This cav~at, though salutal'\' in itself, remains mlher non,
colllmittal as long as the f~nction of such a distortion of history within the literan' contexi is nOl
dllciJ"ted, nor the tl'pe of uecorum demanding a regicide specified,
From the preceding considerations it follows that there arc two different attitudes I",,,,mls
~lcrHturC and the historic:ll inforl11atioll it nlay cont:lin. \'fc 111:1:- dist"ingtli~h these h:· l1l<::ln:, 01
the terms "historicist" and "fictionalist". The latter approach prescribes thaI' a literan' tex/ can
unit- be elllploved as a historical source if its SlOtI' is confirmed by texts of a dOClIntClllan'
n;lI~JI'l" The historicist has less strong principles and more leanings towards bricobge, Perhaps
rhi, is the !'eason wh\' i lik" the hiswr;e;st Slance b,~Sl, e\'en though I rcadik subscribe to Ihe
IlCliun;IJist agenda ot' stlld~'il1g litcratlln.: ill its own ri~ht ':, i\ 1Y{)lain concern in these p'lg<.::->, h( n\'­
(\'l'I',:s to find out what historicill inforolatio!1 we can .rcas()l1;lbl~· s(lueezc out of "\VCll~fllUIl".
Since. J want nlY conclusions to COI1\'tIlCC hisl(lricists and ficti()tlaiisl~ alike, i \Vill SLI.I-\ 1I1~
:lr,sllI1IUll :11 a ·''-T~· h::.~..;ic k\l..:I, 1,(,'! W' >:1I\'j1\;'(· ('(ll':1 l1H)l!1("lll 1I1al ,hl.. p;1p}i"l1<-: 1,:11"\\111 ....
1', Push kin 120 had been lost in anticlu;t\· and thar l~gi'j)llJlo!!ists would therd<>re lead their li\T,
Ifl pitiful ignorance of "\\'ellamun". \\'h"t thell wuuld tilC)' makt: ,J[ lbe temaining l'\idl'IlCL (ull
ceming ['\crihor) I'ote that this hypothetical situation is not reall\· different from the position of
" fundamentalist fictionalist who, by consigning history to the dunghill of liter;tture, has no usc
li.. r "\Venamun" in reconstructing the faU of the Nc\\' Kingdom.
The sources mentioning Herihor have been compiled by Marie"\llge l\ullhcl11e", The appe­
alance uf tile Ilrst fascicle of her bvuk coincided with the ac,\uisition uy
the Pelizaeus-,\l useunl
in I-lildesheim of three pieces of je\\'clry which once belonged to the burial goods of l!crihm",
a"d the publication of a fragmentary block inscribed with rhe name of Ilerihm originaling from
lhe Amun temple at Karnak", The documentation relating to l'Ienllm, which In tile presen/
slJ,l!,e of nl\' reasoning docs not includt: "\X:cnamun", can be di\'ided into three gt:Ou[1s. The first
group comprises the sources in which Herihor ligures as high priesl of .\mun in associatio"
"'ith Ramses XI. These arc confined to the represenl;tlillns and inscriptions of the h\'I)ostylc hall
uf the KhCJnsu temple in Karnak, and 10 rhc badh- d:lI1'l:/,l!,ed oracular slela set up in the pllrticl)
of the same munument';. The second group is formed I", Ihe sources in \\'hich Ikrihor is pro·
\'ided with [O\'al titles, namely thc oceuHences in th" court of the Khul1Su temple and the funer­
ar\, papyrus of I-1erihur's wife l"odjmet. The third group encompasses the remaining documents,
~~:;;; "'hich feature I 'Jeri hor as high priest without a 11\' hint whalsoever to the existence of Ramses XL
,:* Tn the last category bdong the hieratic texts wrinen on the coffin lids of Seti [ and Ramses lJ,
,;,;
..~. :. It B, P 3 r kill SO l\, 'J·~'PI:S (If 1,itcriiturt in the l\liddh: I'illgdull"l, Ancient l-',gyptian J.it<..:ratun.:, .)j I,
.. . '1 he fundamentalist ,-aricty of histOridsnl i~ exemplified by K .. \. Ki tc h C11, Sinuhc:: Scholarly l\1cthvd Vt:rSll<;
I rt:~~d~· F<:~hjon. Bullctin ()f the j\ustralian Cell I 1"" for I·:,g;.'rtoh)~~' 7 (1 C)<)()) , 5,=)-(),ll (l\ve thi!' r<..:fen..' l1cc to G, ;\I()('rs,
.. ;\1-/\. Bonhcmc, I.e lint.: des rois df..: la Troisicmt:: Pc:riodc Intermcdiairc. 1 (BdE 99; Cairo, 1987). Sec for all
~'''~lluatioJl of the sources IvL-A. Bon heme, I'cdhor fur-il effcCli\'cJllf..:nt I'oi?, BIFAO 79 (1979), 26"1-H3. '\l1othCf
Ils~ ~f SOurcl.;S is gin::11 in 1\1. Ri) 111 cr. Gottes· und Pricsu.:rhcrrsc.:hnrr ill AgY1>l<..:1lEnde des NCUt.'1l R<..:ichL:s: EDt
;Jill
rclr~ll()n::;gt:~chichtlichcs Phanomen uno s<..:inc :-(),..i~lcn (;rulldla~en (i\t\T 21; \\:'iesb<l.dcll, 19l..J4), 33-6,
A, Eggebrecht and M. Seidel , JlI\vclc:n dcr Pharaoncn: Einc Pras<..:ntauon dCf Ni<..:Jcfsachsi:,chl:l1 Sp;lrkas­
~~IlSliftullg illl Rocmer- LInd Pclizaew,·j\luseum I Jildc~htill1 (Hildcshcim, t<)87); Pc1iz;\eus-.\luseum Hildeshcim: Die
i\g\P'i<;chc Sammlung (Zabcrns Bildb~indc zur :\rchaoluhric 12; Ilildcshcil1l. I993), 76.
:. Y, Rondot, Un documl'l1t inedil au nom de Ilcrihor, in: Cahicrs de "-arnak, VUI (Paris, 11)87). 2-=-1-7.
J{()IlI<.'r, Couc~- und Prit.:stcrhClTl'if..:haft, ~-34, '

"HI \.I..~blli~';: \\CI .. II. 1 / \;:-. !.!~ i1')~'~~~.
wbich pro\ ide us witll the onl~- UlIl es attested fen I kri!lor, vi,.. year (>, lJ 0)" III tbl 7, and year 6, ~..
III prt 15 (tlw date, contained in "\\'enal11un" ,rill do not coulllf· l\llhpugh ir has c,ften been
,tated rhal lhe,e datelines refer ro the "Renaissance" o( Ramses XI'-, this is 1)\· no mcans evident"
(rom I heir phra,ing which lacks the charaCicristic term WI1I11-I11.Hrl.
The time-honoured view of l!crihm is that he entered upon hi, pOl1lif,cate in the Gcginning
of the WillI/-m.,WI and that he died prior to l"toar 7, III IIIIlI' 2H of that era, which is the eadiest'
,:ale associaled with hi, purported successor Piankh". The family reiatioJls between these men
are unclear, for it has been shown Ihat tlw first prince in the procession of Herihor's family c
depicted in the "honsu lemplc docs not represel1l' Piankh"', This false identification, which was}
the original reason for postulating the seljuence Herihor-Piankh, can therefore no .longer bel:
used to support IIerihor's precedence. Since the administratil'e year starred on 11.1 ,~IIlW 20·'
throughout the n.:ign of Ramses Xl ", the rraditional \'iew implies thal there is bUI a small gap of ~
some four al1d a half months belween the latest date of Herihur (.1.11 prt '15) and the earliest date"':
of Piankh (III SII/II' 2H). In rhe latter part of hi, career Herihor had the audacit)' to arwi'ate wl'a!'.
prerogatives to himself as witnessed b" the decoratiun uf the Khonsu lemple, Piankh, on the :,'
other hand, mu,1 hal'e been less ambitious, for in the oracle text dated to III SI11W 28 he full)'.j"
acknowledge, the authoritl' of Ramses Xl, while there is no e\'idence suggesting that he evet\;:
a~plred to kingship, If J'lerihor preceded Piankh in uftice, lhcn rhe latter's in:;tallation signalled
pni"d "I res!"llralion afler l!crihor's provocative innovations in the decotaLi,'n of 1he court of the,';:·.
khon,u temple, which arc likcly to hal-e displeased the real Pharaoh residing in the north, This·~
,ccotld pha,e of the WllfIHlIslrl has left no traces in the l(]lUnsu temple, for .it lVaS only..~.
Pi:l111:h": <:llil ~n(.~ !"t1pp()~cd ";!lCC('~Sf)r Pinodjcrn I '.dl0 ordered to nc('oratc jts r}·!on and IhU<:i pur-·
stlcd the programme begun b,' Herihor. Like the lattcr and unlike his father Piankh, whose portrait·~'
and naille arc conspicuousJv abscnt ftom the Khonsu templc, I'inodjem I poses as the one and:
onll' king on ilS waUs. So much for the tradioonaJ I'iew of l!crihor and the conselluenees it entails,
J;lnsen-\Xiinkeln's alternative to all this is based on various type, of evidence: civil lilies, roynl
titularies, the building historv of the Kh"nsu temple, genealogies, and date:;", His central thesis
is that Herihor succeeded Piankh inslead of the other way round, J lerihor's pontificate must·
then po,td"te I·ear 10, I ,{IIIII' 25 of the W!/IIl-IIlSI.'I, which is the lalest datc \I'e ran associale lI'ith .
Pianklr". The same date happens to be the highesl one lor the WIII/HIlS"'1 - and c"nse'l"l'ntl~~
for Ram,e, XJ - as well, Yet the decoration of the hvpostde hall of the Khonsu temple shows·
rhat R;lIn~es .xl \\"S slil.1 eonsic!cred Phataoh when llerihor ,tarted to aCI as I,igh ptiest. Th,'re·
t')l'e we l11ust ;"SUl11e that after year 10 of the Wb.nHlIs\\'r, which corresponds to I'ear 28 of the':,.
enlire reign of Ramses XI, this monarch lived long enough to necessitate his presence in the ':
company of.1 !crihor on the walls of the hrpostyle hall. This suppositiul~is not verI' daring, since ~I.'
!t ha, heen argued on chrnnologlcal grounds that the reign of Ramscs X I lasted 29 I'ears at least ,..
and 34 I'ears at mosr···. I t was only after thc demise of the last Rall1esside king that Herihor ven' .~.
rured upon the usurpation of royal pri\'ileges that can be obsen'cd in the decoralion of the court ,.
of the KhollSU lemple.
The handiest rd(.TclH:c is Kl{1 V1, SJH.
E.g. Bonhcmc, Lc lint' des rois, 132; K. :\. Kitchen, The Third Jlllc:nllt;di:.lll: Pc..:ril)d in EgypC {
(1100-650 BC) (\\"arlllinmr, 1~%), § 37~.
Ii- KRI VI, 702-3. A somewhat later daLe from the same.: ,'C:tf is rUl1l1d in P. l'rt\klll)Y; :-cc: U. Bl:r!t.:,·, The D~tr-~
vI' 1'- l',al<ll"", GIll (,(I (1 ~9~), 5 - 1 5 . '
1" 1:,. F. W·clltt.:,ill:'l'IH:'fclllph.:ofKhoHSU, I (OIl' tOO;Chicagu.197~)• .'\-:-..i.
. . .I. "·oJl Ih:ckcr;Hh, (:hrono!ogic dc~ pharaollischcn Agyptcll: Die 'l.c.:irhc::.stllllllHlIlg ..kr ~g:,plischcn Gc:- ./,
sdlldw.: yon der Vorzcit his 332 ,-. Chr. (1\1.\S 46; f\l:linz, 19')7), 107 \vilh n. 458.
:1 Set.: Il. 3 ami 5 abo\'t.:.
\' J. (:c 1"11~', J .a.tc R~I1H.:ssidc
J.ctll:rs (BAc 9; Brus!icls. 193Y), 1 7 , II.
l' VUIl Ih:..:k<.:r:lth, Chrot1ulogiedes ph~IraOllischl.'ll Agyptcll, ((17 •.~.
,"
.J
>
------
1..\:' l25 fllJlJX
;.--'-_.~-- -_._-,-~.~~.-.,
\. I.~b,,·r: ~.~.\ "'l!'lnl_l~~I ... 'f·
If Jansell- \\·inkdn is tight in inl'<~rting the seLluellce Ijeri.hor,Piankh rhat has so long been
,,,rt of our EgI'j1toh>gieal upbringing, then thc rll'o date, associated lI·itll Ikrihor cannot belong
:" I"elf (, of the Whl1l-/lIslI'l. It follows rhal this yeHt' must refer to the "roYal" pha,e of l!crih"r's
or":cr, whicr. ,,·as lriggered by Ihe death of Ibmse~ XI. The hall-he,"Ted natm... of I krih",.'s
kin~,hii' has (,(ten been remarked on, It is exemplified by his datelines lI·hich conlai" 110 indica­
ti()'~ l,f dIe current reign, \vhile the Iitlc:-: they ass!gn to I kriho[ betray not·hing of the royal Sfatus
he clljo.\·nJ ~!u. :()rding 10 the contemrorar~' scenes and inscripliolts of fhe court of the I,hon:--u
It'll/pic.. \nd yet the sixrh regnal ycar can be no other than that o( J krihor, if 1I"l' cho( lSe 10 ,ielt'
with 1,"1sen-Winkeln, This ye,lI' must lhen /1>11'(': coincided lI'itb the Sixlh regnal ITar of Slllcnde"
the r;J!cr of Lower Lgypt lI·hom i\Janerho considered Ihe f"utlder of the TIITntl'-llrst Dynastl',
,chieh suggests that like I·lerihflf he callle to power after rhe death of Ramses :\ I had oeellrred".
In other \,",mls, the I'car in 'Iucstion w;,s th(; sixth after the end 01 the New I"':in!!dolll. " is
lInkllOIl·n for how long Ilerih"r beld ,way of Upper LgI·pt. J lis wife "'odjmet seems Il> halT
sun in::d hinl but shortl~". for she W3S buried in the first yc;,r of Ilcrihor's :'llCU.::-SUI PillOll­
i
il'llll .'.
, F<lc,d \\·irh the two reeonstruelions de~eribed ill the prel'ious paragraphs, j do not he,itale 10
;1\'(111' rill" belief in rhe one pmpo,ed I,,· Jallsen-\Vinkeln. In the present situarion, the burden of
a'l" pn,lot" rests wirh hi~ (:ritic~, Tllc~· C:lnl101 cOlltellt Ihc1l1seh-cs with rroducing ad hoc ar,glt1l1~l1t~
a~ain'l "<tch link in tile ellaitl of .Ial1Sen-\\'inke1n 's reawning. '1 he real rest is wbether all lhese
argulllcnls taken together yield a mure solid chain, and tbis is where thc critics fail.
Alil1<lugit 1111' article i:; supposu! to deal lI·ilh "\\'en;II1Iun", 1 hal'e delibcratc'" tdnllned fro111
!1ll::nti()nin~_: I·hj~ ~ourcc in the pre-ceding disClll:"iIlTl I\r wh.u rl'.llil~ 1n::,:,. luI. t' h'flL·....-d Ji],l .JllJill,~
the transilion of the 'l'wcmielh to the Twentl,-tirsr D,'nastl'. This parados has 'prung frnl11 III I'
wish not to alienate the fictilJnalists anlUtlg Ill) rcadcr,ltip, '[l,ey arc adl'i,eJ to ,kip the selillel,
,inre ml' true historicist disposition is about to rel'eal itself. Lei us therefure SlOp pretending
that we live in a world \,-ithuut "\~Ienamun" and sec how li.leratUl'e firs in with hiswn·.
In my imroduction I bave suggcsted that wc should start our search [or the rcalit\· behind a
lile,ary \I'O,k such as "\VenamUtl" by isolating those ekmcnts lI'hich lVe suspCCI 10 cont,>rtll \I)
the hisluriGll truth. Alrhollgh "\~'enalllun" cumaius Illueh thal mighl Lc considued relel 'lilt t(l
all undetstanding of the political conditions in the I,el';lnl and CI'['>fU> in the e1el·emh eeoiliry
Be I will concentrate on what i, sa)'s abullt EgI'pt, rhe homeland of it, proragoni>r as lI'ell as ils
author. hr5t I will discllss the EgYl'uan SL:lleSmen 111entiotled ill "\\'enal11un": ~111endes, Ilerihor
and J(ha<'111wase, Next 1 will procced to ~ scrutill\- of il,e dales the SlOn' contains ill order ro
d"lcnnine whcther lbel' rcally all"w the historical conclusions mall\· Lglptolugists, including
myself, have drawn from them in the past,
Smcndes is repenred!" referred 10 in "\\-'enaillun". J-lis lir~t occurrence is found in the 'econd
sentcnce of the "port (1, .1-4): "()n the day of 111Y arri\'al at Tanis in (the arca) wllere Smende,
and Tentamun are, I gal'e IhellJ the decree, of ,\mun-Re, King of Gods"". Tcnramun is pre­
S'.Hllabh ider:tical with rhe 'lueen <If Ihm m'111e known lU ha\'e born Llucen Hcnttawi, the wife of
I'inodjem I and the 'notlter u[ lh" Tanite king Psusennes I. II has been suggesled by '\Ildrzej
\iwinski that Tel1lamun was the wife of Ramses XI, whieb would account for the compoutld
name "Ramses-Psusennes" anesred for her grandson, since its lirst c!el11elll could then be iden­
.
\\ .. G. \\·add~IJ, J\t~r\(.:rho (Londoll alld C;mlhl'idgl,:, 1\1<-1" )tJ.lO), 1;)..~·-7. TIK n.:li,:hilily or 1\lam:lIw btl:- hL'CI1
~ qUt<;tioJled 1)\ C.IJag~II:l, 1\ CI'll.il:itl lh:\'ll,.;\\/.,I D"';ld-n.:t.:klHllllg trlltll ,h... 2.1~1 IJrna,'I!\', I,\RCI·:.\; ~1l)~G).
153-63, \..-ho ·~ugges!s rh:u th~ '!'",..'nt\,-tirst J)\'l);l:-ll\, Will' fOllnded h\' Sm"'llClcs' SllcCl',..se;r /\n;t:I1'('ll1ni."ll. I consider
\lan"'lho":-. ;ICCOUJll llIore lnlsl\\'orrh~· ;h~1l rh:lI·of 11·;lg(,l1!'i, WllO S('('I1;S III h..· igll11nllll nf.l;llls... n-\'(inkdn~~ important
C()ntrihutif)n~ on rhi:-: :C:Uhjl'C':1.
'I. Set,' Ihe n.:fcrcllccs in K.ii III Cr, (;ellteS- llnd Pricsll'l'hctrsc!l:lfr. S:).
I.I':S G). 4.-(1: IIrw II ,'p"
I.I,.=./ r (;rllt fIJI IIty N.r·,\'w-IJI-I//}-f)d 1'1-m-lmll Jill ;11·=; t/if 1/=11" 11: 1\·{l1.11· Jl 711111-1(( I/.n\"1
I/!III·.

9H .\. i·.~hl.:ll:-· \\'\,"IJaIIll111
---------·.--------..:.,I~
titied as a reference l<> his grall<Hather Ramses X"'-. This genealogy has been <luesti'"1eu bY:)1
I-':'enncth A. Ki tc he n on two grounds. First, the association of Tentamun witb Smendes (as
e\'ldeneed hI' "\X'enamun") during the lifetime of her husband Ramses Xl "is sureh' totally un-.~,
paralldeJ in aJl thm we kllow of the roles of even the most prominent queens-consort in the1
l\Ie\' KingdoJT1 (or any other period)". Second, the family tree proposed by N i wi Ii ski "leaves+.
)mende, I, founder of the 2'1 st Dmastl', l<>talll' isulated and having no idemifmble link with7
either the 20tb Dynasty or the Theban commanders anti high priests"". N i wi I; ski" attempt;'
to bral'e Kitchen's criticism by presenting a historical reconstruction in which TentanlUn plays".
a pil'otal part bas failed signally;', since the latter scholat tightly qualifies it as "unsupported',
speculatioll" and "f~lntasies"·,". N i\l·iliski 's case ItlT a marriage between Ramses Xl and Tent.'
amun would hal'e been much stronger, if he hatl chosen to adopt Jansen-\X"inkeln's~
views abmlt Herihm and the consequent redating of the events described in "\X"enamun" to the'
III sr yCalS of the Twcntl -llrsl 1)1 nast' On thIS assurnptH>n, w(' may regard Smendes as the sec-'
ond husband of Tenta1l1un, whom she married after the death of Ramses XI. This would effec-.
til'eh' counter the objections Kitchen has raised against the genealogy designed by N i'.vil\ski,.':.
while keeping its obvious advantages. It would also explain the prominent role assigned to Tent-.·
amull ill "\,'enamun": in her person the Twentieth and Twenty-first Dyn>lsties were linked.
,\ccording to thc passage from "\'\'enamun" cited abovc, Sm<:ndes and Tental11ull resided in:,
Tanis. This is conllnned by Manetho, who states that the Twenty-first Dynasty consisted of ..
sel'ell kings of Tanis, whereas tile preceding Dynasty is said to have counted twdve kings oL.
I);o<p"!;s (i.I·'. Thebes)".'\fter naming Tanis rhe le~r Cllntinues with rhe phrose ,. pi Illy N.I-.Ill'..
B :'I/.h-{)d '1':-11/-1/1111 illl". In the existing translations of "\'(Ienamun" tbis phrase is variously_,;
regarded as an adl-crbial adjunct of Spl', despite the fact that this verb is already construed with ­
thc preceding adjunct I' Qrlll"; as an apposition of grill, thus leaving the preposition I' unac·
counted for'''; and as a relati"e clause, ignoring the true grammatical status of the adjunct, which
is adl'erbial and n"t odjecti\'al"'. In itself, the noun-phrase "where Smendes and Tentamun are"
allows of different interpretations, depending upon our identification of the implicit antecedent
as a \'()um, a palace, the city of Tanis, the land of Egvpt, and so on. It is worthwhile to have a
brief look at the occurrences of similar phtases within "\'(.'enamun". lIn instructive example to
start with is (2, 75): "I forced my way tluough them 10 where Hatiba, the princess of the town,
\I ;".". Ti,e lHOSl plausibie explanauon of this passage is that II illt "where Hatiba was" hcr resi.;,
\- 1\. Ni\', ilhki, 1'J"f)hk"111S in rill: ChrllllllJog: :II14.! G<.:nt.'al!Jgy of thl:' ~Xlsi J):.m'~l~: Nl,,:\\, Propllsi1ls for thcir~~ •.
l'lH·rpn.:t;lti/)l1, J:\HCI~ 16 (tt.J 7 9), 49-Mt Th~ gcnc:dogic:-!.! rele\'~nc(' Ilf Ihe ~lIrn;lInc Jbm!'c.o.: h~!' hc<:n do~h[cd by,~~..
K,.I,;.I1l SCI1-\" in k cln, Dcr J\I/{jordOl11us des Amun l\nchetenl11ul", Ol~ JH (1997), 2Y-3G, esp. 32-3.
, kilt.:hl'll, Third IlllcrmcJiarc Perioo, 537.
loj A. N i wi ri~ k i, Uurgcrkrie~. Illilitarischcr Sraalsstrcich und Ausnahmczustand in ;\gypte::11 unrt::T Ramses Xl: ~.
Lill \'t:rsllch ncucr Interpretation der altcn Qudlcn, in: l. Gamcr-\'('allcn ami \X.., HcJck (cds.), Gcgcng:'bc~~'
h:stsehrifr fur Ellllll:1 Brunncr.'fraut (fubingcn, 19(2), 235·-62; id" Lc passage dc la XX' :l In XXlr d~'nasti~-~­
Chrollologie ct histoirc po!itklllC, BJF.AO 95 (J 9(5),329-60; id., I.c~ pcriorlc:s Wlllli 111.\wt d,U1S l'bi~toirc cit' l'l~gYr(e::'T
Ull ""ai wmparntif, USI'E 136 (19%), ;-26.
'" t-.':il·chcl1, Third Inlcrrnc.::diatc Pt:riod, xix,
\\'a<l<kll, ~lall"d\O. 152-7.
Sec 11. )6 abe Wt:.
Lg. 11. G ot:dit:k<.:, The Itq){}rt IIf \\·LIl';.lU1UJl (B,dlimon•• 1')75), 17: "·11\\.; dit: I al'li.LJ ill 'l'.tlli~, at Ill..:: plac~-'
wht:rc SnH.:ndcs ;tIld T~nct<lmUIl \vc.;rc".
~J I':,g, i\L Lichthe.;im, l\nciclll J'~gyptiall Literature; 1\ Book of Hc:\(ljng~, JJ (Bcrkdl.:}" etc., 1976).224: "On the
d'l\' of 111\' tlrrival :1t Tanis, the plotcc where Smcndcs and Tcntamun an.-",
.~~n'H' Moers, Te.;xtc au::;. der Umwdt des l\hCI1 'J'eSfamems 111/5, 9l4: "Am 'I',lg mdncr Ankunft jn T,mis.-..
\\'(1 Slllcndcs 1.lllJ 'J'anct:ullUI1 leocn." As C" Moc rs has inforll1(,.·d mc, this rran!i!arion should not be..- considcre.;d tQ
reflecl his grammatical tlnah-si::;. of lhe sentence.;.
1/. J.I ~S, 75, 2: IW:; W.f/=1 iwd=.,. r 1'1 my Utl1 ,: ",.,.t II p: dm; illl,
'­
I.,\S 12.'; (19<)8):. /..\";;:> 12..1 i ~I';}o: ~~ \\ .. -,.tI:I,H
!)fI
-------_--..: ------­
dc nee IS IIlcanf' ) since according to the 11ext sentence of his report \\'ellillllllll rouJld her \\·hl.:11
,he mO"cd from her one palac.e to thc other. In his suhsc<luenl 'lppeal to Hmiba, hO\\'(;\'(;r,
IX'"n:"lIUll speaks of "rhe land where I'OU arc" (2, HO)". ,\Ithough this case manifesrs all cxplicil
:lllrec"d, .It, rhere is no cogent reason to aSSU111e rhat the samc l11eanin~ could not h,l\'(; been
((ltl\l.:<,·cd hy nlLlllS of the noun-phrase p: Illy fll' ;m, "where you arc". This is confin11cd by !\\'O
nca rk identical passages in which /.ekerbaal, the prillce of I:h'1>\"s, stales that crafTsmanship and
"lsd;>11l hal'e come from Egypt "in order to get to where I all'" (2,21-2)"'. The mentioll of j':i--"'P'
,l~ thc land where th,,>e accompJishments origillated makes it \'('1'1' likdl' Ihal rh" noun,phr",,, ill
<llI,,"tioll denotes the city,~tate of Ihblos, alld nut just the room where /.ck"rba;d h'll'l'clled I"
uller Ihese words. illy poil't is further illustrated b)' the locutioll!': Illy 111111 1111, "II'here .\lllUll is".
,rhich is used twice ill "\\'en,lt1lun" to Jesignme the land of EgI pt. III the tlrst passage Zekcrbaal
,Isks \X'enamun (1, 50-I): "How long is it until today' since you came frlllll where ,\nllln ;s,.. ·... i\S I
h;1,'(; shown in ntl' prel-ious studl' of the chronoJogr of "\'\'enat1llln", the answer ro thi, qlleslion
onk makes sense whcn the phrase "where I\mun i~" refers to Egypt". This imerprelali"ll is COil·
lil'l~lCl\ 01' a lorer spcech of Zehrh'lal, in which he puts "where nlU came from" ill appositillll 10
"11)(: land of Egypt" (2, 20)"'. In the second occurrellce of the I"cutioll "where ,\mUlI is" the 11.1lI'd
is "'irh Wellam'Jn, who ,al'S ro Hatil>a (2, 7fl): "I h,ll'(' hcard as I~lr a"'al' "' Thehes in (rhc '1I'C:l)
w!l'.:re 1\1l1tl1l is""", TI,e farl \1lt41 Id lI'.v 1,,/11 ill I is l'n.'( l·(k·d 1.1y lhl..' j1rcpo,jlilll1 i' fflrhicl, III r('g'll'd
lidS phrase as an opposition of "Tllebes", as most Iranslators would hOlT it.. Thercflll'c, I inlerprel,.
pi firy 1111/1 jnJ as it. hKrlt;vc L"xpr<'~~i()n) in which the rrCr(l"jrinrt,. h(\~ the l)H~~lnin~~ "~t" or "in""
The la:-:t cxarnple. with its sequence of:l rnpOII\"l11 and thl: ~l(.{jllllct ,. p: Illy, .. 1111. is n.:nlillisCCl)\
IIf the passage mentionIng :'mcndes and 'J'emamun whIch gal'e rise 10 the preceding granlln:n'
cai digression. This COI1SpiCUUllS analog~' is the reaSOll \VJt~1 I prefer the tl'HIlSlarioll "ill (til<..: ;(n.:tlJ
"here Smendes and Tentamun arc" to the alteruati\'es listed abm·e. In ml' opinion, ""'hcrc
Smendes and Tentamun arc" is a designation of the area under their control, i.e. Lower I :.gl'l'l.
,lluldlir fl/II/Judis, tlle sa111<.: applies to Upper Egypt as shol\-n b\ the follCl\l'illg e:-;Irael from a
'l'eeeh of\X'enamun (2, GO-I): "When I will get to whel:e the high priesI' of ,\mu)) (i ..:. IlcrilHlr)
is''''. Since the partition of their countrv is notlikc1v to have flied the Lgl'J>tiallS \1'llh pride. il is
casy to understand whl' the)' had recourse to such a circull1locutioll of political realities. J halT
:l1i'cady noted that in addition to the customarv gcographical term Klfll the author 01 "\X enanlun"
~'mploys t.he phn-l$~ '\.,.b:.:r:: ;\!llUn i:" wIlen l't'!errinh l~' l'~:'T"";1' ;'<- ,.",;,.,,~:, ,,-}.;,0I, ''11''> ~Il~~.~,·..'t
..
.~~ rhat national sentiments were nor entirely lacking: ill his dal·s. This expressio)) seems to hOI'e
~.~ been fashiollcd after the locution i1! Illy IIl'lw illl, "where one (i.e. Phar"oh) is", lI'h;ch is attested
.>'t ill the Ramesside period as a means of distinguishing I ':1'1'1'1' from its nei1'hi>"ur Uluntries
'~: i\ sillllJ:.r inlnpn:l<llioll ~l.:e.;lll:' 10 \'1. tL·t.lllircd in J, 12 .>: "I \\l'lllt<J \\'Ih.r...- d ....: princc (i.e, t)( Dor) W;\O:" (I.LS,
62.3---1: ill'=;,fm,. p~ Illy pl .....r illl).
'. U':S, ~5, It: p: J:",y '\I' ;111=;:
,., I I·.S, 69, .1-4: r pb r p: flty I:d ;m. Cf, l.~, Po sc.:lIc.;r, ,\ prol)Wi d·Oullfll1lon. 2, 21 22. ill: ~. b; netl il-(; rull.
SH.l~.lil.:~ ill I·.g~ ptol()~,!' Pl'c~enl<.:d ttl :\Jiri<.llll l.ichtllcim, II (Jerusalcm, 1990),7';"3-.5.
I.ES, 6()~ 7: UT r p: IInl' m-rjr III'=k III pI Illy 1,,/11 1m
' Lf\bens.Jl:;\ /7 (1991). (>tI.
,.,. LES, (l9, 2: p; I~ II Kml p; I\I'=/.: in:.
" J.ES, 75, 6-7: 11'11=1 S(JII1.~~(' Nlwr,. pI lit)' 1111/1 ;11/.
.:,;<.-
~ \\"b I J) 38!~~; cr. K. Jansen .\\' ink e In, Spatmirrcliigrptisdu: (inlll1l1l;llik dcl' Texte de.;r .3. /,\\'i::;chenzeil
{A,,\ r 34; \X'it"h;uktl, 19<)(,)1 176, for c.::.x:nnplt's (If t1lC..~ ('qrnhin;tti, HI /. + toponym h:l\'ing loc:ui\·l.: mC'1.ning-, \':hidl
".,", sho,uld be: contrasled with lht.: more common dircctionnl mc.::;\I1il1~ of Ihis c{)mhin~tj()n,
, "LES, 73, 6-7: ir ;",=-1 ,,11 r pi my pI (IIIHl!r Ipy II 1mn;1It O;IC lJIay comparc tht: following statt.:lllellr by Pl,lnkh
' ""'... Clltd in (lYle of the I~alc Raml.:ssi(k J~t.:l(t:rs: "I \vill .~() up to mcet Pflllcl1l'i in (the are~) where hc is" (l' eo 1"11 ~-, l.all:
Rall1~sidc J..ettcrs, 7, 16: Iw=1 !.\)' r ~I".\ll" pb Pl-l1l(u)' I' f,t my'\"lI' Im=!). Tilt: laS( Ildjuncr unly make~ :;cnsc. \\·Ill':ll il
r(:f~~~ w th~ region of Nubia controllcd by rhe rebel :lntl fOI'01er dccroy Panchsi.
. In rhe: journal of a border official (I'. t\na~ta~i JlI, \'5.6,1 ff.) rhe Icut'rs de~tined ff.lr the roy,",1 . H.llnin;Hr:nitlll
art' calkd pi lIty III-di=:.f r pJ "'y I)1'IW 1m. "whal lie': (i.e. lilt: Illesscliger) had \\'illl him fur \\·hc.;rt Ullt i~", \dlt:n.:a~

Ilill ,\ Eghcr!:-: / .. \~ 125 (1"~8) :..'.
\\c-ll:1l11l'l'
-_._------------~----- -------------­
;\fter \\·cnamun's arrival at Tanis hc is said ro have hanued "the uecrees of Amun-Re, King ;'
of C()d~~' to SlllClldcs and Tcntanlun. l~bt.: wortl H'ld, lCtk.crcc", in\'ariabl~' refers to a dI)CLllnent~.:_
issued ill the Ilame of a king or a god". In a later episode of the report, 7.ekcrbaal requests such a (
dueument fl'llm Wcnamun (I, 51-4): "'\\i'here is the decree (w(li) of I\mlln that is in YOllr hand1''';'
\'\:here is the letter WI) of the high priest of Amun that is in yuur hand)' 1 said to him: 'I havc ','.
g;\"en them to Smendes and Tentamun'. Then he became very angry and saiJ to me: 'So therc
al e no decree and letter in your hand' ";'. 7.ekerbaal's rcar.tion shows that \V'cnamun's failure to
pr(;sent am' official docu111~nt relating to his mission was a serious breach of diplomatic deco,·
rum. Accoruingh', the hanuing of the decrees of I\mull to Smendes and Tentall1un should bc
regar.ded as an act within the sphere of foreign affairs. I Jere wc havc anothcr hint at the division '"
of Egypt into two political entities.
Aftcr a stay of eight months in Tanis, WenamuI1 was finally able ro leave for J:3yblos (1,6-8): . ,
"Smendes anu Tentamun sent me uff with captain J\-Icngcbet, and 1 went clown to the great sea '..
of I<.hor in the first mOllth uf .\1/1"" Jay I""'. The namc ~1cngcbct is definitely not Egyptian"·' and:·
the same applies to its bc'n-cr, since later in the text Zekerbaal calls him "that foreign c:!ptain',.··..~
(1, 55)"'. His ship must haye been included among the twentl' ships in tbe harbour of B\'blos;~··
"that are associat~d with Smendes" (I, 59)"'. The first di\'ergcnce of opinion betwcen Wenamun"':'
and /.~kerbaal c'J1,cerned the natiunalit\' of the vcssels ~mployecl by Smencles, the prince 0[""
Ild>!os suessinl4 the J .naminc ethnicity of thcir crews, while thc messenger of I\mun empha,·.;'
sised their subser\'ienc~ to an Egyptian ruler. The latter argument failed to impress Zekerb,lal: in.:':
his e\·~s rhe rwenty ships associated with Smencles were nothing compareu to the Efty ships
.~:,~,lJli.LICd \,,'illl \\;"\ rLCll']) ,\"Ilo 1l111St accurdiJl.u;l:," ha\'c heell (1 radiant SI',lf on the international
sl:'gc "I" ,h"sl' ,1:Irk ~gc" while heing of I,c\-antine, /\nawlian or Acgean stock (1, 54-2,2)"..
This, e01l1bill~d with Dlany uth~r indicatiolls in the report, sugge~ts t11<lt Egypt W>lS 1I0 IOllger tllc."'"
glorious trade partller il used LU he. In this wa~· the authur of "\\'cnamun" has ruthlessly expose<).
the economic decline of the fonn~r empirc, which ma\' have becn the cause or the result, 0/­
both at the same tinle, of the political split occurring at the end of the New Kingdom.
On his way to Byhlos \'\'cnamun called at the port of Dur, where his gold alld silver were·
stolen by a runaway n"'lllb~r of Mengehet's cre\\'. In \Vcnamun's appeal (or help to Bcder, the·
[nince of Dol', it is ,t"ted with respcct to th~se \'aluables (1, 14-6): "It belongs to I\mun-Re,
King of C;ods, the lord of the lands. It bdongs to Smencles. It belongs tu HerihUJ', mI' J.urd, and
the other great ones of Egrpt (11{ kil' rr,,' 11 Kill!)""·'. \\.'hilc th~ preccdence of Amun need not.
surprisc us, it is interesting LU note that \,'enamun names Smendes before his own superiot·
J!(;fihor. Pcrhaps we may take this as an indication that "'jthin ti,e internatiomtJ context
Sm~nues was felt to bc th~ more impllrt<ltlt ruler. This would be consisrent with th~ fact that the:,;,
. ~
the !cltcrs scm tWill I-.gypl an.: rtgi~h.;n.xl as p: my III-cfi=) ,. ~lJn,', "\film Ill' Ilad will~ him fur "bor";
A, H, G a rtlinc r, J,ale J~gYrtian i\JisceUanies (BAc 7; Brussc:ls, 1(37), 31, 7 -.\2,7, III a decree ( ) t J{:lI11SC!\ XI ad(ln:s5ed:'~.~.
to the \'iccro~' Panchsi (P. Turin I BY() the same cxrrcs~ion "where ooe IS" (~olltrasts willi Nubia, the n:hriol1 admi- !::
ni,teml br tbe saill official (KRI "J, 735, 2 a11l14).
1
\. \\'b ". 354 ;""", It is for instance fuund as a dt::'ign:uioll or I'hl..: dtl:rcc of RmllM':s XI Illclllionnl ill lhe pn;\'ious .,::
IlOle (KRI "J, 7)4, 14).
~ LJ':S, 66,9-11
"') I.ES,61,R-II.Ct.Fgbert:"JEt\77,SlJ-6il,
'I' T, S<.:hnciJer, Asiatis<.:hc PCrSOlll..:l1nal11Cll ill ii.g~ptische.':11 Qud1cll des NcuCt1 Rc:icbes (OBO 114; Frdburg;~.
lllld l...;(Jllingcll, 1992)) 127 -H,
(.t J,1"':5,66, 15: IJly bry-mlls ~l,.{1,.,
t,: 1.I':S, 67) 5; h,'=h' 111 {IIJr/nll Ns-sH'-I3J-lJh-l)d, Set: fo!' bIJrj. ,,:, 110<:11, Scmilic \'\/ords in 1':gypli:lIl T(;XlS ofrhc
New Kingdom and Third Jntermc:diatt: Period (PrincclOll, }I)~4), 140-J, Comrary Lo Hoch,! tak~ the tWu occUJ.!
ft.;Ill:cS of this '.. . orL! ill <l\\\:lJamlln" to be abstracr n\.thcr thaLl ~genlin: nouns,
101 I.I':S, ()(I, 13-{)7, X, See for the na11le Wrkl( Sch neider, Asialischc Pr::rsoJlCnn;lI11Cn, HI-3,
,., LES, 62, 7 -~.
-":"ue~-'
',"f
,\. I ,~l"" I 1"; \\ ... 1l .. 1:1~:1' IIII
~,~~~,~~,
high pricsL~ of ,-\nlun arc ignored III l\l;lllc..:tho s account o( th:..· 'h\"{;llt~-tirsl I)Ylla~r~' .1Ild witll
l
C~;ltCnlporary c\·idence gi\'ing the irnpression that the ·r.lnilc':~ \\'lTC kss reticent in c1ainling
w\"~ll prerugatives than the Thcbans_ The Illcntion uf Htht: (llhcr great ()nc~ of I':g~'re' is inrrigu­
il1~' \\ ilL' cOi.;ld these 111agnatt:s be? Perhaps Ihe t::lSieSI solutiDIl is It I n.:g;lrd lhelll as rcullily
111~111!Jer:, uf St;l~llUL:S and Ilerihor, since this would release ll~ froIn the ohlig;ltion of ClJnteI11,
pLnin,!'" tl,e pu,:sibility that Eg\'pt h;ld fallen into Illore !'i~~es thall the t\\"o \'..~ alrenel:-' knoll·
"r··. The use or kl(I, "other", as a yualifier suggests that S111endes and Ilcrihor were likewis~
(ol1sidcl"ed "gr~at ones", rather than "kings" Of' "Pl-hlraohs", In f:H.:t, the true king has been
1I1Uliioned at the \T[~' beginning of \\-cn:l1nun's L'J1U111l'ration: ,'\ 111\1n·I{(', "iog of (;()d~, the lord
"f'the !:tllds.
The thCn1C of AnlLltl\ kingship is also tOLlched UP(>l1 ill ~ <..:t alH>thcl' t>a~sagl' fGllLJrin~
SIl,cnd~s anu his consort Temamun, in which W·,,"a111un exhorts !'"kcr[,aaJ as (ollo"s (2, }1-5):
"I ,,\\.~ your ~cribc bn,ughl to n,~ that 1m",· send hin] to Smendcs nnd Tenw111un, the 'pl,mners'
;\Il1L111 h'l~ (lpp()inted in the north of his hUll1 (lIJ ,\111.",.,." I,di 111111111 p: mill." II fJJy=/If)"'~', The crux
of this ,'cI1lence is the word .ml.", \V;'ith customary brilliance, .lean YOH>ile has explaincd tr a:; a
precursor of the title .1'1111', which denoted the highest ecunomic ufllce afl~r lh~ ad111inistrati\T
reforms introuueed hy i\masis and corresponded to thc Greck t:itl~ rliliikeif/-. Despi!c the curio
ous spelljng 01· the snibc ol'''\\'~mlmul1'', which has been intluenccd bl· th~ ~xpr~ssilJt, .1"1111, "to
ki~~ tllc Ctu,th", the \\ort! snty nlUSI. be;l dcri\'3.ti\'c of the n.:rb SJl!, "til fnl,lfld, i l l pL!,,". If~ lilt'!",!!
1lll':IIling wuuld then be something lik~ "planner". In all probability, the ~nnle word oeCllrs in the
Litle ,\"I1(y fir, which is only known fron: rhe titubr:,' of prince Kh~{(:nl\":"l':(', th': l(''''nll''~ ,-:nn nf
r
It11l';;C~ 11 ,,,. "PlanTler f,f I lotus (i,c'. Philt-:1rlh)" i" ~ till;nv epithel fIll" ~l 111rtn who cninn'd such a
I'l"i\·ilegcd staws as l<haell1wnsc. Lt is int~resting thut the same "·oru 0"1111" surtac~s ill .. \\ (,Il:tlllun"
a~ an ::.ppcJlation of Snlcndcs and 'l'entamuo, describin~'!, theIr (t'lrtticll1 to t\nHII1, Thi~ is sugl!CS­
tire of an ideological eonstcllatiul.l in whi~h Amun "cte~l as king, ,,'hile Smendes '1IId T~nramull
fUllCiioncc! as his highest officials in tbc north. [3" implication, I Jeriho!. was the S!1l\' of thc
south. This partition foreshadows the practice of a hlt<:r period, when ii was nol unCllmmon to
l'l1lplol" two or three such officiafs at the same time, each administering his own region"".
'J.11e lell~r dispatched bl· \X;cnamutl had th~ desired effect, for Sllleilcies and T~nt","ull re­
SIXltlUed !J\. sending a variet\' of Egyptian prodUCts to Zc:kerbaal (2, 39-41)"'. ;\ nice detail is the
I;Kt that Tentamun did not forget to provide \\.'enamun himself with a weU-d~sen-cd supph- of
garnll'IHS, kllti1~ aud dlit.J fi~lJ (2) ~1_2Y', ,Il i.:> .1.1lUlh~1 iIJu"LLUi~HI tl di... \~Ith~)ri::.. ':.':l!' ,.'.-I l :,·!, 1h!~
f(wallady - perhaps the last eJucen of the Ne\\' Kingdom a, pointed out ahuI·~ - w:ts clothed,
In the preccding paragraphs all occurrences of the hisll>rical pcrsonIl:tgcs SIl1~Illks :!nd Ilt:ri­
hur in "\\lcnamun" have been revie\\'ed, exc~pt th~ foUowing passage nnllling the high priest o(
Amun (2, 25-(;): "Thus AIllUII·R~, l,ing of Cods, spok~ to Ikrihor, t1l1·10rd: 'Scnd me!' 1\nd he
y
m~dc 111(' Cl)OlC with this great g()d"-'~, j '~\'identIYI this r~fers tu (111 OfJc!e legicitnating Heriilor's de­
"i~
:',-­ cisioll t" build a new bark for ,\nlun·'. \,.~ kilO\\' this decision to be a historical fact, since rhe con·
~ce.";~
structioll of a bark for Amun is also I1lcntion~d in two inscriptions localed ill tbe court of th~
"hOIlSU temple-'. There it is stated that I'lerih')l" "bas hcwn llis (i.e. AI1llln) bark out of pine uf the
,
',..:.
; cr. Hdmcr, (;olL~!,; unci 1'[j~st~r.ll~rr:;cha(I., ~U-I,
:;: . LES, "'U, 9-11.
'., J, ~. tlyn ltC, I.e nom (\,:,''YPtiCll dl1 «mini:;trc dc l'l:cl)l\OIlli~): l)e..: S,,'(,s a 1\lCroc, C1L\1 BI. I YBY, -.1-9t l. csp. 7<,;.
{,~ F Gom:d, Chaelll\"c~,.:: Suh)l R:lm!'t~' ll. l!l\tlllolll.:rpril'~r(,·r"1I1l ,\I<-Illphi~ (\" 27 ; \\ i<:,:,badn). 19":'3). tH.
. YU\·ott<, CR,llllL 19H~, 76-7; H2.
I.ES.71.t_5.
I.I'S, 71,5-6
1.1'.5. (,~, 9-1 L
Ril1llcr, <";Otlcs· und PriCSICl'hcrJ'sc.:hafl, 5114,
Temple of KhollSU I, pI. 21 (Oil right :,uppnr! of !'<hrilH.'); II, pI. 143. <:2, .
102 :\. I.gln. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _/_.._\~ 125 ~.:
t 1:-. \\"l'llalllllJ'
I.cballoll (~"I1-.()". W'e may cooclude from thesc texts that a rcal c\'cm, n~mely the renewal of the'~'
bark of Amun ordcred by Herihur, induccd the aumor of "\'('enamun" to compose his prose. :'
I\part from Smendes, Tentamun and Ht:rihor, "\Vcnamun" mentions a fourth historical figure 1:
albeit in retrospect. l30th Zckcrbaal ~nd \'Vcnamun call this person Khaemwase without fllrthe;"
tlualifications, which suggests that they knew whom rhey were talking abuut. Zekerbaal was the
first to introduce this topic (2, 51-2); "j hal'e nut donc for I'Oll what was dune for the envOI'S of
Khaemwase, after thel' had spent se\'entcen ycars in this land. They died on their post"';,
The fact that Khaemwase was able w send envoys to l3yblos shows that he must have becn an
Egyptian Icing. In the given COl1lext, the only likely candidate is Ramses Xf'". In his reply to
Zekerbaal, \'\'enamun contrasted Ramses X 1'5 mission with the one ordered by Amun-Re, King.
of Gods, and performed by i\mun-of-the-Road, of whieh he was no more than the humble in,
strument (2, 53--4); "I\S for Khaenllvasc, he sent men as envoys and he was a man himself"~;
The phrasing implies that at the time the dialogue wok place Ramses XI already belonged to the
past. In \Venamun's days, there was no empluyment fur a human Icing anymure, since the role 0'(
Pharaoh had been assigned to Amun. This may explain the absence uf cartouches and roval
titles in combination with the names of SmClldes and Herihor, which has becn adduced as ~ri;
cOI1\'incillg c"idclIct' ror dating the evellts narrated ill H\Vcnamun" 10 the ~V(l1n-msH'{~. l)ll the
other hand, the fact that Khaemwase alias Ramses XI is nut characterised as a Pharaoh either~
"It hough he had definitely been one, shows that we should ~lIow for some t1cxibility in the wa~~
tllc I':.l!"!,tialls tksignated th~ir kings. Th~ name of Kha~mwase is dro!J)JCd in the course of2
ll1"loguc between an Egyptian diplomat and the munarch of a friendly nation, whu might ha\'t
h(:~11 perSllll,,1I1' aCLluainted with his deceased colleague Rallls~s Xl. Jf we project oursd"e~ intu'
this situation, there is nu real reason to be shucked at the fact that thc prince uf Byblos called
th~ former Pharaob "Khaemwase" without more adu, Being a Dutchman, J am wOIlt to refer to
our prcsent <.jucen by means uf her first name "13eatrix" (or "Trix" in my jolly mood~). This us'
"ge is characteristic for my compatriot~ as well, and yet must Dutchmen, including myscl(,j{
respect their head of state and whar she stands for. Although such a modern analogy can neve.!~;
sel'l'e as proof, the absence of royal titles in association with Smendes, Herihur and J(baemwase~'!
may be less significant than has generally been assumed. ..;
J~()~,:lJ titles arc nor cOlnplctd~'lackil1gin "\"\:c.:nan1un". Tbe LCl:Il1 "Pharaoh" i:: OtiCC cn'rlnyrd·'~:.
by Zekerbaal (2, 6-8); "J\] y relatives carried out this assignment, after Pharaub had se'lt six sbifJS_;~
I"den with Egyptian products that were emptied into their storeholls~s"'9. Sumewhat later in theX
text, I.ekerbaal uses the wurd "ruler" in a similar sensc (2, 10-1); "If the ruler (btl) of I~gypt:r
were the lurd of whaL is mine and J too were his serl'ant, would he hal'e sent sih'er and gold,.;·
s"ying; 'earn' uut the assignment of l\mun'~"·"'. l'oJlowillg this delli~1 of his supposed depend",::­
ence on the Pharaohs of old, the prince of l3yblos went on to assert by means of rw() rhetorical"!
question~ that he was neither Wenamun's nOl' Ikrihor's scrvant (2, 12-3)". Clcarh', the desigc·. _
nations "Pharaoh" and "ruler" are used in retrospect. This is nut only ~vident from the grammar.::.
of the text, but also from \'(fenamun's eountersLrokC', \I'hieh contains the following phrase intro- ;;.
ducing yet another royal title (2,28-9); "As to \'Our saying, the furmer kings (11.1\1'1,11' (iIIJ.»'l{
uscd to send sih'er and gold"". This passage ha~ been t"ken from a speech in which the thruS[,~i
..;5
" I FS ~? ; -"
'(, J~~;cl~~\Xlinkdll, GM 157,63,11.75.
.. I.ES, 72, 9-10.
" Ego Kite he n, Thud Intermediate Period, XV Ii critici~etl by.l a n:-; e n -\\ ill k d 11, () 1\1 157. 6J.
'" LES, 67, 14-16.
., I.\;S, 68, 3-6; ,ee for a different Iranslation J. Winand, Derechef ()un.lllon 2, 13-14, G~I138 (1994).
95-108.
" 1.I'.s, r.A, 7 -8.
'" 1.1\5,69, 14-5.
.\. L,l;h,.: J'l y 1113
~0~~. -­
\'\'I;I1;IlIIUIl
~ --. ------­
,llI
J Pill""· ot Zekcrbaal and \\'enamun reaches its climax. Faced with I',ekerbaal's effective de­
bunking of a political ideolugy that had been coined during rhe he)'dav f)f the I'gl'ptian empire,
\X'cnaI11Vl chose tu expound the current theulogical doctrine, accurding to \I'hich ;\111110 was a
unil'c rsal god, '.1 hose mastery did1v,(' stop al the horders of 1':1'y\,t, bur extended to l3yblos and
bero nd . ;\nuth"r passage from this speech is worth citing (2, 32): "You lOO arc ~ scn'allt of
\1;IUnl"". The message is clear; Zekcrbaal may have IJeen right in affirming his sOI'er~igntl' I'is,
~-I'is thc humar. rulers of Egypt, but even the prince of Byblos was subjcct to the power \\'iclded
~I' ;\n,un-Re, King of Gods, WelJamun's point was duly taken hI' I.~kerb"al, ti>r in their
oialu~ue the cll\"()Y of i\ml'.n had the la~t \VurdM~.
There is a second occurrence of Ihc tCl'm "Pharaoh" in "W'enamun", which lacks the rel!'O­
sI'ecUIT character of th~ f)lle just discussed. It relates to an incident that gave rise to th~ second
dialog uc between WenalIJun and I.ekerbaal, in the course of which the subject of l,lwemwase
lI'i" introduced, as we hal'e seen above. \\ hile approaching l.ekcrJ.,aal in ordcr to illSPCCl I,is
J.:\iI'en· of pine stacked on the shore, \Venamu!l trod the shadow cast b" the sunshade of the
plincc of Byblos, Thereupon a butler of I.ekerbaal by the Egyptian name of Penamlln sropped
\\'cnamun and said (2, 46); "The shadow uf l'baraoh, I'uur lord, bas fallen upon you""'. This
j p;l,,~!,e has caused sel-~ral Egl-ptolu~ists great trouhlcs, ~i"ct' ther could not bring themsekes ro
:lC(ept the obl'ious; the Pharaoh in question is Zekerbaal"". This reluctance derilTs panh' frl)m
the yuestionable premise of considering Wenamun a contemporarv of Ramses XL Things
become a lot easicr, if wc assume that Penamun's wurds were uttered whell tbe mort<I1 rClllaillS
IJf r.his king had alr~ady UCCIl cUllsigllt:d tu the gr'IYc. '1 ~Il. uudL:.1' PUldllWfl ltaJ gUile .dJltl,iLI ,1I1J
fllUlIJ a new Phar<Ioh in Zckerbaal; the homesick ell':oy \\'c;nan1L1\l, '.)11 the other hand, h"d
gil'en hi, heart to Almln. 'TIlesc two Egyptians symbolise the options one has when lil'ing in a
hnJ un the decline; outward and inward emigration.
Hcsides the Penamun episode, the author of "\X!enamun" has adopted other ironic; strat"gcllls to
portray Zekerbaal as a would-be Pharaoh, such as his borrowings from the rhetoric of Ramesside
royal hmllls (2, 13--4)"', and the text dictated by \~'enamun and destined for a rol',11 stcla tl) be
erected by Zekerbaa\ (2, 55-S)"", Thcse t.ravcsties of thc tradiciuns assuciated with 1',gypLian king­
ship testify to the failure of a political ideolugy in which a bum,,,, Pharaoh ""'s tb~ Irc<Id of state. JI
I",,,dd h~·..e he~n hard ro uphold such ~ !lorilln when IiI(' W\I ion of I:,!!I'\,I was Ktlialll' dil·id~d. Yet
the F,gl'Ptians of tbe Twentl'-first Dynasty (CJllld nor dispC11se with ideo\ogl' altogether. They pw­
r .I ..s. -'0. q ·-5.
Cr..\- ()~illg. Di...: Bei'.iehllll~ell AgYPIl':llS Zli \'orJcl'a:-:iell \'UI' und n;\l:h (km Ncu<.:n Rt:ich, in: P. O. Scholz
;'llld H.Slo,,:IlI!ICI (cd~.). \\:lIhia ci ()rl<;n:" (;llri:-:li~IlUS: l;cst~(hrjtr rtlr (:. Ot::rJcf G. "\Itlllt:r ~um 611. Gcburtst:l,!.!
lillilliolhcc~ ~ld)l(,:a I; KC:ll 11 , 1l)MM), 33 I), esp. 3tJ: uSClIlC Bc~ch\\"()rung dc( J\lachl c.1er agypli~chcn l'.VlIige unu
(~illl<T wird 'lIs Phr,,~c (\bgct~n". This is unly true as far as thc P"Xypcian kings arc conccrncu, fur there is no mockery
'If /\1111111 fO he t'ounJ in /.ek<..'rbaal's spccchc~. For tile same rca~OIl. I cannot suoscriht'" lO the opinion cxprc~~c<..l b~
J..\ ~ !<'ll:lllll, .\gyptcll: Eine Sinngc.:schichtc (~lullich, 19(6), .128: "Ocr BcrichL des \\'cn~mun madH deutlich, daB
till; lhd,);\'li~chcn Zellgcn(}s~cn die theokmtische H.q.,tierunhrsform del' 21. Dyna1'tie als t:inc '\lerkwi.irdigkcil c:mpfan
Jta, die zur Tratlition in \X:idc[spruch stand lind /\uf3cllsteht:ndcn, \\.Iie dcm Fi.irstcl1 nm Byblos, Ilut untet allcl'­
~fo')lhcl1 ~ch\\'ierigkeiten, 'wenn libcrha!Jpt, Zll n.:rmindn \Vat l l • In the rap~r by C. Eyre nlcl1l,joned in n. 1 abovc it is
'u!!.:.l.t'~tt:d thal the plol of "\'I\'cn,lmun" i:-; sulJ\'C\-:->i\'c of thl' theocratic ideology preached hy its prot<lgot1isr. 'fhis is
n1~t lhe right place to discus~ this malH;r ill dt.:plhi :\u[fiCl: it ltJ S;IY tllm \rcllalTIlill'S "fllllcJamentnli~l'n" is nut tllle·
',-,' ~~f)ncd b:: his aJltag()ni~t. and th:1t it ic:. diffir.ult In :1~se,S th(' t1hilll;ltc 11ll':l1ling of the pInt :md its conspicuous iro·
O1c:: a$ long: as we un nol know how u\'('cnamun" ended.
'", ':ES, 71, 12-3.
. SCC" for a rcct:Jlt intcrprl:latioll II. 1\1..1 ;It:ksul1, "The Shadow of Ph,traoh, Your J .ord, Falls upon You": Once
'\l!,alll \\'cnamun 2.46,JNr':S 54 (1995), 27J-H6. I intl:nd to deal with this passage ami its implications in a sepanue
~(utlr.
(; 'I' I.I':S. 68, H.-9; cr.. \ViO<llld, (;1\1 119, 9K. Tilt' inll,:rtl'xtuality 1)( this pa~sagc is abo discu~scd in d.. c p<tpcr by
. ~tllcr~ IlICl1tlotled III II. I aho\'c.
1.I;.S,72,12-73,2.

II'i \.I·.!~i"",, \\"",'"1<'"
I~~lt:d th~lt llauolI"list fe~lillgs illtn the god ,\mulI, ~reating a nc\\ Id~olog: thaL Is >llcClnctl: ~.',
pressed in th~ parado.sictl ml11e of tht: Tanjt~ king Amencmnisu: Amlin tS ktng'" .;
I.et u> now scrutinise the dat~s ~ontained in "\,'enamun" in order to find out how they relate tO~"
l!crihor and Sm~nd~s and what historical relevance th~y mal' ha,·e. Our point of d~l'at:lurc is th~';;
date with which the r~port starts (1, 1-2): "Year 5, fuurth month of ,(I1IW, day 16: the day of~
depanure of W'cnamun, the cider of the portal of the t~mplc.: of ,\mull, lord of the thrones of the:,:
two lands""". i\ly l'reviuus study of the chwfJologv of "W'enamun" was based on the assutnption~"
that the fifth year in 4uestion belonged to the W!III/-III,nd". /\fter what has been said abtl\'e, it
will be clear that now I wnsidcr this premise to he false. The dating of "\X'enamun" w the reign:
of Ramses XI has alwavs been based on the supposition that Herihor's pontiticate and that 0[',
this purported successor Piankh did not extend beyond the W!III/-I1ISWI. Now that J ansen_-::
\X'inkcln has exposed the improbabililY of the traditional "iew concerning these high priests::~
there is no reason to stick to tn,· original opinion about the opening date of "\\'enamun". The date.:
as such all",':s of "arious interpretations, for it lacks the shibboleth W!7111-IIWI't. The same holds:.!'
true for the two other dates associated with Herihor, namely the hieratic texts written on the~,' •.
coHin lids ofScti I and Ramses II. Their incipit is remarkably similar to that of "\lC:enanlun": "ycJ:
6, month x, day y: the da" of departure of the vizier, general and high priest of ;\mun-Re, J<jng
of (;olb, Ilc.:riltor"·'·. In it,e1f, the absencc of the term WiJ11I-11IsWt in a dateline doc:; not neces­
sari" Illcan Iltal il cannot belong to this er,', for lhcre arc tluite a few examples to the eOl1trary. II
sltould be noted, though, that such datelines without W!IIII-IIIsWt are almost never found at the ­
beginni!\g of a document'''. t\ cursory examination of the texts written durin~ the W!lIl/-ms",t!us
Ie" 111(' '" Ih" ('o)nellls;"n th~t ,,'hcnc\'Cr the': start "'ilh :1 datc thc regn~1 ~Tar is ueualk f"lIo\\'l'll
t"itl"'r I,,· (m) W!lIl1-mSWI, "(in) the Renaissance"", or by bfi !lshl x, "corresponding to n;;u' x" (UI
,',I,iell ~ illdicates tllC ,'car counung fWlll the accession uf R~I11Ses Xl)". IfI lerihor i,; suppused to
h'\\'e excrciscd his functions during rhc iirst vears of the IV/I/7I-lIlswt, his datelines would be glari~
exe~ptions 10 this rulc. Even without the circumstantial e"idence accumulated in the preceding
pages, Ihis should makc us suspicious of the traditional attriburion of Ilerihor's dales to years S
,nlll 6 of the WIIIII-IIISWI. It is lherefore a serious misrepresentation of the facts to maintain tll1l
these dales fcll "ecrtainil' in thc Renaissance", as has been done in a recent publication''''. W(
come much nearer to the truth hI' claiming the opposite: the dales do not belong to the Wlrm-mSWI.
but 10 llcrihor's independcnt reign which he established in Upper Egypr after the dealh of Ram51'S
:\1. 'j bi, i, wlt,II.1an,cn-\\·inkclll proposed in l\in and j lhink he IS absolutely right. It follmtS '
that 111" conversions of thc dates in "\\'cnamun", "'hich wcrc pL,blishcd the I'ear befure, are dead
wrong'''. On :he a"umption that the Twcnty-Ilrst Dynasty started in 1U70/W He:, thc opcning',
date of thc report l11usl corrcspond to 17 April 1065 13<: in the Cregorian calendar"". This new·..·
~'I St.:(,; for a gt.:lll:ral dbcw.~illll of llll: CI )l\Cl'PI of klll,c-ship ill ria.: 'l\\'l:lll~ -(irsl Dyllast'- lUi lilt.: r, (;lJrt(;~- und Pric­
sl~rhl:fr~cha(l, "':H-IJI.
'" 1.105, 61,1 -2.
Egberts,JL,\ 70, 5li.
"1\1 VI, 838, 5..(, ""d Y-IU.
The op<.:ning uate of 1'. I:\1\J J tl31:D (h:ttJ \ i, HJ.'), I I) IS perhaps because it dio 11m t.:onsn..~;
the::: oniy CXCL'ptioll,
lllle a separatC' documl:nt; cf. T. t·:. Peer, Tlil': Creal Tomb·Rohbencs uf the Twcnlicth i',gyptl:U\ D~'Ilt\St}'J,·I.
( h:f<lnl, 19.)(1), 126 C' Auuvt: the Ct:lltre of linc;: ,] sWllds the nUll1c::r:tl 13. Is this the llUJllIJ~r born\:- L~' this p:lrLicu~r,::'
t1m:llllH..'111 in SOIlH: (;ollcClion of rulls in the ttl"chiVl':S?'').
.. t(HI \'I,;O~, 11;7(,7,6;80\ 12;828, 11;836,";865,4;S67,2;\'1I,3Y5,3;Goclcl,J!::\S2, 110.
1,1\1 VI, 764, J; 865, 4.
(; "c1et, I E,\ 82, 126.
.Iallsel1-\\·il1kell1, :/.t\5 ! IY (IYY2), 25-6.
I :g(,erts •.IJ':/\ 77 (IYYI), 67.
'J" \'1111 Beckel'nlh, C:luOJ1ologic tlc:- phtlraoniscb<::n Agyplcll, 102, J\ly conversion is b~lscd
011 pp, 195-9 of lhi:l book,
'~'-'
/ ,', Il5(I9<J3) ~ ?~~-.:~ __ I gll~~~~"-~I~J~.~. 111.:"
---­
o \
ll'1l1llllliltjOtl Juc~ nut r~ally affcl.:r
rec(JIl~Lructi(JI1 o( the l'daLi\'(.: chronolugy (If .,\\ (,W1l111l11~'
IllY
tor the FIlsilion of the incidents related in the )'eXl "'ithin thc nalural r.~ar: \\'cn'"llull still left I,,,.
;lrbl", in the beginning o{lanual,\, and ani"ed therc ahout four l1lonths later, I.ekcrb'lal's 111<.'S'
,~n~n "ill "etunJcd from Lgyp[ in September, the felled trces still rcmaincd in thc l,eb'l\lI)11
dl1r·jn.~ .he ""Iller, and the l11igraton' birds still passed Byb!os in March on th"ir "'m' 1.0 the
north. '('he latn:r l\\."u cn.::nts rdaLe Lo tin,; natural ~c.:::aS('·lS) 3nd ir is (,\'ielenl that tht: ,11I1hllf of
·'\\·"na"'u"" rcspected this aspect of realitl' in composing [he plot of his masterpiece. Sel'en IT'll"
:l~~'. I su!,.~csled that the other chmnological aspects of the text as well were mcant II> be reaJis­
ti'/'. This !clime to the conclusion Ihat \\'cnamun's pbce llf ,kp'lrLUrc "':oS cI-llib" ralher Lil;lll
Th"hes·". I also belie,'cd that his long star in Tanis mighl bc relc"'"11 for historians and Ihat
"\X'enanlul," provided el'lClcncc for wimcr ,'ol'agcs b~' the Levantinc seafarers of thai epoch, a
phenomenon vinually unknown ill classi~al antilluit,.'..... i\(ter mI' anicle had appearcd, it gradu­
illr dawned UpOll l11e that the chronolog" t>f "Wen;lmun" is simp,," to" good tll he Irue. This is
dC;'H)l1strated by the time ~r:a'" of figure I, which r<'I'''''<<''1'< th" I"nt. I'.'''TI')' r,", \\'l'n~nlllll':'
:,ni,·,,1 ~t Cl'prus, all the cvcnts indicated in the tjl11e scale are datcd direciJl' or iLldireC1i1' in the
t~\t it,df (for the details one should LlIllSLLIr my pre,'ious stuck of thc ch ronologl' of "\\·cll<1l1111n·').
Fi~urc 1 shows that \Venamun's arri\Cills at Tanis 'Ind Ihhlos 1110re or less ClliLlCided with thc
cpagolll enal thys and !'\ew Year's Dal'. III tile fir" Olse, thi, is pn)\'C1I bv thc follllwing passage
fmm the beginning of the report (I, 6): '" 'laILe! IrlJlIl tI,c I"unl, "IIJIlLi, oi .;'illt ill Talli,""".
Sincc \\'enamull departed on dar I(, of the said nWI1lh, th~ preposition .(!C(_IlI), "rn'L11", pre­
$umably ha~ ~~d1l5j\·C nlcaning, ,,"hich i'nplics Lhal hb SLJjulIlll ill T,t"i:" ,'1i,tliul ,,·jt]. ill\.' I.:p"l­
£:oJnt'l1t11 da:'~ .
The datin!! of \X·.'enal11un's advent in B"blos is less slraightforward. During his til''' audience
Il'ith 7.ekerbaal, which wok place on the thirtieth daj' of his stay in 13yblos, \\'cllan)LLIl slatee! II,,"
nuoutli, c months had elapsed since h.is departure from Egypt on the tirst dal' of the tirst l110nth
of 511711'''''. Thc phrase 5 Jhd iliw, "about five months", is usually read 5 :hd hI'''', "fi"e whole
Lllonths". TIJis reading should be rejected for two rca sons. First, tile 1':gl'Plian expreSSion ,.,.".
'''''lOlc 1110nth" always exhibits [hc indirect genitive (ihd /I 111'11/"', "'hich is srill prC';clH ill Ihe Cop­
tic c'lui"aJeI1l ellOT N2.00y'''-. Second, the spelling fLI~~0! is sont<.:ril11cs altested ", a writ­
ing uf IIrH·, Coday", but \\:(luki be cxceptiuntd in Lhis fUIlction in "\X'ena[Tllll1~l. wbereag it' i:-­ l.il~ nor­
mJJ fOl'Il1 for It ;\1', ':tlI11e": in thi<: nl"'!I1l1<:rrir;. Thio.: 1....-1': . . 1,0(,:"1":. I,..-",!" -;I""'..-q L~: I·I.!: :'. ( :"::.!: '..:1: . .
with regard 10 the three other oceurrcnces of lhis spclling (2. H; 2, 51>; 2, 82)''''. The S;1I11C scholar
has "'l\'is~gcd the possibility that thc p,.~sent csample should he read II lit· as \I'ell ami Inlllslatcd
lS "approsilll~tdy'''''''. I'resumably, 1>:1\' is the shoncncu form of the cumpllund prepmition
/II-Ii:,,·. ",hich fUlIctiollS here as an advcrb. No other ex~t11ples of the alh-erbial usc of (1lI-)illl\'
:trt klt"",,-" 1'1 Ille. If lhis illleq))'ctalioll is acccpted, it mal' be surmiscd thal the adjullu "about"
!·.gIJer".I1'.,\ 77,07-8.
Ihltl.. 51)~-(;ll,
. . Ihid.. (Ill.
1.1;.5,61, i-8.
, F~bcn',II".i' p. 5Y.
. Ihid.. W. .
, I:..g. T. f~. Peel, Thl' )\layer Pappi i\ & B (I.ondoll. ItJ20)." (I, 7;,1. (l'I'1\~, Cal;Llohut.: dc~ Ij~traca hil:rati­
l'-.;....l{UcSn.JIl littrnlin..:" t'k Dcir d i\t(·dillt.'h, II (DI:/F.\l).'I; Cal'll, 1').)'7), pl. 1(, «).
1)1.:(\' 1·13. 11.~);J.Cl;L'Il~· ~I1J
. .~. ~I~ Ga rd i Ile r,Iliemlic ()~trac", I (( ~,rord, IYS7), 1'1. .,11 (0. (; ud i 11 ';r ' \ r~. 7); 1'1. 42. 3 ~(). Petr;l' 9, '·S. "I~;
I· " .., (0. 1.l\upool \3(,2:1, 'S. 2); (nil". Late R'"lles<IIc' L\,lIl.,.S, 3(" 13; (crill', /1'.1\ to (In'!), 1'1,.44-0
tP.~dI124, rI. 2, 211.lld "S. I, III); 1.1'$, 4, 6;'48,~; l'RIII, .\58, 3. . .
'N \\'. 5picl!,c1herg, :/.'\S 5H (191.,).158.
on tables B and.Ct ,'" (; "eu ick e, Report of \\'cnOl1\UI1, 76-7 (hI); II 1 (dc); 12Y (ek).
Ibid., (,II-I (_q).

Illl) .~_I,gbL11~:: \\Ul;,nnlill
IV Smw 16: departure
cpagomenal days; anil·a] at Tanis
I smw 1: depatture
epagol11enal days; anivaJ at Byblos
first night followed by fJrst dialogue
J prt: return messenger
second dialogue followcd hy second night
cl>agoillenal days; arrival at Cyprus
FigLlre 1
,~,.,~,:" .
;?J' .
,:- 125 (\99gj-l 1.:-\) j.!.5 : \\ ~ n,,11lLl: i i(1
---; .
'1"1' ben1 cH.ideJ to ,cfi\"C nHJllths" in on_iLl" to accoullt for the cpagolllcnal da~-s. IIJ thal case the
':.:{
tot, !llim·. daIs . of \\·cnamun's SWI, in Bd,lus
, wuuld CUITr the first momh of ill!, " s<> thaL his arri­
':"1 there ,,",,uld fall on Ne,,· Year's Dal',
C'c,'dkss !r' say, the cpagol11enai days and l'e,,· Year's I)"" are rhe liminal period of rhe
Fg~'p!ian cakwl,u,_in which thc transition from olle l-ear to the next is effected. This transiti"n
,h;,ukl n(:I· be C')I,fused wnh the change of the admlt1rstra"I·c l-ear, wlllch was dcrernllned hI· rhe
~C(C,,,,,n day of the king, at least during the New Kingdom and its aft·cnllath"". Since we do not
kno,,' "hen Raalses Xl dicd, we also ignore the accession dai· of his successors in Upper and
i~pWI.T EgypL 'CU[)SelJuently, there is no way of Idling at what 111()!llCTl" '\car ,-1", with \\'hieb
'i\\"L'n~llnlln" upens, becanlc ''year 6" and the latter in ilS rurn bccan1c "year T',
lkr"u'll \\·cn~l11un's aniva! at Tanis and that at Byhlos lies a period or one lear. ,\ecording
tt. II", report, the second dialogue between \'ienamun and Zekerbaal t(l(lk place ahn the trces
d",t had becn !ling in thc Leban(ln were transported to the sh(lrc, ~n el·ellt dated to rhe third
n)(ll1lh or JI11\-1'! II. The next d~y, \Vcnarnutl WtlS PUI' on ;l ship Ih:H driflt:d II) I hI.' shore or
C~·pri.ls.
It is ITIT tempting to supl'"se that hc was stranded lln this island during the cpag()lllel1al,L(\'s or
rht.'n.:aoouts, for in that ca~c W(; would ha\7C yel anolher UIlC year rcriod in betwcen two arri\'ab
I eann"t I'rovc this, hllwelTr, since the possible indirect elues for dating thc beginnil1).!; of the
(\l'rus ,pismk hayc disappeared logL'lher with the elld of the oilly manusclipt I" "'hieh
"\\"CH;UllUI1" h3s been transmitted,
It "·c takc a duratron of one ye,H for the Byblos epi:;ode to he a likel< extrapolati"11 (ro!11 thc
idl'l1ljcal length of the Tanis episode, thL.1l it :0 hard tu n.::·.ist !hc C:il;'~"..:t~!r(; 1!1:1t dE' (::\T~rl!:' q .. j
~ndc !£l~tcd nne ,-ear a5 well. r\.ft<:>r rh8.1. \\'(,Il;lJ11111l I1W1' tlllidh. h~l\'I' !l):lT1.~l,!':('d In ITflll'll If: hi ..
homeland, aftcr the example set bl' various other heroes or E!!,Vtian literature. nu(,(bh Sinuhc'"
TIll' chroJ1o!pt-,Jy of "\\!"cnan1un" detr~ct:s from the r(,;'lli~fic chi!raetl"r nf fhj~ qnry, Inn ('"I1:I1HT"':
rts P"!"tlu<!.! for meaning bl' linking the advent of a tlCW year with the arrival at a ncw dc,t;n;(,
tion, III this wal·, timc and space are interlocked.
I" the II)"purhetical triptych uutlilled abuI'e, the UdAus cpisl'de u.JI"titulc' tl1,' cull rl [)inT.
lhi, cpisode itself cxhibits a similar symmetn'. Thc first cncountcr bet\\Te" \\!enamUll allLl "l.e­
kerbaal, "ne m"nth after the f"rmer's arrival at Bybl"s, was preecded h,· " night dllring which"
Phuenici"n adolescent was cntranced by ,\mun (I, 1H_4())rt'. Thcir secund meeting, abollt onc
",,,11th bcforc \\!cnamun's ach-ent in CI·pruS, was f"lluwed hI' a night thar Illa,' halT hlen
t'cst,llie in uthcr \vay:.>, fvr \\-Lil'U1H.J.ll ~pdJ.1 it iIi lL..... l;111i;,'Il., "f .,1' : ~h,\ iJ:;.dl ,.\iii~"lh.. ,>.\ (2,
(;8~'(I)"'. Anuther symmctn· that c~n be glean cd from fi!!lIre I in\'olvcs \'\:enamun's d(;partllr~
f{{)nl Eg~1)r in the fir~t rnonth of Jmw, his ,1rri\'al al (~yhl(ts OIl ~C\\' YC,lr's 1);'IY, alld lhe rCturll
.>1 7.ekerba:1J's messenger frum Fgypt in thc first munth uf "rI,
Thcre is surc,," something to be
g.lincd b~,' 1l1eanS of such strucluraJisl g~·nlnasLic.:) ' . . . ltcll appruaching (I text like "\X'"c.nanlun", as
J<mg as wc avoid overdoing jr. in strikln~ contraSt" to literature, whicb S\VanllS with J'il1n­
~!'J(f,i(hlm, his[ory has no Struclurc and 1l1akes nu s<.:n~l'. Fur chat reason, J han:: forsaken 111y u<.:­
lief in the historical rdc\;mce of the chrono!ogl· of "\Venamun". As far as this aspect of the text
"concerned, I am now co(wertcd to finionalism. Of course, it is bl· no means impossil.>le and
C"UI plausible [0 surmrsc on the basis of "\\'cnamun" that Hcrihor SCllt an cxpcdition to Byhlos
III th,' lifth I'cat of the Twentl'-fir't !JI·nasty, In our search for realitl', though, wc callnot go
lrcronrlthar point, without loosing our W31' in the wilderness of riction, The plot of "\\ienamun"
prescribe' that thc wanderinh'S of its protagonist lasted for more than two ycars. Contrary .to
I., D l: P II ~"d ~, Regn,d Y:::ars ilod Ci,-i1 C;llendar in Achat.'llltniJ Lgypl, JI ~'\ HI (19~5), 151--73, t.:~r. 1:14.
Egberts, Ib\ 77 ,61-2,
Cf. the pal~cr by j, B a inc s tllt.:ntiOIKJ in 11, 1 abtJ\"t.',
1.1;$, 65, 2-6.
I.I-s, 74,5-9.

 -..~.,

lU:) . \.I.l.!.lllrl:;: '..IT'·":'

/,,\;"115(1998L~' 1(P)
\\en<1Il1Ull
-----.! ~~:~_~.l_~~~ -- .. _---_ ..- -- .. _-_I.l~Il~,:dlcl'l..:
J
.._----------------~--­
r,!rJ<'ltrUll 1'~·,\\;tJlt

wh", ho> "h"" h"" ,1",,,,,,,1 In "m,,,I,,g,,,,", ,hi, ,,,", " "",hi"l ",",", II" "","'",.:
Ikrihor's expedition or the d'Jration of hiS pOl1lil,catl,
Despite my depreciation of t'1e historical ,'alue to b~ attributed to the chtunu\'Jgl' of "\'Veaa:';'
mun", thi, piece of Iiter,HurL eonulins <Iuite a bit of information abour contemporatT EgYPtian~ /.[ ,\:'\. ,'i <..~ () 1:,1) II. k [

polirics that should not he despised I", historians, i\cconJing to "\\'-cnamun", Herihor's reign i~;,
the south coincided with that of Smendes in thc north. Moreover, the swry rells us that".­ Comments Concerning the "Story of the Eloquent Peasant"
Smendes resided in Tanis. From other e"idence (Manetho) we know that the Twenty-first~
Dynasty of Tanis was founded b,' Smendes, There is no indication whatsoeyer in "\\'enamun" ot'
anI' other source that Smendes had ousted Ramses Xl as ruler of Lower Egypt during the Whm."
I1ISII'I. The lalrer was dead hut not forgonen at the time in which W'enamun's travels arc situated" 'fhc nllinber of t~xts pr~servecl fWI1l allcient Lg'pt dcsen'in,l', the predicate "literan'" i, lim­
Snlcndc~' accessioll l1l:ly ha\"c been the conscllucncc or cause of his 111arriage to Tcntamull, the:' itcd indeed, This would se~11l all the more reason t<> tn' to unc1c,'stand Ihe text ill order to "a'T a
presumed widow of Ramses XI. It follows from the preceding considerations that the career of b,15IS for possible loftier considerations. Iking w"ted in an attitude to belles,lettres ",hi'eh i, Ilot
Smel1lles' contemporan' J-krihor extended to the first years of the Twenty-first Dynast\'. This' IIlllssari'" that of present-dar literature, the text might for some lack the appeal of mhcr ancient
conclusion is supported lJ,' the other evidence relating to I-Ierihor, which ,\Iso confinJls Ihe his­ Egypliau \u"itil1gs, as) [()r ill~talh':c, t1Jal c~ccrtcJ 1)~ tile Slur~ of SillUlic, Silll.c illL' I\Ja~IL'1·1~
toricity of the construction of a ncw bark for Amun at the behest of this high priest, an eVent Cl,llll11Cntal'l' lJr Friedrich Vogelsan).; (referenced as V)' tbe text has rccci"ed rdlli\'Ch lillie
that occasioned the composition of "\Venamun". In various ways, this literary work rdlcets the pellctrating research', The fccellt discussion of the Second Pelition I", Cerhard I; ec h t ; pnll'ides
lhision of I ~g''Pt that collstitutes the distinguishing mark of the Twenty-first I)vnasty. The .lllllppurtuniry to focus on 'ume of the del ail, rhat Gill be further clarified.
illllTntlll""'ojitic<J1 situation t1111St have nlade .Egypt int.o a minor actor un the international Stage, Ilen>i is ~ddres,ed ;n the Second Petil'ion as:
alll! there is no rea SOIl to supposc that the picture uf departed glory prcseilted in "W'enanllln" is'
imy-I· fJr-HT Ilb.i \.vr 11 H'rw !111'd 11 llVt.'(hl'
inaccurate. AI the same time, "\\'enamun" showed its audience a way of coping with the bnrsh
IIty 11'11 liT 11 lrnrf Lnrd n [zl1'dlrJ
rc;ditics of their age, which included the collapse of the traditional monarchv and irs outdated
dLLi.JrUlll. ]3:\ LLlw;furnlJlIg .\lflLill inlo the infallible king ur
the 1..11li\'crsc the <lUl-il"t I! [:.~~) 1)liatb
1111111' II pl.\':W 11 r: b :yft H:l!nw
II/WI' J1I shl/ 5tH' m gsJ [11.)' 111 Ir nwdl·1/
LouId l'c~;1ill in religion wllat they h~d lost in p<.llitjcs. j\lodern Egyptologists too an: Inllch in~­
debtcd to the anOI1\'mous author of "\Venamun": by writing literature he has permitlcd us to Tht' innKation is obviou:-ly COll1posed of two pairs cof Statenlents, each contrasting the ~ratus
rcad the historY of his time and to imagine its hardships and it~ hupes. 'IU'.I, Thi, juxtaposirion is, however, not parallel, as i, generallv assumed', but has ditkrrillg
"'ptl'lS, In the first it is the past, in rhcotber.. the future, The rel<lrill!! nf a sill.l!lIl~lr 10 a l1lull ;lillk
i" the 1'~f.l,~vtia:1 1101"1011 of a supcrlativ-c'; this rnakes the pusscs~i\-e "c!<':sscn (;ro[j.. . CillCIl (;l"olk11
Sic MM,\I, Y inbtll" as illu).;ical as the l'omparati"e "greater than his great ones." The rclati'T liliallf,calloll is
l'rr H.:cnl1ng ftom l'\..arl J.111 ~ t: 11- \\' i It k d II \ n:u.:lIt n:daling of llerihvr (I}~.S 11)1 11992J, 22--Y:) ill<.' (;"Cl115
""ttad a past une (H'Il) and illdicates the Pl'C\CIOliS holder of this rallk', To render [111'£1 as "'rich
narral<..'d in "The Report uf\'\\nalTlull" arc shown lO he sittl~l\_:d in tllt: c::arly YCilrs of the Twcmy-fir!'f Uynasly, 'J1Je
'~t',":'- !,(.)r;l-;l.,·S i\!lill~1 ;1S Ph::WH,I, ?nd i:- I.h,:,c(or<:. t~prc~si\"t' of the ,·henn:\lir:- ide(l!'.Jt~' pn':\"i1i!in~ in that pt'nlll!, 'nlC
Illghly ~trucwrcd chft)nolog~' uf tilL: rr.:porL confirm!' it~ Ii(ti\"(~ character. Nevertheless, «Tile Re..:pol"l ot \\ enamun'"
ClIII:"1 illllL'S a maior hi!'torical SOlIl:Cl:,

h:OI1HllL'IlIM /:u dL:ll "JagL'11 ttL:!' BauL:m, llC; ,\:\ \' I, I <)1:); I.. \ (i,lK -(151; CCllrgcs PO:-L' 11(: r. Ih.Il'; 6, 1<)31, 34;
f1dlniLIl II "UI11l(,' r, (;rul1dl.iigc cillL'r (;~sc.:hiclllL' del' all iig,\'plisd1Cll I ,irl'nuur, ., CJBO, :;5-37,
T!:i~. :d· t·nurse, lhL'S lUll di:-leh:ard the lr;l1l:d:niflll c. indlldcJ in uod;:~ on anciclI! Fh'ypti,tn literature: '\dnlf
hnl,1 11 , Dil' l.i ' cr:1tllr del" ,\<.'gYr1tr, 192.\ 157-175: (jtlstan~ I.efl'lnrc, RnlTI;ll15 et COIHl'''' c~ypricn~, 1949,
~1.-(11): H,{).hwlkllL:r (I'), ill: \\'.I'.Sil1lp!'ol1, cd., TIlL: Litcratun:: of Ancient EgYPl, )972,31-49; Miriam
I.lc,hlhcilll (i\II.).,\ncicnL Eg\·ptianl.ircr:uun.:, 1,1973. 16Y-i84.
, lkr bcrcdtt: tbucr: dic /:,~·ti!c 1'la.1!:c. Studies in HUrHlr of \,'illiam Kcll~' Si 111 PS(I n, 1<)9(1, 227 -26<> (tTl :),
, \': "I)u (;riiBler del' GruBen, elu Reichstcr Jcr Reichen. dcsscll Grufx; l:illell (wirklich) GroBen lind dessen Rd­
rhc linen lwi •.-klich) Hcichcll habl..'ll! Du Slcuerrudcr des Himmcl~, du Dalkt:n <kr Erde, Dll 1\ldhchnur ,.,! SteUCrIll­
dtr, f:tlll: nidn, Ihlken, slurzc nicht! .\lcBsdlllUf. n:rwirrt: dich nicht" F: uo gl't::lH.'st uf th<: g-tl'at, richest of the rich,
i~·hO"t ,\2.re..:at ow::- ha\·e one gn:atcr, whose lich Ol1eS hm·c one richerl Steering oaf of heaven, beam of <.:arrh, plumb­
.lnt which o.rrie5 the \\'c..:ight! () Steering oar, do not cli\'crgc; () Hearn, do nol- t.ilt; () Pillmhlinf, de) nnt ~\\·ing
:.w,:·~" ~11.: "Greatest of lhe great, rich<"-5t of lhe rich, truly greall:r than hi\<i great onl:S, rich<.:r th,UI his rich one",!
~u.rlJ('f of hca\'cn, beam of earth, plumb-line thm carries the \veighr! Rudder, Jrift not, ueam. tilt llot, plulllb-I.iIll:,
';'A~j1g not ;cm;ry!" GF; "Grufkr Ju· (;ruD<..:Il, RL:idH.:r J(:r Rr.:icllC:ll, dC!'SCll (jrllik- cillLJI Grolkn hflbl.:l1, ul1d se..:inc
~lIchen cin('ll Rcichcn! SrcuerruJcr des I Limfi1c!s, Tr:l~balkcn del' I':r<lc. ScnkhHschnur, die das Gewicht lragt.~
~te~~u·utlu, gkiH': nicht \'001 Kurs. Tragbalkcll, neige dic!l !licbt, Sl:nklol"schnLlr, l11ache kcinc ~\L)\n:ichun!-!en!"
! Cf. Alan H, (Jardiner, IZgyplian Gffll11mar', 1957, § 97.
"do' f(~r th_e construcrion, ,scc.Gardin(,:[, or',dr" § 201. ,PC~~;U,ll B I. JU3 II: m~~/. JI ,,!h~l1l:r", Illy U'/I1J,Ild r / ~II m:r-t,!
d
11,\ E,g, l<.itchen, Third Inu.::nn(;:di:Ht: Pcrion, 24lJ-5U; \\'t:nt"l:, 'J'(;:nJplt: uf Khollsu 1, xiv;.lansen-\\'inkeI l .~ lustlce..: tor the Lord-of-IUStlCC, the om: the Justice of IllS justice always eXists IS sUlllJar. except rhm Il IS to u('
I.As II~, 25. • d 111111 e-'\pr~sl'ing: permanence..:,