studies in access to the king, the interconnection with the court and the subjects until the end of...

7/22/2019 Studies in Access to the King, The Interconnection With the Court and the Subjects Until the End of the New Kingd

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TheUniversity of Liverpool

StudiesnACCESSTO THE KING THE INTERACTION WITH THE COURTAND THESUBJECTSUNTIL THE END OF THE NEW KINGDOM

.: -

Thesissubmitted n accordancewith the requirements f theUniversityof Liverpoolfor the degreeof Doctor in Philosophy

By

SherineAbd El Aziz El Menshawy

September 000


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Table of ContentsAbstract .................................................................................... viiList of figures .............................................................................. viiiList of abbreviations...................................................................... xi

Bibliographical abbreviations ................................................... xiOther abbreviations .............................................................. xiv

Acknowledgement ........................................................................ xvPrologue.......................................................................................................... 1CHAPTER 1. INTERACTION BETWEEN THE KING AND HIS PEOPLE(TEXTUAL EVIDENCE)1 1T l i 5. extua narrat ve.........................................................................................1.1.1. Basic elementsof narrative.................................................................... 81.1`2. Preparations before meeting the king ..................................................... 101.1.2.1. The Duties of the Vizier text .................................................... 111.1.2.2.The story of the ShipwreckedSailor........................................... 151.1.3.Peopleresponsibleor theushering n.................................................... 171.1.4. The king s appearance n audiencehall.......................................... 261.1.5. Kings behaviour........................................................................... 271.1.6. People s attitude ............................................................................ 301.1.7. Greetings...................................................................................... 311.1.8. Court entertainment for kings....................................................... 331.1.9. Kings visits and interaction with their subjects.............................. 371.1.10. Interaction during rituals and ceremonies..................................... 391.1.11. Interaction with subjectswhen celebrating their coronation.......... 42

1.1.11.1. Classesof people who have access o the king ............. 461.1.12. Other sorts of interaction .............................................................. 481.1.13. Kings contact with their subjects from battlefield tests................ 511.1.13.1. The battle of Qadesh.................................................... 51

1.1.13.2. Ahmose son of Abana ........................................ 541.1.13.3.The stelaof Kha-Sobek....................................... 551.1.13.4.Thebattleof Megiddo......................................... 551.1.13.5.The inscriptionof Amenemheb............................... 57


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1.2. King's decision........................................................................................... 58CHAPTER 2. INTERACTION BETWEEN THE KING AND HIS PEOPLE(PICTORIAL EVIDENCE)2.1. Pictorial narrative....................................................................................... 61

2.1.1. The promotion and rewarding scenes............................................ 622.1.1.1. Interaction through scenesbefore Amarna period........... 62

2.1.1.1.1. The tomb of Wsr-7mn.............................. 622.1.1.1.2. The tomb of Rh-ml-R3.............................. 642.1.1.1.3. The tomb of 7mn-htp-s3-s........................... 642.1.1.1.4. The tomb of Nb-7mn................................. 65

2.1.1.1.1.1.Discussion................................... 662.1.1.2.Evidenceof interaction rom scenes f the Amarnaperiod 67

2.1.1.2.1. Thetomb of 7y ........................................ 672.1.1.2.2.Thetomb of Twtw..................................... 702.1.1.2.3. ...............................he tomb of P3-rn-n 712.1.1.2.4.Thetomb of Mry-Rr I ............................... 732.1.1.2.5.Thetomb of Mry-RnII ............................... 74

2.1.1.2.1.1.RoyalAudiencesand heWindow ofAppearances t Amarna...... ....... 76....................2.1.1.3. Interaction through scenesafter Amarna period ..................................

862.1.1.3.1. The tomb of Hwy ............................................. 862.1.1.3.2.Thetomb of Nfr-htp .......................................... 881.1. Discussion.....................................................902.1.1.4. InteractionaftertheEighteenthDynasty.............................. 912.1.1.4.1. StelaLouvre C 213............................................ 912.1.1.4.2. Thetomb of 7py............................................... 922.1.1.4.3.Therewardof Pn-niwt........................................ 932.1.1.4.1.1.Discussion........................................... 942.1.2.Tribute scenes..........................................................................................951 2.1.2.1.Thetomb of 7mn-ms.................................................... 952.1.2.2. Thetomb of Mry-R II .................................................. 96

2.1.2.3.Thetomb of Hwy3....................................................... 99


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2.1.2.4. The Tomb of Hwy ....................................................... 1012.1.2.1.1. Discussion.............................................................. 102

2.1.3.Presentinglowers to theking................................................................. 1092.1.3.1. The Tomb of Dhwti....................................................... 1092.1.3.2. The Tomb of Nfr-rnpt ................................................... 1102.1.3.3. The tomb of P3-rn-nfr ................................................... 1112.1.3.4. TheTomb of R -ms....................................................... 1112.1.3.5. The Tomb of 7mn-m-h3t(Surer) ........................................ 112

2.1.3.1.1. Discussion.............................................................. 1132.1.4. Presentation of the New Year's gifts ......................................................... 1182.1.4.1. The Tomb of 7mn-htp (? ................................................ 1182.1.4.2. The Tomb of Sn-nfr ....................................................... 1192.1.4.3. The Tomb of Tn-n3...................................................... 1202.1.4.4. The Tomb of 7mn-m-h3t.................................................. 120

2.1.4.1.1. Discussion.................................................................... 1222.2. Overall discussion.....................................................................................1232.2.1.Basicelementsof narrative............................................................1232.2.2.Preparations eforemeeting he king.............................................1232.2.3.Theking's appearancen the audiencehall.....................................1242.2.4.People esponsibleor the usheringn....................................124

2.2.5. People's attitude ........................................ ................................ 124. ..2.2.6.Greeting................................................... .......................... .... 124. .. ..2.2.7.Court entertainment....................:.................................................1252.2.8.Peoplewitnessing heseevents......................................................1262.3, Interpretingpictorial narrative.....................................................................1272.4. AppendixI: The dw3rhyt Motif ..................................................... 1292.5. AppendixII: The Heb-Sed estival............................................................ 1322.5.1.Discussion............ ... 136. ....................................................CHAPTER 3. INTERACTION BETWEEN THE KING AND HIS PEOPLE(ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE)3.1.Palaceayout.................. 138..........................................................3.1.1.Residentialandadministrativepalaces........................................... 138


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3.1.1.1. The Malkata Palace.............................................. 140....................1.1.2. The Palaceof Merenptah.................. .. 142

3.1.1.3.AmarnaPalaces........................................................... 1423.1.1.3.1. The North Palace.................................... 1433.1.1.3.2. The North Riverside Palace......................... 1433.1.1.3.3. The Great Palace..................................... 1433.1.1.3.4. The King's House..................................... 1443.1.1.3.5. Depictions of the Amarna Palaces.................. 145

3.1.2. Temple palaces.............................................................................. 1473.1.3. Comparison between residential palacesand temple palaces.......... 149

3.2. Terms ndicatinghallswithin thepalacearchitecture................................... 1513.2.1. d3dw............................................................................................ 1513.2.2. W3hy............................................................................................ 1573.2.3. Is-Ist............................................................................................. 1603.2.4.n-imy-wrt......................................................................................1633.2.5.stp-s3.............................................................................................1663.2.5.1. Discussion......................................................... 1693.2.6. rrryt ........................................................................................... 170CHAPTER 4. PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE KING THROUGH TITLES

AND EPITHETS4.1. Titles andepithets...................................................................................... 1744.1.1. Eyesand earsof theking............................................................ 175

4.1.1.1.Discussion.................................................................... 1834.1.2. People eferringto themselves s stepping reely in the sacredplace................................................................................. 192

4.1.2.1.Discussion..................................................................... 1964.1.3 Approachability to the royalty...................................................... 2034.... 207.1.3.1.Discussion.................................................................

..... 212.1.4.Theking's acquaintance..........................................................4.215.1.4.1. Discussion.....................................................................4.2. Narrativewith specialstatementseflecting he king's interactionwith hissubjests..................................................................................................... 217


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4.2.1. The autobiography of Tti on his stelaBM 614......................... 2174.2.2. The autobiography of In-It -f son of Tfi ................................. 2184.2.3. The Quarry inscription of the Steward Hnw ................................. 2204.2.4. The two stelaeof the Chief Priest Wpw3w3t-r3.............................. 221

4.2.4.1. Leiden V 4= No. 5........................................................ 2214.2.4.2. Munich GL. WAF 35...................................................... 222

4.2.5. Stela of the Chamberlain Semti the Younger .................................. 2234.2.6. The autobiography of Shtp-lb-Rr on his stelaCairo No 20538, originallyfrom Abydos....................................................................................... 2244.2.7. Discussion................................................................................... 225

CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS5.1. To what extent wasthe king isolated n hispalace?............................. 2275.2.Reconstructionof a royal audience................................................ 2355.2.1.Barrier of the royal palace.................................................. 235

5.2.2. Purifying before entering................................................... 2355.2.3. Waiting for the ushering in......:......................................... 2375.2.4.Themomentof usheringn................................................. 2385.2.5.Attitude of recipientsupon ushering n front of the king.............. 2385.2.6.Placeof ushering............................................................ 2395.2.7. TheKing s appearancesn the audiencehall.................................. 2415.2.8.The last stagebefore eaving......................................................... 2425.2.9.A continuationof the narrative...................................................... 2425.3.Relationshipbasedon the ideaof `Exchange.............................................. 2435.3.1. Spiritualofferings......................................................................... 2435.3.2. Material offerings......................................................................... 243WorksConsultedor of Relatednterest.............................................................245Figures


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Abstract

This work seeks to determine and analyze the relationship between the king, as thehead of the Egyptian political structure, and his people. The research is based ontextual, pictorial and archeological evidence. It also employs narrative accounts,epithets and titles of the officials.

Chapter One introduces the main themes using texts from the Old to the NewKingdom.It is dividedaccordingo the following categories:The basic elements of narrative, preparations before meeting the king, peopleresponsible or the ushering n, the king s appearancen the audiencehall, people sattitude, greeting, court entertainment or kings, kings visits and interactionswiththeir subjects,nteractionwith the kingswhen celebrating heir coronation,other sortsof interactionsandkings contactwith their subjectsrom battlefield exts.

ChapterTwo examineshe relationshipbetween he king andhis subjectsbasedon pictorial evidence.t is dividedaccording o the following categories:The promotion and rewarding scenes, ribute scenes,presenting lowers to the kingand presentingNew Years gifts to the king.

ChapterThreehas wo parts. SectionOne examineshe layout of the palaces.Section Two discusses he various terms used to refer to as rooms/halls whereaudiences re consideredo have akenplace.These nclude:w3hy,d3dw, s-ist, stp-s3,imy-r wrt andrrryt.

ChapterFour searchn the relationshipbetween he king andhis officials basedon their titles, epithetsand heir biographies.

ChapterFive I consider he evidenceas a whole and attempt to reconstructaview of the ancientEgyptianroyal audience.


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List of figures

Fig. I Ushering the official into the presence of the vizier (after Davies, Rekhmire, pl.XXV).Fig.2a The reward of ly (after Davies, ElAmarna VI, pl. XXIX).Fig. 2b 7y Congratulated by his friends (after Davies, ElAmarna VI, pl. XXX).Fig. 3 The reward of Twtw (after Davies, El Amarna VI, pls. XVII, XVIII).Fig. 4 The P3-rn-nfr (after Davies, El Amarna VI, pl. IV).Fig. 5 The promotion of Mry-Rc I (after Davies, ElAmarna I, pl. VI).Fig. 6 The reward of Mry-Rr II (after Davies, ElAmarna II, pl. XXCIII).Fig.7a The North Reverside Palace(after Kemp, JEA 62, fig. 4).Fig.7b Theking's houseat El Amarna (afterKemp,JEA 62, fig. 1).Fig.8 The window of appearancesepictedshutby a door with two leaves Badawy,History of EgyptianArchitecture III, 33, fig. 18).Fig.9 The window of appearancesn the facadeof the first palaceat Medinet Habu(Hlscher,TheMortuary Templeof RamessesII, pl. 3).Fig.10aTwo representations f the palace rom the tomb of Mry RCat Amarna(afterBadawy,History of Egyptian Architecture III, fig. 15).Fig. I Ob Representation of the palace from the tomb of Twtw at Amarna (after Badawy,History of Egyptian Architecture III, fig. 16).Fig. l Thepromotionof Hwy (afterDavies, Tombof Huy, pl. VI).Fig.12 The reward of Nfr-htp and hiswife Mrit-Rr (after Davies,Tombof Neferhotep,pl. 1).Fig. 13 Hr-min and an audiencewith the king stela Louvre C213 (after Schulman,CeremonialExecution, ig. 22).Fig.14 The reward of 7py(afterDavies,TwoRamessideTombs,pl. XXVII).Fig.15 Tribute introduced to the king (tomb of 7mn-ms)(after Davies, Tombs ofMenkheperrasonb,pl. XXXIV).Fig. 16 Mry-RC II introduces tribute to the king (after Davies, El Amarna II, pl.XXXVII).Fig.17aThe king andthe queen carriedon the state palanquin tomb of Hwy3) (afterDavies,ElAmarna III, pl. XIII).


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Fig. 17b Bringing the tribute of the nations (tomb of Hwy3) (after Davies, El AmarnaIII, pl. XIV).Fig. 18a Tutankhamun sits in state under his baldachin (after Davies, Tomb of Huy, pl.XXII).Fig. 18b Hwy introduces the tribute of the south to Tutankhamun (after Davies, Tombof Huy, pl. XXIII).Fig. 19 Dhwti presenting flowers to the king (after Davies, in Studies Presented toGriffith, pl. 35).Fig.20a Nfr-rnpt presenting a bouquet before two kings (after Helck, MDAIK 17(1961), 103 fig. 3).Fig.20b Nfr-rnpt presenting wo bouquetsand geesebefore the king's kiosk (afterHelck, MDAIK 17(1961), 102 ig. 2).Fig.21a The tomb of R -ms: Amenhotep V enthronedwith the goddessMaat (afterDavies,Tombof the Vizier Ramose,pl. XXIX).Fig.2lb-c Rr-ms presentingdifferent bouquets and staffs to the king (after Davies,Tombof the VizierRamose,pls.XXX, XXXI).Fig.22 7mn-m-h3tpresentingdifferent staffsandbouquets o the king (after Save-S6derbergh,Four EighteenthDynasty Tombs , pl. XL).Fig.23 7mn-htppresentingNew Year's gifts to Hatshepsut after Habachi,JNES 16(1957),92, pl. V).Fig.24 PresentingNew Year's gifts to Amenhotep I (tomb of Sn-nfr) (after Davies,BMMA 23 (1928), fig. 6T).Fig.25 New Year's gifts presentedo king Thutmosis V (tomb of Tn-n3)(after Save-Sderbergh, our EighteenthDynasty Tombs , pl. LXXII).Fig.26 7mn-m-h3tpresentingNew Year's gifts to the king (after Save-Sderbergh,Four EighteenthDynasty Tombs , pls.XXX, X)O(VI):Fig-27 Dancers and musiciansperforming ubilee ceremoniesbefore Amenhotep III(afterTheEpigraphicSurvey, Tombof Kheruef,pl. 34).Fig.28a Sceneof the First Sed-Festivalof Amenhotep III at Soleb temple (afterGohary,AkhenatenSed-Festival,pl. I).Fig.28b Sceneof the First Sed-Festivalof Amenhotep III at Soleb temple (afterGohary, Akhenaten ed-Festival,pl. II).


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Fig.29 Tell Basta, Middle Kingdom Palace Plan (after Lacovara, Royal City, fig.35).Fig. 30 A Palace of the 13th Dynasty at Tell el Dabra (after Eigner, in Bietak (ed. ,House and Palace, fig. 1).Fig.31 Malkata, Palace of Amenhotep III: Tytus and Metropolitan Museum of ArtExcavations Plan (after Lacovara, Royal City, fig. 22).Fig.32 Tell el Amarna, North Palace Plan (after Lacovara, Royal City, fig.26).Fig.33 Tell el Amarna, North Riverside Palace Plan (after Lacovara, Royal City,fig.27).Fig.34 Tell el Amarna, Great PalacePlan (after Lacovara, Royal City, fig.24).Fig.35 Tell el Amarna, King s House Plan (after Lacovara, Royal City, fig.25).Fig.36a Comparisonof Temple Palaceand Official Palace:Medinet Habu, MortuaryTempleof RamessesII First PalacePlan(afterLacovara,Royal City, fig.29a).Fig.36b Comparisonof Temple Palaceand Official Palace:Palaceof Merenptah atMemphis (afterLacovara,Royal City, fig.29b).Fig.37 A diagram llustrating the king s word carriedout by the official to the outsideworld.Fig.38 Schematicayout of the palace n P. Boulaq 18(after Quirke,Administration ofEgypt in theLate Middle Kingdom, 41, fig.1).Fig.39 Palacesectors n the orders or supplies. after Quirke, Administration of Egyptin theLateMiddle Kingdom, 104, ig.4).


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List of abbreviations

Bibliographical abbreviationsAA Agyptologische Abhandlungen.AT gypten und Altes Testament.AcOr Acta Orientalia.ADAIK Abhandlungen des DeutschenArchologischen Instituts, Abteilung

Kairo.AEB Annual Egyptological Bibliography, Leiden.AF Agyptologische Forschungen.AfO Archiv fr Orientforschung.AJA American Journal of Archaeology.AJSL AmericanJournal of SemiticLanguagesandLiteratures, Chicago.Alex Annie Lexicographique, Paris.AnOr Analecta Orientalia, Rome.AoF Altorientalische Forschungen,Berlin.Artibus Asiae Artibus Asiae Journal of the Institute of Fine Arts. New York

University.ARWAW Abhandlungen der Rheinisch-Westflischen Akademie der

Wissenschaften.ASAE Annales du ServicedesAntiquites de 1 Egypte.ASAW Abhandlungender SchsichenAkademieder Wissenschaftenu

Leipzig.ASE Archaeological Surveyof Egypt.AV ArchologischeVerffentlichungen.BAe Bibliotheca Aegyptiaca,Brssel.BES Bulletin of theEgyptological Seminar.BdE Bibliotheque d Etude, Institut Francais d Archeolgique, Cairo.BIE Bulletin de 1Institut d Egypte.BIFAO Bulletin de l Institut Francais d Archeologie Orientale, Cairo.BiOr Bibliotheca Orientalis, Leiden.


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xiiBMF Bulletin desMuseesdeFrance, Paris.BMFA Bulletin of theMuseumof Fine Arts, Boston.BMMA Bulletin of theMetropolitan Museumof Art, New York.BMRAH Bulletin desMusees Royaux d Art et d Histoire, Bruxelles.BSAE Britich School of Archaeology in Egypt.CASAE Cahier.Supplements uxASAE, Cairo = SASAE.CdE Chroniqued Egypte,Brssels.CGC Catalogue General desAntiquites Egyptiennes du Musee du Caire.CRIPEL Cahiers de Recherchesde Institut de Papyrologie et d Egyptologie de

Lille.DE Discussionsn Egyptology.EEF Egypt Exploration FundEES Egypt Exploration SocietyGM GttingerMiszellen,GttingenGO GttingerOrientforschungen,Wiesbaden.JAOS Journal of AmericanOriental SocietyJARCE Journal of theAmericanResearchCentre n EgyptJE Journal d entree, CairoMuseumJEA Journal of EgyptianArchaeologyJNES Journal of NearEasternStudiesJSSEA Journal of theSocietyor theStudyof Egyptian AntiquitiesKind Kemi. Revuede Philologie et d Archeologie Egyptienneset Coptes,

ParisKush Kush.Journal of theSudanAntiquities Service,KhartumL Lexikon dergyptologieLAAA Liverpool Annals of ArchaeologyandAnthropologyLD Lepsius,DenkmaelerausAegyten und AethiopienMS MnchnergyptologischeStudien,BerlinM U Mnchenerg q tologischeUntersuchungenMDAIK Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archologischen Instituts, Abteilung

Kairo


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MIFAO Memoire publies par les Membres de 1 Institut Francais dArcheologieOrientale,Cairo

MIO Mitteilungen des nstitutsfr Orientforschung,BerlinMMIFAO Memoirepubliespar lesMembresde la Mission Archeologie Francais

au CaireMMJ Metropolitan Museumof Art JournalNGWG Nachrichtenvonder Gesellschaftder Wissenschaftenu GttingenAWDG sterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften.Denkschriften der

GesamtakademieOBO Orbis Biblicus et OrientalisOLA Orientalia LovaniensiaAnalecta,LeuvenOLP Orientalia LovaniensiaPeriodica, LeuvenO1Z OrientalistischeLiteraturzeitung,Berlin, LeipzigOr Orientalia, Nova Series,RomePd Probleme dergyptologieLeidenPM TopographicalBiblio raphy of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts.

Reliefs, and Paintings by Bertha Porter and Rosalind L. B. Moss,Oxford, 1960-1981.

PSBA Proceedingsof theSocietyof Biblical Archaeology,LondonRdE Revued EgyptologieRT Recueil de Travaux Relatifs la Philologie et 1 ArcheologieEgyptiennesetAssyriennesSAK StudienzurAltgyptischenKultur, HamburgSAGA Studienzur Archologie und GeschichteAltgyptensSAOC Studies n Ancient Oriental Civilisation, ChicagoStudAeg StudiaAegyptiaca,RomeTB TbingergyptologischeBeitrgeUGA Untersuchungenzur GeschichteundAltertumskundegyptensURA UrkundenzumRechtslebenm Alten gyptenVA VariaAegyptiacaVK VerffentlichungendergyptischenKommission.WienWb Wrterbuchder gyptischenSprache


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WdO Die Weltdes OrientWZKM WienerZeitschrift r die Kunde desMorgenlandsS Zeitschrift r gyptischeSpracheundAltertumskunde


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Other Abbreviations

CDME Faulkner,R..O. A ConciseDictiona of Middle Egyptian.Oxford, 1962.CT de Buck, Adriaan. The Egyptian Coffin Texts. 7 vols. OIP 34-37.Chicago,1935-1961.

col s). column s)fig s). figure s)no s). number s)P PapyrusP1 s). PlatePT Faulkner, R. O. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramide Texts. Oxford, 1969.EYE Sethe, K. Die Altaegyptischen Pvramidentexte. 2 vols. Leipzig, 1908-

1910.TT Theban Tomb[... ] lacuna/possible estoration n the translation enclosewords or parts of words omitted in the originaltext) encloseadditions o theEnglish ranslation? follows words or phrasesof which the translation s doubtful


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AcknowledgmentsI would like to expressmy sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Christopher J. Eyre

who granted me a great opportunity to be under his supervision. He has shown everyhelp, care, guidance and a considerable amount of patience throughout my research.Hehas launched me on Egyptian sea of knowledge though I have not yet reached the fardistant shore.

My thanks are due to Dr. Khaled Daoud, for his valuable help and advice. Hisencouragement contributed enormously towards the completion of this project. I amdeeply grateful to Prof. Kenneth A. Kitchen for his continuous support andencouragement during my years in Liverpool. My thanks are extended to Professor A.Nur el Din Cairo University), Dr. M. Saleh Cairo Museum), Professor E. M. AhmedAlexandria University), Professor A. Omar Helwan University), Dr. M. NigemHelwan University),, Dr. M. El Zerai Sohag University) and Dr. G. Abd el RazikAlexandria University), for their assistance.

I am thankful to Dr. StevenSnape or his kind assistanceand to Dr. MarkCollier for his valuable remarks. also appreciatehe assistance f ProfessorC. Mee,ProfessorA. Millard, ProfessorE. Slater,ProfessorJ. K. Davies, Dr. F. JonesandMrs.N. Fox. My warmthanksaredue o Miss Pat Winker andMrs JeanBolton for their kindassistance.Also, I would like to thank my colleagueswho contributedin a variety ofwaysto this researchespecially,Dr. P. Kousoulis,Mrs A. Koltsida,Miss S.Thomas,MrW. Ertl, Mr. A. Cooke,MissF. Simpson,Miss G. Muskett andMiss M. Rajh.

I owe a specialdepth to Ms Lara Thompsonand Miss Akiko Sugi for theirspecialcareandassistance lways.

I would like to thankMr R. Wilde the Sub-Deanof the Facultyof Arts andhiskind staff andto expressmy warm thanks o the membersof the EgyptianEducationalandCulturalBureau n London for their supportduring the yearsof this scholarship.amgratefulto Mr. M. Dessouky,Judge n theEgyptianCourt, for his assistance.

I acknowledge eceipt of funds from the Egyptiangovernmentwhosefinancialsupportwithout which I would havebeenunable o undertake his research.


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My heartfelt thanks respect and gratitude are offered to my father Professor A.El Menshawy my Mother and my two brothers Ahmed and Sherif for theirencouragementand support.To my sweet-heart oungYOUSSEF deeplyapologize or not beingan dealmotherto a child his age.The researchwork took mostof my time andI hope he willforgive me n the future. To him I dedicatehiswork. .


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PrologueThe ruler s responsibilitywas significant or the performanceof Egyptian civilisation.The countrydependedon social and cosmicorder,andso maintaininghesewasoneofthe dutiesof the king: that of liaison between he godsandhumankind.The concretefoundationof his authoritywas the ability to managehe machineryof administration,including the military forces and the police force. Edgerton, in his classicarticle,summariseshis standardview of how authorityfunctioned n relationto the peopleofEgypt. He stresseshat `the court scribes ell us that the divine Pharaohpersonallydid every thing needfulfor the welfare of Egypt, with that unlimited personalabilitywhich properly characterises god. They tell us that he personallymowed down hisenemiesby tens of thousandson the battlefield,2 personallydiscoveredwhat waswrong throughouthis empire,and personallydevised he necessaryawsandregulationto seteverythingright.3They tell us that foreign kings came spontaneouslyrom theirdistant ands,bearing heir tribute on their backsandbeggingPharaoh or the breathoflife which he alone could give.4And they tell us manyother thingsequally ncredible .Traditionalassessmentsccept at facevalue many of theseassertionsof the natureofthe role of the Egyptianking. The problem is to reach a more modernassessment fcontemporary reality. This poses the question of the king s role in ritual andceremonial,whetherhewas without realpersonaladministrativepower or was really aruler controlling the government,andwhat evidencedo we havefor what he actuallydid?

Diodorusof Sicilydescribesan dealisedpictureof thecircumscribedife of anEgyptian king. He says: `In the first place, then, the life which the kings of theEgyptians ived was not like that of other menwho enjoy autocraticpower and do inall mattersexactlyasthey pleasewithout beingheld to account,but all their acts wereregulatedby prescriptionssetforth in laws, not only their administrativeacts,but alsothosethat hadto do with the way in which they spent heir time from day to day, andwith the food which they ate . He continued,`For instance,n the morning, as soon as

1Edgerton,JNES6 (1947), 153.2Seebelow (51-57)discussionon the contactbetween hekings and their subjectsn battlefield texts.3Seebelow (58) discussionon reporting to theking by his vizier concerning he condition of the land.Van denBoom, Duties of the Vizier,R 5. Cf. Seebelow(102-108)discussionon king s decision.4 See ater discussion n interaction between king his


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he was awake,he first of all had to receive he letters which had beensentfrom allsides, he purposebeing that he might be ableto despatchall administrativebusinessand perform everyact properly, being thus accuratelynformedabout everything hatwasbeingdone hroughouthisKingdom'.

At the peak of the Egyptiansocial order stoodthe king whosedoctoralnaturewas both divine and human. As a political power, however, he had to rely onperformers for the implementation of his willpower. Sequentially, to run every sectionof the government, the king selected various high-ranking officials.6 The degree towhich ruler's courtiers transformed his determination into realism presumably variedfrom occasion to occasion and from place to place.

Next to the king the most significantfigure in the state was the vizier,8 whoorganized he administrativesystemof the governmentand functionedasthe headofthe judiciary. As the prime minister,the vizier was in close contact with the king, forwhom heservedasa `mouthpiece hat bringscontentmentof the entire and'.9Amonghis functionshe was `the one to whom the affairs of the Two Lands are reported'.The people close to the king gainedboth power and prestige.As suchthey are theclass who have left the most monuments, inscribed with texts, titularies andautobiographies,which focusstronglyon their relationshipo the king.

The privacy of the king and what happened nside his house was kept amystery.Palaceswere the placeswhere specialclassesof peoplecould meetthe king,dealwith him, andbe closeto him. To the outsideworld, it was perhapsa matter ofhiddenplaces, ull of secretswhich were not to be revealed o the outsideworld. Thisaim of mysterywas the focus of my interest and from here the idea for this project

5Diodorus of Sicily, with anEnglish translationby C.H. Oldfather, Book I. 70-71.6Wen-Peng,Atti VI Congressonternazionaledi Egittologia II, 270.7Edgerton,JEA 6 (1947),219-230.8 In the Old and Middle Kingdoms there was only onevizier. In the New Kingdom there were twoviziers, one for Upper Egypt and one for Lower Egypt. Each vizier in his own region probablydirectedall public activities,being subordinateonly to the pharaoh.SeeEva Martin-Pardey,LA VI,1227-1235.9Davies,Tombof the Vizier Ramose,pl. XXXX, XL.'oHabachi,SupplementBIFAO 81 (1981),29-39.11The king's authority over his subjectsalsoextended nto the after world. There is evidence hat atleastduring theOld Kingdom theEgyptiansbelieved hat their king would defendand supervisehemin hereafter.Also, high-ranking officials wereburied aroundhis tomb. Since they were surroundinghim in life, they wantedto do the same n death. Reisner,Developmentof the Egyptian Tomb, 117-121.


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appeared, speciallyasno complete esearchhasbeenpreviouslyundertaken egardingthe conduct of audiences nd he control of entryto the royal presence.

The aim of this project is to try to determine he relationshipbetween he kingand his audience hrough pictorial, textual and archaeologicalevidence,using bothnarrativeaccountsandalsothe titles andepithetsof the officials.This project will dealwith threetypesof interaction:

(a) From/to the king.(b) From/to the court.(c) From/to the public.

The court hererepresentshe peoplewho held high-rankingpositionsand who could,in one way or another,have access o the king. I was particularly attractedto thescenesrom the Amarnaperiod, manyof which enabledme to investigate his sort ofcommunicationbetween the king and his subjects. I started my enquiry at thisparticular point, where I endedup with more than one occasionwhere the king wascommunicatingwith his subjects.Private tombs of the officials provided a largeamountof information,which I havedealtwith in ChapterTwo. I dividedthis chapterinto four categories: he rewarding and promotion scenes,ribute scenes,presentingflowers to the king, and presentingNew Year s gifts to the king. In each of thesecategories selectedhe bestexamplesas casestudies. concentratedon the king, therecipient(mainlythe tomb-owner), andthe intermediarypeople,as the main elementsof the pictorial narrative. consideredhe peoplewitnessing heseeventsas secondaryelements.

The main aim of ChapterOnewasto try to examinehe early contactbetweenthe king and his people since pictorial evidencedoesnot allow me discoveringsuchinteraction before the New Kingdom. I examined exts, from the Old to the NewKingdom, andattemptedo employ hemaccording o the following themes:

Basicelementsof narrative.Preparationsbeforemeeting heking.Peopleresponsibleor theushering n.The king s appearancen the audiencehall.


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Court entertainmentor kings.Kings visits and nteractionswith their subjects.Interactionduring rituals and ceremonies.Interaction with kings when celebrating their coronation.Other sorts of interactions.Kings contactwith their subjectsrom battlefield exts.

In Chapter Three I examine the question of where these occasions might have takenplace inside the palace. An essentialpart of the search was basedon the archaeologicalremains of palaces,plans of which are included at the beginning of the chapter. SectionTwo of this chapter considersthe issueof special rooms of the palace, focusing on theplaces where the king used to meet his subjects. I have discussed different termsalluding to rooms/halls in the palace: w3hy,d3dw, is-Ist, stp-s3, imy-r wrt and rrryt.

In ChapterFour I attempt o consider he relationshipbetween he king andhispeople,employing itles and epithetsof the officials connectedo his functionsandhisrelationshipwith the king in one way or another.Here I dealwith the epithetÈyesandears of the king , for which I tried to discoverthe real function of its bearer.Otherepithetswere of specialnterest:notablyÒnestepping reely in the sacredplace , Ònewho can approachhis Lord and `King s acquaintance .Section Two of this chaptercontainssectionsof interesting biographicalnarrative, n which their owners refer tospecialcontactwith the royal personage.

In Chapter Five I consider the real limitations, even failure of this data inreconstructinga consistent iew of the royal audience.


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5CHAPTER I

INTERACTION BETWEEN THE KING AND HIS PEOPLE(TEXTUAL EVIDENCE)

1.1.Textual narrativeNarrative is the explanation of an occasion and its significance. The Oxford EnglishDictionary defines the term `narrative' as `a tale or a story'. 12In its elementary form, itis any story which involves a teller and receivers.13However, the term also includes theaccount of a detailed event carried out by characters in a particular location at aparticular time.14n Egyptian sources narrative appears n both texts and pictures.

The typical basics n the Egyptiantextual and llustrative narrativeare locationand ime. In many pictorial illustrationsan additional nscriptionappearso indicate heevent of a depictedoccasion.Gaballanotesthat narrative n its whole sensemust berecognizedrom theseelementsand he non existenceof a particularcharacteror placecould indicate hat narrative s not recognizedn its completesense, owever t canbetaken as narrative. Gaballaadds `This is due to the fact that the significanceof theother elementss entirely dependenton the specificnature of the event.Therefore ifthis is absent, he other elementswill certainly not form a significant story and therepresentationwill not be a narrativebut a typical action'. 5

Quirke16specificallydistinguishes etween wo typesof narrative n Egypt: thenon-literary narrative and the literary narrative. In a non-literary narrative theaudiencewas both edifiedand entertained.8This includesautobiographies19n tomb-chapels,oyal inscriptions ncludingtheKnigsnovelle,andnarrativeart.

12The ConciseOxfordDictionary, 785.13Toolan,Narrative: A Critical Linguistic Introduction, 1; a guide to literary theories:JeffersonandRobey,Modern Literary Theory:A Comparative ntroduction.14Gaballa,Narrative in EgyptianArt, 5.15Gaballa,Narrative in EgyptianArt, 6.16Quirke, in Loprieno (ed. , Ancient Egyptian Literature, 263.17For Egyptologicaldiscussionsof literature and specificargumentsaboutthe natureand purposeofliterature see,e.g. Assmann,OLZ 69 (1974), 117-126;Baines,Man 18 (1983), 572-599;Baines andEyre, GM 61 (1983),65-96;Loprieno (ed. , Ancient Egyptian Literature, passim;Parkinson,Tale ofSinuhe, 1-25. Eyre justified the writing of literature `as a way of extending the effectivenessofintellectual creativity, as well as ensuring its survival': in Atti VI Congresso nternazionale diEgittologia II, 118andcf. Morenz, Beitrgezur Schriftlichkeitskultur im Mittleren Reich.18Eyre, in Loprieno (ed. , Ancient EgyptianLiterature, 415.


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Rare instancesof narrative survive from the Old Kingdom. 20Texts concerningthe construction' and the endowment of tombs and funerary offering chapels22 rovidethe earliest attestations of narrative form in Egypt. Narrative autobiography enters thehieroglyphic field in tomb chapels as early as the Fifth Dynasty in the MemphiteNecropolis.2' Examples continued to be used in the Sixth Dynasty as for Wnl atAbydos,24or in the tomb-chapels of the provincial governors at Deir el Gabrawi andAswan.25During the First Intermediate Period narrative autobiography appears in thetomb chapelsof governors at Asyut'26Mo'a11a27nd at Abydos.28This sort of narrativealso occurred on offering stela during the Middle Kingdom. 29 New Kingdomautobiography includes extended accounts on tomb-chapel walls, for example that of734-ms,son of Abana, at El Kab, and on temple statues and stelae.3All such narrativefocuseson relations between the king and his subjects.

Royal inscriptionsmay have included imited narrative in the Old Kingdom,31althoughevidenceor such eatures n royal texts is very limited beforethe end of theTwelfth Dynasty.This is the issueof a few fragmentary exts. At the endof the MiddleKingdommoreexamplesof royal narrative, he so-calledKnigsnovellen,occur, asforexample, he stelaof King Neferhotep,which recounts he decision o renew variouselementsof the cult of the god Osiris.32From the New Kingdom, there is the longestroyal narrative of campaigns, n the annals of Thutmosis III, located within the19For the term `autobiography'seeAssmann, n Assmann(eds., Schrift und Gedachtnis,64-93; cf.Nicole, 54K 25 (1998), 189-205;Gnirs, in Loprieno (ed. , Ancient Egyptian Literature, 191-241.20Eyre, in Powell (ed. , Labor in theAncient Near East, 5-6.21E.g. Dbhni (Urk I, 18-21).22E.g. Estateof Khafra pyramid complex(Urk I, 11-15); Nykawra, son of Khafra (Urk I, 16-17);thefuller early Fifth Dynasty text of Ny-k3-enb Urk I, 24-32), involves grants from Menkawra andUserkaf.23E.g. Pth-JJpssUrk I, 51-53); S3bwknown as Tty (Urk I, 84-85); Wal-Pth (Urk I, 40-45); Sndm-lbIntl (Urk I, 59-67);cf. Eyre, in Powell (cd. , Labor in Ancient Near East, 6.24Urk I, 98-110.u E.g. Hnkw (Urk I, 76-79);Tb (Urk I, 142-145);Dew(Urk I, 145-147).26Edel, Die Inschriften der Grabfronten der Siut-Grber in Mittelgypten aus derHerakleopol tenzei.27Vandier, Walla: la Tombe d'Ankhtifi et la tombe de Sebekhotep; Gnirs, in Loprieno (ed. , AncientEgyptian Literature, 198-199.28Lichtheim,Ancient EgyptianAutobiographies.29For Abydosstelaeduring the Middle Kingdom; seeLichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Autobiographies,55-128.30An early exampleof a private stela in templewith narrative text is the SeventeenthDynasty stelejuridique from Karnak. SeeLacau, UneSteleJuridique de Karnak, Spalinger,LA VI, 6-8.31 See a fragment from the valley temple of the Sahure pyramid complex: Borchardt, DasGrabdenkmaldesKnigsSa? uRe , pl. 72.32Compare hebuilding inscription of Senwosret, seedeBuck, StudiaAegyptiaca1(1938),49.


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sanctuaryarea of Karnak temple. 3The battle of Qadesh s another exampleofEgyptianroyal narrative. 4Royal inscriptionsrecountevents n order to maintainandpropagandiseingship.Literary narrative appears in manuscripts in the Middle Kingdom. Thediscourseof Nfr-ty3Sbeginswith a short narrativepassageo locate the scene or aseriesof declarations.The tale of the ShipwreckedSailor36s framedby a conversationbetweenthe head of a failed expedition and a memberof his team. The WestcarPapyrushas ost its beginning,but the surviving part beginsat the court of King Khufuwhere he is entertainedby his sons,each of whom recites a story from the past. 7Characteristicallythe border of such a narrative provides information of royalceremonyand audience.

In art, episodesof narrativeare recorded n relief on walls of temples or theroyal cult of the Fifth, Sixth andEleventh Dynasty. 8By the EighteenthDynasty, thedivinebirth of Hatshepsutand he expedition o Punt illustratedat the templeof Deir elBahari,provide full cycles of narrative n art. There are also occasionsof juxtaposedvisual and textual narrativehowever,as for the battle of Qadesh,where the pictorialand extualnarrativesgive parallel nformationregarding he event.

The rameworks f thesenarratives anberegarded s supplying namountof`objectiveaccount' for variousevents.This structure of fiction, or idealising,narrativefurnishesa realistic context, and so in principle a reliablesourceof material. In suchnarratives hereis often a contact,an interaction,between he king, the court, andthepeople, n differentsituations.

33Urk IV, 625.34Kuentz, La Bataille de Qadech; KRI II, 3,1- 147,4. The textual record is convenientlypublishedby Kitchen, Ramessidenscriptions: Translatedand Annotated II, 2-147; for a full translation seeHartman, TheKadesh nscriptions of RamessesI; Gardiner, TheKadesh nscription of RamessesI;the texts of the Poem and the `Bulletin have been translatedby Lichtheim, Ancient EgyptianLiterature II, 57-72. Cf. von der Way, Die Textberlieferung RamsesII zur Qades-Schlacht,Goedicke,Perspectiveson theBattle of Kadesh.Cf Shirun-Grumach,n Eyre (ed),Proceedingsof theSeventhnternational Congressof Egyptologists, 1067-1073; or private royal narrative on stelaecf.Galan, n Proceedingsof theSeventhnternational Congressof Egyptologists,419-428.35Helck,Die ProphezierungdesNfr,ti.36Golenishchev,Les Papyrus Hieratiques no. 1115,1116A and 1116B de 1'Ermitage Imperial St.Petersbourg,1-2,pl. 1-8.37


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1.1.1 Basic elements of narrativeThe basic elements of narrative describing the interaction between the king and hispeople in most of the relevant texts deal with the following situations: the royalcouncil, the speech of the king, his attitude, the reply of courtiers, their attitudetowards their king, and the one who is responsible for ushering in the court to HisMajesty.39This motif generally appears as the frame to the literary type referred to asthe Knigsnovellen. It is attested from the Middle Kingdom to the Ptolemaic period.Hermann defined this genre as an exact literary form reciting a sole event in the life ofthe king which regarded as a solitary and enormous action.40Loprieno understands theterm as `referring to a form of Egyptian narrative which focuses on the role of the kingas recipient of divine inspiration or as protagonist of ensuring the decision-makingprocess 41 The Middle Kingdom Knignovellen however is a characteristic found, forexample in Nfr-ty s narrative and the tales of the Court of King Cheops. Dziobek hasgiven this the title `king s audience , which he stresses s a theme repeated in `non-literary texts,42 or example, in the promotion text of the vizier Wsr, the coronationinscription of queen Hatshepsut at her temple of Deir el Bahari, or the throne sessionof her expedition to Punt. Therefore, the sequenceof events is frequently repeated asfollows: a- The appearance of the ruler. b- A request for information might follow. c-The king either relates a standard passage, or answers his officials questions orstatements. d- The officials then reply with admiration to the person of the king. Theliterary subject employed within this structure, is of the king displaying his authority.43

The building inscription of Senwosret ,44the so-calledBerlin Leather Rollcomprisessuchelements, evealing a direct contact and communicationbetweentheking andhiscourtiers.The story records hemeasuresakenby Senwosret in order to

39For example he beginning of the narrativeof Nfr-ty presentshe king in his palacesurroundedbyhis courtiersandofficials. See;Osing,LETII, 556-557;Posener, itterature et politique dans 1 Egyptede la Xlle Dynastie,30.40Hermann,Die gyptischeknigsnovelle,19.41Loprieno, in Loprieno (ed. , Ancient EgyptianLiterature, 277.42Dziobek,Denkmlerdes Yezirs User-Amum,16; Urk IV, 255; Urk IV, 349.43Spalinger,Aspectsof theMilitary Documents,101-103.44Berlin Museum(no.3029).The document s perhapsan EighteenthDynasty (? hieratic copy of thebuilding inscription of the temple of Heliopolis. Seede Buck, Studia Aegyptiaca I (1938), 49,1-4;Goedicke, n Festschrift zum 150 hrigen Bestehen des Berliner gyptischen Museums, 87-104;


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begin the construction of a temple for the god Harakhte in Heliopolis. 5 The kingannounces is project before the royal council.He has decided o build a monumentand o set up fixed decreesor Harakhte,as well asto carry out architecturalworks inthe temple of Atum. The courtiers' answer with a hymn of admire declaring thedominanceof the royal project. Senwosret then give the specificcommandso thechief architect. After this he celebrates he foundation rites before the assembledpeople. 6Thetext reads: 7`Year3, third month of the inundation,day 8, underthe Majestyof theKing of UpperandLower Egypt, Kheperkare,Sonof Ra, Senwosret,he ustified, mayhelive foreverand ever. The king appeared n the double crown;48a sitting took place49n theaudiencehall (d3dw),and a consultationwith his followers, the friends of the palace(smrw n stp-s3)5L. P.H, and the officials of the private apartment (st ww).Commandsat their hearing,a consultation or their instruction'.5'

In the last stage he king managedhe foundingceremonyn which a cord wasstretchedand released t the markfor the foundationsof thebuilding:52`Theking appearedn the two-plumedcrownwith all the folk following him, the chief

lector-priest and the scribe of the divine book stretching the cord. The rope wasreleased;he line put in the ground and made into this temple. Then, His Majestycaused them)to proceed; he king turnedhimself o facethe people,who were oinedtogether n oneplace, both) Upper andLower Egypt, theywho are n prosperityuponearth'.

45Similarly constructed oyal narrativeoccurs n the stela of King Rehotep UC 14327).The king alsoannounceso his courtiershis wish to renovate he ruined gatesand door of his father's temple. SeeStewart,EgyptianStela,ReliefsandPaintings rom thePetrie Collection II, 78.46Piccato,LingAeg5 (1997), 137.4' De Buck, StudiaAegyptiaca I (1938), 49,1-4. The themewhich recountsa discussionbetween heking and his officials is paralleledby a fragmentary ext of Senwosret from Luxor and the Abydosinscription of Nfr-http: seePieper,Die grosse Inschri, 1des Konigs Neferhotep in Abydos, Helck,Historisch-biographischeTexteder 2. Zwischenzeit,21-29;cf. the stela of Sbk-htp V and the stela ofRehtp, both from the Second ntermediatePeriod: Legrain, RT 30 (1908), 15-16;Petrie,Koptos, plsXII- XIII; translationafterParkinson, Voices rom Ancient Egypt, 40-41.48The doublecrown is a technicalnote aboutthe royal regalia worn, which qualifies the characterofthe meetingdistinguished rom the `plumedcrown'.49For jpr timstseeDerchain,RdE 43 (1992),40.50For smrwn stp s3seeDerchain, RdE 43 (1992), 41.51Translationfollowing deBuck, StudiaAegyptiaca I (1938),52 andParkinson, Voicesrom AncientEgypt,40.52


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The text providesevidence or the conduct of ceremonial ife at court in thecourse of royal acts. Its elements are: the royal council in which the king appearsbefore a full gathering of the courtiers; ' the speech of the king in which heannounceshis plan to build a temple; the reply of the courtiers making an answeringspeech in which they applaud the royal plan; realisation of project proposed by theking. The king turns to his chief architect and charges him with the implementation ofthe plan, and the king then personally presides over the founding ceremony.56The

story therefore runs: the king is surrounded by his courtiers, who are totally unsure asto how to handle this particular difficulty, the king present the answer and the courtiersreact with respect to their king. Although this is an ideological literary motif, and sofictitous, the royal counsel and its sequenceof events is based on reality, and so thismaybetakenas reliableevidence.

The Great Harris Papyrus, is another example, which clarify the basicelementsof narrative, t includesa speechmadeby the king to `the magistrates, heprincesof the land,the army,chariotry,Sherden,numerousbowmen,andeverycitizenof the land of Egypt'. Although there is no way to tell if this is a real address romRamessesII to the court, at a specific ime and place,the delivery reflectsthe royalsittinghmstnsw,and he royal appearanceint-nsw.

1.1.2.Preparations (protocol) before meeting the kingTexts also allude to sorts of preparation,or kinds of protocol, taking place directlybefore making an audiencewith the king. The Oxford Thesaurusdefines the term`protocol' as a `nounassociatedwith royal visits, rulesof conduct,codeof behaviour,

54For royal audienceseeUrk IV, 1380,12-15;Dziobek,DenkmalerdesVezirsUserAmun, 1-6.55For direct addresso an audienceby the king cf. Eyre, in Israelit-Groll (ed. , StudiesLichtheim I,134-165.56Loprieno, n Loprieno (ed. , Ancient Egyptian Literature, 277.5' Grandet,Le PapyrusHarris I, 91-95.58 n a letter from Papyrus Anastasi VI 51-61, the text reads:di. I in. w.w m snn where Goedicke


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conventions,ormalities,customs,propriety, decorum,manners,courtesiesand goodform'.S9 heseare he themes intendedo investigatehere.

1.1.2.1. The Duties of the Vizier textThe text known as the Duties of the Vizier60provides us with specific

information: 1`Rulesof conduct of sitting of the overseerof the city andvizier of the southerncityand of the residencen the office of the vizier. As for everything this official does, hevizier listens n the office of the vizier. He sits on the phdw chair,mat on the floor, a.np on it, a leathercushionunderhisbackand a leathercushionunderhis feet,the []on him, the b3sceptren his hand, he 40 .smwspreadout beforehim. The Greatof10of Upper Egypt, in two rowsbeforehim, the chamberlainon his right handside, heonewho is in chargeof enteringon [his] left handside,the scribesof the vizier at hishand,one facingthe other, eachman oppositethe other. Each one is heardafter theotherwithout allowing the low (rankingofficial) to be heardbefore the high (rankingofficial). If (however) the high (ranking official) says: No one besideme is to beheard , henhe is constrainedby themessengersf thevizier.

There is reported to him the closing62of what is closed on time and theiropeningon time. There is reported to him the conditions of the southernand thenorthernmnw (mnnww),when everything hat has to leavethe king's house eaves.There is reportedto him when everything hat has to enter the king's houseenters.Now as o, everything hat entersor everything hat leaveshe groundof the residence,theywill enterandtheywill leave. t is his messengerwho allowsenteringandexiting.The Overseerof the Policeandthe Policemanandthe Overseerof the District reportsto himtheir condition.Now, he enters o greetthe lord, life, prosperityandhealth. The affairsof theTwo Lands are reported to him in his houseevery day. He will enter to the Great

59Kirkpatrick, The ConciseOxford Thesaurus, 39.60This distinctive text is our only connectedjob description'of the office of the vizier, and providesor the Egypt Eighteenth Dynasty.See den Boom,


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House ift the Overseerof what is Sealed.He standsat the northern lagstaffthen,thevizier shall moveto appearn the doorwayof the greatdoublegate, andthe Overseerof what is Sealedwill cometo meethim togetherandreport to him, saying, All youraffairs are safe and sound,every responsibleunctionaryhasreported to me , sayingAll your affairs are safeand sound.The king's house s safe and sound . Then, the

vizier will report it to the Overseerof what is Sealed. All your affairs are safe andsound,every place (office) of the Residences safe and sound.The closure of thebuildings(btmw) on time hasbeen eported o me, andtheir openingon time has beenreported o meby everyfunctionary .Now after the two officials havereportedonetoeachother,then, hevizier will sendout to open everydoorwayof theking's house'.64

The text begins by illustrating a sceneof the vizier in his completeauthorityinsidehis office receivinga daily report on the affairs of the Two Lands,surroundedbyhis assistants. he first sectiondescribeshis ceremonialsetting in his office: sitting instateon thephdw6S hair,with a mat66 n the floor, a leathercushionon his back andanotherat his feet, and a sceptre n his hand as a visible symbol of his power andauthority.67The 40 Ismw68ie spread out in front of the vizier and a high-ranking69group is arrangedn two rows before him. The phrasepresumablyalludes o a certainkind of protocol, which probably demands he presenceof the .smw and the highrankinggroup of officials at the sessionof the vizier.7The arrangementnvolving thewrw andbmewwas in all likelihood the standardpractice in the New Kingdom. Theframeworkas a whole resembleshat of a sessionwith a council, standingaroundtogive advice. Comparable n this respectare the prologues to the Middle and NewKingdom Knigsnovellen. For example n the story of the Eloquent Peasant,when63Van denBoom translated he term bft as `correspondingo', which is incomprehensible. he wordcouldbe translatedas `with' or `aswell' since herewas `teamwork' between he imy-r btm and thevizier. Seevan denBoom, Dutiesof the Vizier,59-60.6' Translationclosely ollowing van denBoom, Dutiesof the Vizier, 12-79.65According to this text van den Boom concluded hat the vizier adopted he phdw chair from theroyalcourt.See he discussionof van denBoom, Dutiesof the Vizier, 25-26.66Cf. Urk IV, 1104,1.67Cf. Hassan,StckeundStbe,183-188.68Seediscussionand referencecollection of van den Boom, Duties of the Vizier, 29-32; for theinterpretationas `rods', against he continuingargumentof Allam, in Studien WestendorfI, 447-453asrolls of laws.69The title wrw-md .me'w races its origin back to the Third and Fourth Dynasty, where Fischerstresseshe fact that already n the Old Kingdom theseofficials seem o have had strongties with theresidence.SeeFischer,Dendera, 99 no.452.70Van denBoom, Dutiesof the Vizier,33.71Cf. Blumenthal,ZAS109(1982), 17-19.


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the peasant irst appealedo Rnsi, the High Steward,he respectivelypassedhe caseon to hiscourt, asking hemfor their adviceon the matter.72

On the vizier's right and left hand,standing espectfully,are the imy-r rhnwtyand he onewho is responsibleor the access.The imy-r rhnwty'spresences perhapsobvious since,besidesother roles,hewas in chargeof ceremonies ndprotocol in thereceptionsn the halls of the palace,of the vizier and of the treasuries.3Surroundinghim also are his scribes, as his representativesor secretaries,necessary or theworkings of the bureau of the vizier.74All are standing opposite to each other, anindicationof the proper,respectful,attitude of officials.

The next section describes he speechesof the officials to the vizier in anorganisedway. The court gives heir opinions n order of rank, superiorbefore nferior.The final word is then for the vizier himself.The third sectionspeaksabout reportsmadeto the vizier. The first report is made about the htmw, which are closed andopened at the accuratetimes. The secondreport is made about the state of thesouthernand northernmnnw.The third report includes he entering hrough the king'shouse,pr-nsw, and exiting from it. The text highlights the fact that the vizier is incharge of the security, order, and access in the royal complex. This vizier'srepresentative, iswpwty, s describedhereasthe onewho is in chargeof security.Hisrole is to allow the enteringand exiting from/to the pr-nsw. There are other securitypersonnel:he imy-r SntOverseerof thePolice,the . ntw policemanandthe Imy-r hrpOverseerof aDistrict76who reports o him aswell.

The text describesone side of the arrangementsor the royal audience, hevizier's preparationof his businessreport before entering to the king. Section R5describeshe responsibility he vizier performed every day: to enter the palace,greetthe king andreport on the condition of the Two Lands.Before entering, he vizier isrequiredto wait outside the palace(pr-9), in front of rwty wrty `the great doublegates'until the Imy-r htm, the Overseerof What is Sealed, takesup position by the72Parkinson,TaleofSinuhe, 60 B170.73Cf. Gardiner,AEO I, 44-45;Helck, Zur Verwaltung,54.74Helck, Zur Verwaltung,54-55;Ward,Index of EgyptianAdministrative andReligious, 159.75Seevan denBoom argument:Duties of the Vizier, 50-53;cf. Meeks,Annee LexicographiqueI, 77(77.0798).76Seediscussionof the titles by van denBoom, Duties of the Vizier, 50-53.In the early Middle Kingdom the title tmy-r jtmt Overseerof the Treasure, iterary `of what whichis sealed',held a function, which may be exercisedat various levels. At an individual level it maydesignatea confidant in the serviceof a high official. At an intermediate evel it may designate he


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northern flagstaff (snt mhtt). On seeingthe vizier moving towards the doorway of thegreat double gate the imy-r btm goes and meets him. There is an exchange of reportsbetween the vizier and the imy-r htm, in preparation for the meeting with the king. Thiswould have begun with the my-r btm giving two reports to the vizier. One wouldconcern the condition of the country, prepared by the fry nb s1m,who was in charge ofthe various enclosures (btmw) in the pr-nsw. 78The other would concern the situationinside the king's house itself. In this way the vizier would be up to date about statebusinessand issuesof importance before entering to the king, and consequently able toreport up to date information to him. This exchange of reports would happen outsidethe pr-nsw, 79therefore the vizier had to passthrough some part of the pr-nsw to reachthe pr-f3 for his audiencewith the king.8

A discussionconcerning he place where the vizier meets the Imy-r btm isderived from this text. The term snt is frequently used in New Kingdom texts todescribehe flagstaffsbeforea templeand not a palace, 1whereashe Wbrefers o thisterm as alluding to the flagstaffsof a palace.Van denBoom consideredhat the sntmhtt herean adjunct of thepr-c3,the buildingwhich the vizier enteredwhenthe imy-rbtm had drawn up to his position at its northern flagstaff.82He arguesthat mhtt`northern' alludes o the main entranceof the palace,which was orientedeast-west.3David O'Connor, on the other hand, argues hat flagstaffs are connectedonly withtemplesandthat the referencemustbe to a templeorientatedeast-west.He alluded oKarnaktemplewhich hasan east-westorientation.He suggestsherefore hat the viziermight be in the process of moving from or towards the east and therefore be in a

treasury director of a town or region. At the national level, the Overseer of the Treasure'sresponsibilities extended o the goodsthat came in as booty or tribute and the administration ofprecious commodities, ncluding metals and fine stone,which may explain why the title appears orthe first time at this level during the Twelfth Dynasty.Building activitieswerepart of the treasurer'sresponsibilitiesaswell. SeeVernus, n Allara (ed. , Grund undBoden,251-260.78Van denBoom, Duties of the Vizier,72.79Van denBoom argued hat section hree ndicated hat the management ndthe operationof thepr-nswweretaskspassedon to thevizier who acted n co-operationwith the Overseerof the Treasuryashis co-director.However n theory the king personallycontrolled the pr-nsw. Van den Boom, Dutiesof the Vizier,74-75.80Lorton, SAK 18(1991),293.81Wb V, 152,9-11; Arnold, LA II, 257-258;Urk IV, 152,9-10.82Urk IV, 152,11.83Van denBoom, Duties of the Vizier,63.


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15building oriented east-west.84 Van den Boom argues, certainly correctly, that theconsultation with the Imy-r htm comesbefore the vizier s admission into the palace.8S

Van den Boom translated the phrasefir mnmn 3tym wbn m p3 sb3 n rwty wrtyas follows: `Then, the vizier shall move to appear in the doorway of the great doublegate , as `in/from the East in the gateway of the main entrance . Next he will move onto enter the pr-r3, which indicates that he will proceed westwards.86However, wbn inthis context is a verb connected to movement rather than orientation, so it would betranslated as `to appear with no reference to orientation. The verb wbn meaning `toappear is usually functional only to gods or kings but can be used rarely denotingprivate individuals.87

Thevizier thenreplies hat st nbt hnw `everyplace n the residence s workingwell, the individual departments meaningeither departmentsof state outside theking s house,referring to the affairs of the Two Lands, or inside the king s house).After the vizier and the Overseerof What is Sealed eport to eachother, the viziersendshis wpwty messengero openthe door of the king s house.This is to allow theenteringandexiting from the king s house, ncluding hat of thevizier himself.

To sumup theoverallnarrative f the text: at thebeginninghevizierreceivesa day to day report on the affairs of the Two Lands in his residenceor in his office,thenconfersand checks he informationwith the Imy-r htm beforeentering he palace,all as part of the protocol. He then enters the palaceto simultaneouslysalute andreport to the king. His role can be summarised,according to van den Boom,88asmanagingdirector of the pr-nsw, head of the civil administration and the King sDeputy.

1.1.2.2.The story of the Shipwrecked SailorThe tale of the ShipwreckedSailor89s a work of fiction90 hat hasa context

basedon realism.The story is arranged n a narrativeframe.A high-rankingofficial is84O Connor and Silverman,Ancient EgyptianKingship, 272.85For otheropinionscf. Lorton, CdE 70 (1995), 126-127.86Van denBoom, Dutiesof the Vizier,63-65.87O Connor and Silverman,Ancient EgyptianKingship, 273; CDME, 58 refersto Caminos, LiteraryFragments n theHieratic Script, 11 dating to the secondhalf of theEighteenth Dynasty.88Van denBoom, Dutiesof the Vizier,310.89Blackman,Middle Egyptian Stories, 41-48; Simpson,LA V, 619-622; for its interpretation seeBaines,JEA 76 (1990),55-72.90SeeParkinson, n Quirke (ed. , Middle KingdomStudies,79-98.


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returning from a mission that appears to have failed in its aim hence he is afraid ofattending his audience with the king. One of the retainers recites a tale for himconcerning a previous journey that happened to him years ago, in order to inform hissuperior of how a tragedy may turn into an achievement.He intends to give confidenceto his leader for passinghis account to the king: 9'`The excellent follower said, "Command your heart my lord. See, we have reached

home. The mallet has been taken up. The mooring-post has been struck. The prow-rope has been placed on land. Praise has been given. God has been thanked. Everyoneis embracing his companion. Our crew has come safe, with no loss to our expedition.We have reached the limits of Wawat. We have passedSenmut. Look, we have comein safety. Our land, we have reached it. Listen to me my lord. I am free ofexaggeration, Wash yourself, pour water upon your fingers. Then, you will answer(when) you are questioned. You must speak to the king with presence of mind. Youwill answer with no stammering. The mouth of a man saveshim. His speechmakes oneforgive him. (But) you can do as you wish It is too weary talking to you. I will tellyou something similar which happened o me myself ". '

The tale beginswith a dramaticsetting,which matches he subsequent ubjectof a successful omereturning. 2The retainer(.msw ikr)93 s looking for a bright sideand s encouraginghis leaderwho appearso be disconsolateaboutthe failure of theircurrent mission. 4He is giving advice that his master must follow before havingaudiencewith the king. He askshim to washhimselfand pour water on his hands.Thispossiblyrepresentsa preparationfor his reception at court and indicatesa kind ofprotocol performedwhen attending or audiencewith the king. Washingand pouringwater could allude o a sort of purification,which would take placebeforemeeting heperson of the king. Presumably this practice would resemble the purificationundertakenby the king before enteringthe presenceof a god in a temple.The king,

91Blackman,Middle Egyptian Stories,41-42,1-23.92Parkinson,Taleof Sinuhe,89.93The Egyptianscalled the peoplewho followed their masters hroughouta trip Smsw.Also the termdesignatesservantsn general.See gnatov,JEA 80 (1994), 195.94Der Manuelian, in Gamer-Wallert(ed. , Gegengabe:Festschrift ar Emma-BrunnerTraut, 226.


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denote the introduction of people into the presenceof superiors, e.g. kings103 nd godsor high ranking persons e.g. viziers (fig 1). The Duties of the Vizier for instancereads: `He had me ushered in-(and) he caused something to be put in my neck'. 'osst3here is used for the ushering in of an official to the vizier. It is understood then that st3is a well-known technical term in court procedure.

For example,n the tomb of Pwi-m-Rr,106he upper sceneon the central panelof the west wall displays he contributionfrom foreigners.Pwi-m-Rr is shown sittingholdingthe hrp sceptren onehandand a long stick in the other. In front of him standtwo representativegroups of three men eachwaiting to give their report and theirproducts.Each s putting hisright handon his left shoulderandholdinghis right elbowwith hisotherhand.The scenedescribed y the following text:``Introduction of the officials and the Overseersof Work. They say in front of this

official. Your heart s happybecause f what happenedor you. All thework is in goodorder'.

A scene rom the tomb No 157 of Nb-wnn-f showsthe tomb owner followedby a fan bearerandpriest.He is shownusheredn and accordinglyconferredwith hisnew promotion as High Priest of Amun by Ramesses I, in the presenceof queenNefertariwho is depicted n the palacewindow.108he text recordshis appointmentnyear one, t reads:9`Comingto land at the Thinite Nome (t3-wr). Introduction (s13)of the High Priest ofAmen,Nb-wnn-f, true of voice, in front of His Majesty.Now, he was the High Priest

of Onuris, and the High Priest of Hathor Lady of 7wnt (Dendara),and OverseerofPriests of all the gods southwardsto Hry-hr-7mn and northwards to Thinis. HisMajesty saidto him, You are the High Priest of Amun. His treasuryand his granary

103Urk IV, 1380,14-15; Dziobek, Denkmler des Vezirs User-Amun, 1-2.104Wb IV, 353,1-13; for more discussioncf. van den Boom, Duties of the Vizier, 92-94; Davies,Rekhmire,p1.XXV.105Van denBoom, Duties of the Vizier, R 12; translationafter van den Boom, Duties of the Vizier,89.106Davies, Tomb of Puyemre, p1. XXXVII; for the same gesture see Dominicus, Gesten undGebrden,abb.1,3-w.107Urk IV, 525,8-12.


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are under your seal.You are chief of his House, all his foundationsare underyourauthority". "

In the literary story of Nfr-ty, lll Nfr-ty is summoned to the court in order toentertain the king with fine speech.The text reads:112`Then, His Majestysaid o the Seal-bearerwho wasbesidehim, "Go andbring to me

the court of the residencehat hasgone out from hereafter makinggreetingtoday".Then t wasushered in) .q3 immediately'. 13

In the Quban stela of Ramesses I the court is summoned.The text reads:114`His Majestysaid o the Seal-bearer f theKing of Lower Egypt, who wasby his side

"Now, summonhegreat oneswho were n the presence, othat His Majestymaytakecouncil with them about this foreign country: It is I who shall put the arrangements(into effect). were then immediatelyushered n before the Good God, theirarms raised) n praiseof his ka, ubilating and payinghomage o hisbeautifulface'.

In the Great Abydos inscription, "" the young king RamessesII, in his firstyear's journey to Thebes, sails to Abydos where he finds the temple of Seti Iunfinished.He immediatelysummons is court and officials.He announceso themhisintention o completehis father'sbuildings.The text reads:`Then,His Majesty saidto the Seal-bearer f King of Lower Egypt who was by his

side, Speakandsummon he courtiers, heKing's nobles,all the Overseerof Recruits,the Overseersof Work asmanyas hey maybe, the Chiefsof the Houseof the Book."They were then ushered n before His Majesty, their nosesgrazing the ground, theirkneeson the floor, in jubilation and payinghomage, heir arms(raised) n praiseof HisMajesty'.

110 ranslationclose o Kitchen, PharaohTriumphant,46.111The original text is assignedo the reign of Amenemhet and the papyruson which it is written isdated o the reign of Amenhotep I. Lichtheim, Ancient EgyptianLiterature I, 139;Parkinson,TaleofSinuhe,131; Blumenthal,LA IV, 380-381; Foti, StudiaAegyptiaca 2 (1976),3-18.112 elck, Nfr. ti, I, 5-6.113n the discourseof S3sbk,he structureasa whole probablyresembleshe wordsthat of Nfr-ty.Barns, Five Ramesseum apyri, 1-10.114 RI II, 355,7-10. Kitchen, Ramessidenscriptions TranslatedandAnnotated II, 191.115This is a large inscription that, with its framing scenes, ccupieshe whole southhalf of the backwall of the portico that gives admission nto the temple of Seti I at Abydos. At the left (south) end,RamessesI presentsMaat, `truth', to Osiris, Isis and his father, the deceasedSeti I. At the right(north) end,RamessesI is addressinghis speeches; M VI, 3 (34-37); Mariette, Abydos I, pls. 5-9;Abydos, I, 4-4; Gauthier,La Brande nscription dedicatoire d'Abydos;KR II, 326,6-8.116TranslationafterKitchen, Ramessidenscriptions TranslatedandAnnotatedII, 166.


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courtiers n the palace,or a relative of the king, e.g. his son,sometimes ubstituted orhim. Posenernotes, however, that it is a common theme that differs only in theindividualpeople nvolved in the royal preparations.

24 he phrasecdd.nhmf n htmw-bity my r-gs is repeatedword for word in the inscriptionsof Ramesses 1,125hereforePosenersuggestedhat royal textsof theMiddle Kingdom seemo be influencedby thetext of Nfr-ty.126

The stelaof 7n-tf 127gives us an indicationof how 7n-tf,whosemain duty wasas whm-33-n-nsw he Great Herald of the King, played a great role in the managementand organisation of ceremonies in the palace.128His role is encountered among thepreparations that take place before meeting the king. The stela contains an extensiveautobiographical text. It reads:129`To the ka of the noble, prince, seal-bearerof the King of Lower Egypt, the solecompanion,one trusted of the king in controlling,his army, who sets in motion therecruiting council,who countsthe companions smrw), who ushers n (s3)he nobles(srhw), who causes the 9psw-nswto approach their places, who controls thecontrollers,who assemblesmillions of men, chief of offices of the outer chamber,'foremost of place, efficient in the (royal) presence,who causes he speech(therequests)of ordinary peopleto go up, who reports the condition of the Two Banks,who speaksaboutmatters n the secretplace,who enterswith businessand comesoutwith favour, who placesevery man upon his father's seat, who gladdens he heart,whom the praisedpraise,at whose authority the great ones stand,who organiseshe

124Posener, itterature etpolitique, 30.125Gauthier,La grande inscription dedicatore d'Abydos,1.33.126 osener, itterature etpolitique, 30.12'Thisstelasfromthe ombno 155of 7n-tf,atDra AbuelNaga, romthe imeofThutmosisII.128Comparinghis role with that of the vizier in the Duties of the Vizier, they sharesomeof theirroles:a- Reporting to the king: one of the dutiesof the vizier was to report to the king the affairs ofthe Two Lands, daily (van den Boom, Duties of the Vizier, R 5). Whereasone of the duties of thew6m-r3-nnsw,was to report the affairs of the region to the king (Urk IV, 966,6), it is not certainwhether t wasa daily procedure, ike that of the vizier, or not. b- Thesafetyof thepalace: one of thedutiesof the vizier was to control the safetyof the king's residence,a duty sharedby the 1my-r tm(van denBoom, Duties of the Vizier, R 8). 7n-tf, the whm r3n nsw, seemso be responsible or theadministration and police control inside the palace,possibly including safety (Urk IV, 967,8). c-Managementof the erryt: one of the duties of the vizier is to punish officials for wrongdoing in theerryt,which seemso be the udgementhall (van denBoom, Duties of the Vizier, R 9). 7n-if describeshimself asIrl nmtwtnt erytwho organiseshe steps o the erythall (Urk IV, 967,7)and whmtp n''rrytFirst Heraldof the erryt (Urk IV, 969,11), which shedsome ight on his role as a controller, organizeror evendirectorof this hall.


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proceduresof the rrryt hall, who put into effect the regulations tp-rd)13'n the King'sHouse,who makesevery manknow his dutiesand organisespresentations f rewardsin the palace,who creates espectwithin the Great Place,who silenceshe voice andcreates separation(dsrw),132who guards the foot'33 from the place of silence,theplummet of the balanceof the good god, who guides everybodyaccordingto whatthey do, who says, Let it be done and (it) happens immediately], ike that whichcomesout of the mouth of the god, who gives commands o the people, to makeaccountof their work fr the king, who fixes authority for everyforeign country andwho dealswith the businessof their chiefs, great of skills (? in counting, [...... ] whoknowswhat is in the heartof the sovereignL. P.H, the tonguewho speaksor him whois in thepalace,heeyesof theking, the heartof the lord of the palace.

The instruction of the whole land, who suppressesebellions,who causeshepetitioner to go out [...... ] from (? the entourage,who graspsthe hands of therobbers(? / robbed(? , who imposesbeatingson thosewho are violent, tough to thetough-minded,who humbles the arrogant, (who) shortensthe hour of the cruelhearted, who) causeshe disruptive-mindedo perform the regulationsand the lawsand the rules that his heart dislikes. Great of terror among criminals, lord of fearamong the rebellious hearted, who puts opponents to flight, who punishestheaggressiveso that the palaceflourishes,who establishests laws, who pleases hemultitudefor their lord, chiefheraldof the rrryt, prince of Thinis of the ThiniteNome,chief of the entire oasiscountry, excellentscribe, who deciphers exts, 7n-tf, true ofvoice'.

This is aNew Kingdom stelaerectedby the whm-r3n nswThe Great Herald ofthe King, 7n-tf,who servedasthe First Herald underthe reign of the King ThutmosisIII. The stela highlights his duties as whm-1*3 nsw, and therefore had a directconnectionwith the palace and the king. His duties show him to have a ministerialpower, and stress he fact that he was not only responsible or issuing reports andintroducingpeople o the king, but alsoto makeknown the royal commands.n otherwords,heactedaspublic orator andcontrollerof royal publicity.131tp-rd is a nounusuallyrenderedas instruction(s), regulation(s)'.See V, 288-290;CDME, 297.Cf. van denBoom,Duties of the Vizier,Rl, 15-16;Cf. Urk IV, 255,11-12.132Cf. Hoffmeier, Sacred in the Vocabulary of Ancient Egypt, 182. For the general theme in areligious contextof Frandsen,n StudiesQuaegebeurI, 975-1000.1331 akethis to mean`controls he movement'.


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The term whm appears from the Middle Kingdom to the Saite period.134t isusually translated as Herald, Reporter, Legal Registrar,135 and `who transmitsorders . 136The term whm-nsw is translated as Speaker of the King. 137In fact, thepeople with such titles were mainly in charge of `public relations concerning mattersrelated to the king. 139One main duty139was to report to the pharaoh and to pass onorders to subordinates.140For example Dw3-wo, who was the Overseer of the Estateof Amun, held the title whm mnh n nsw The Trusty Repeater of the King. 141Also, Sn-nfr, who was the Great Chief of thepr-nsw, held the title whm-nsw Great Repeater.142

7n-tfacquireda numberof titles, which stresshis contact with the royal patron.He was rprt-h3ty smr-wrty (3 n mrt h3ty-Jn Thy T3-wr hr-tp n What ml kd.s whm 9nnsw 7ntf 143imy-r pr wr, imy-r bnwty,144rp kit nbt nt pr-nsw145`Hereditary prince and governor, sole companion, great of love, Mayor of Thinis of theThinite Nome, Chief of the Entire OasisRegion, Great Repeater of the King 7n-tf .In addition, he was mh lb n nsw `trusted by the king .

The management nd organisationof ceremoniesn the palacewas clearlyoneof the duties of the 4m-(3-n-nsw. In other words, the previous title reflects court

134Wb , 344,7-14; Helck,L,411,1153-1154; or whinseeRoquet,BIFAO 78 (1978),487-495.135 DME, 67.136Meeks,AnneeLexicographique , 79.137Wb I, 344,8; For the same itle seeKaplony, Orientalia 37 (1968), 341; Hayesarguedthat thewhmw functions seem o have been confined to those performed nowadaysby notaries and townclerks.Elsewherehere s evidencehat town anddistrict whmwalsoperformed he dutiesof sheriffs.SeeHayes,A Papyrusof the Late Middle Kingdom in the Brooklyn Museum, 144;cf. P.Kah. 12,15;Smither, JEA 34 (1948), 32-34; cf. Harari, ASAE 51 (1951), 283; Lichtheim, Ancient EgyptianLiterature II, 143at note 17;Maxims of Ani 10-13(= P Boulaq4,22,10-13).138Valloggia, Recherchesur les messagerswpwtyw dans les sourcesegyptiennesprofanes, 262;Gnirs,Militr undGesellschaft,176.139The whmalsoheld military functions(Urk I, 344,12). On thebattlefield his duty wasto announceacts of soldiers to the person of the king, and he was also in charge of counting them. (Helck,Verwaltung,67). Imny who heldthe title whmwas engagedn the organisationof expeditions o WadiHammamat Farout,BIFAO 94 (1994), 143- 172). AhmosePennekheb asthe title Heraldwho makesCaptures(Urk IV, 35,13) which Breastedrendered`repeating captures . Ahmose son of Abanareferred o him ascollector/announcero the public of the reports/deeds f the soldier: seeUrk IV, 3,12-14; 4,7-8. For other titles including King s Heralds e.g. First King s Heralds or Heralds ofPharaoh.SeeBreasted,Ancient Records, ndex. 57. For the civil functionsof the First King s Herald.SeeHelck,Der EinflussderMilitrfahrer, 40, no. 5.140Faulkner,JEA 39 (1953),46; cf. Gardiner,AEO I, 91-92.141Urk N, 453,9-10.142Urk IV, 546,1; Newberry,PSBA22 (1900),61-62.143Urk IV, 963,12-15.144Urk IV, 972,15-16.145Urk IV, 973,1.


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functions. 46f we imagine herewas a royal audience,his role regarding he sequenceof eventswould beas ollows:a- Calling them to stand up (Urk IV, 967,6), as they might be in a sitting positionawaiting the audiencearrangements.b- Counting companions (Urk IV, 966,7).c- Arranging hemaccording o their rank (Urk IV, 966,10-14).d- Silencing heir speech141Urk IV, 967,12), preparing hem for entering he `silentplace .e- Moving them (Urk IV, 966,6).f- Ushering hemto the king s seat place)(Urk IV, 966,8-9).g- After the audience takes place he possibly directs them, perhaps outside (Urk IV,967,14).h- Quieting hemagain nside heaudiencehall if necessaryUrk IV, 969,9).

He was not only concerned with the arrangements egarding the royalaudiences,ut also n the managementhat took place nside hepalaceas ollows:a- Originatingsetsof rules(Urk IV, 967,8,10-11,15).b- Conveyingand ransmittingduties (Urk IV, 967,3,9).c- Controllingadministration Urk IV, 967,13).

As 4m-r3-n-nsw 7n-tfalso played he role of an intermediarybetween he kingandthe people.His role is emphasisedy the statementns mdw n imy-`h, the tonguethat speaksor him who is in the palaceasa royal spokesman.Possiblyhe is the onecalling out to peopleoutside, preparingthem for their royal audience.According tothis title part of his rolewasa mouthpieceof thepalace Urk IV, 967,6).

In a rock inscriptionon a damagedstelaat Wadi Hammamat,dated o the reignof AmenemhatII, the owner is whmwn rrryt aHeraldof the rrryt, the text reads: 48

146 is functionsseem o correspond loselyto those n chargeof court duties n thePtolemaicperiod.SeeCumont,L Egypte desastrologues,31 no. 4.14The mentionof silence n the presence f the king in his palace s interestingasthis notion is alsoexpressedn the Jewishversion, it reads:`SinceYahmeh is in his temple, beforehim, all the


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`mdd r wit nt smnh sw one who is loyal to him who made him distinguished, dd r nfrtwhm mrt one who speakswell and repeats what is liked, one to whom the lord of theTwo Lands has sentwith the words. hab n.f nb t3wy m mdw

hr ikr rh. i mnb rh. As myknowledge is excellent, his knowledge is efficacious, ....., k3 hrw m st sgr who is loudof voice in the place of silence, smiw n. lirt t3wy whm nfrt n nb 13wy o whom reportedthe affairs of the Two Lands and who repeatswell to the lord of the Two Lands, hry-s, t3m Hwt-nbw master of secretknowledge in the House of Gold'.

This text is of special nterest; it highlights the actual responsibilitiesof thewhmwas ollows:(a) `to whom are reportedthe affairs of the Two Lands andwho repeatswell to thelord of the Two Lands' and `onewho speakswell and repeatswhat is liked'. Thesetwo sentencesmply that he was an important official with personalauthority. He isinformedof the progressof the land and consequently,eporting it to the king. Also,the epithetdd r nfrt whm mrt refers o his ability to deliver reports in diplomaticformto the king. The focus is on delivering the messagewell and to satisfy the king.Accuracy149eans hat he shouldbe well educated,andhe assertshis fact by saying`As my knowledge s excellent'.Oneof his titles is Master of SecretKnowledge n theHouseof Gold'.(b) `Who is loud of voice in the place of silence'. ' This epithet reflects one of theessentialdescriptive featuresthat the whmw would adopt, which to be heard. It isunderstood hat sinceone of his roles is to call people, ogically he hasto be loud ofvoice.Frandsen,S