Loyalist Teaching
Encyclopedia
The Loyalist Teaching, or The Loyalist Instructions, is an ancient Egyptian text
of the sebayt
('teaching') genre. It survives in part from a stela inscription of the mid Twelfth dynasty of Egypt
. The whole text can be found in papyrus
scrolls of the New Kingdom
period. Its authorship is uncertain, although it has been suggested (with no direct evidence) that it was written by a vizier
of the early Twelfth dynasty. The text emphasizes the virtues of loyalty to the ruling pharaoh and the responsibilities one must maintain for the sake of society.
stela at Abydos
made in honor of Sehetepibre, a high government official and seal-bearer who served under the Pharaohs Senusret III
(r. 1878–1839 BC) and Amenemhat III
(r. 1860–1814 BC; overlapping reign dates due to coregency). The full version of this Middle-Kingdom-era
text only survives in New-Kingdom-era copies. These include a tablet of the early Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt
, the Louvre Papyrus dated to the second half of the Eighteenth dynasty, a papyrus of the Ramesside Period (i.e. Nineteenth
and Twentieth
dynasties), and over twenty ostraca
fragments dated to the Ramesside Period.
of Egypt
, who is given praise. It is made clear that the pharaoh will destroy his enemies, but his supporters will be cared for. William Kelly Simpson—a professor emeritus of Egyptology
at Yale University
—asserts that The Loyalist Teaching can be classified under the Egyptian "literature of propaganda" that extols the virtues of the king. This is in contrast to works of the "literature of pessimism," such as the contemporaneous Prophecy of Neferti
, which describe a time of chaos and a need to reestablish values that ensure a stable society. In the second section of The Loyalist Teaching, the author of the text instructs his children that they must also respect the common people and uphold their allotted duties in society. This includes duties of the landowner, who must not abuse his tenants lest they abandon and thus impoverish him.
Richard B. Parkinson—a curator
at the British Museum
—speculates that the protagonist speaker in the text is a vizier
, yet the speaker's name is edited out of Sehetepibre's stela and also does not appear in later copies. Since Sehetepibre's stela was modeled after that of the vizier Montuhotep—who served during the reign of Senusret I
(r. 1971-1926 BC)—it has been conjectured by scholars that Montuhotep was the author of The Loyalist Teaching, although Parkinson affirms that there is no evidence to support the claim. According to the linguistic analysis
of Pascal Vernus—a professor of linguistics and Directeur d’études at the École pratique des hautes études
of the University of Paris
—the text should be roughly dated to the reign of Senusret I.
Ancient Egyptian literature
Ancient Egyptian literature was written in the Egyptian language from Ancient Egypt's pharaonic period until the end of Roman domination. It represents the oldest corpus of Egyptian literature...
of the sebayt
Sebayt
Sebayt is the ancient Egyptian term for a genre of pharaonic literature. The word literally means 'teachings' or 'instructions' and refers to formally written ethical teachings focused on the "way of living truly"....
('teaching') genre. It survives in part from a stela inscription of the mid Twelfth dynasty of Egypt
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt
The twelfth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties XI, XIII and XIV under the group title Middle Kingdom.-Rulers:Known rulers of the twelfth dynasty are as follows :...
. The whole text can be found in papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
scrolls of the New Kingdom
New Kingdom
The New Kingdom of Egypt, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt....
period. Its authorship is uncertain, although it has been suggested (with no direct evidence) that it was written by a vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)
The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...
of the early Twelfth dynasty. The text emphasizes the virtues of loyalty to the ruling pharaoh and the responsibilities one must maintain for the sake of society.
Sources
The first half of The Loyalist Teaching is found on a Twelfth-dynasty biographicalBiography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
stela at Abydos
Abydos, Egypt
Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...
made in honor of Sehetepibre, a high government official and seal-bearer who served under the Pharaohs Senusret III
Senusret III
Khakhaure Senusret III was a pharaoh of Egypt. He ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC, and was the fifth monarch of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. Among his achievements was the building of the Sisostris Canal...
(r. 1878–1839 BC) and Amenemhat III
Amenemhat III
Amenemhat III, also spelled Amenemhet III was a pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from c.1860 BC to c.1814 BC, the latest known date being found in a papyrus dated to Regnal Year 46, I Akhet 22 of his rule. He is regarded as the greatest monarch of the Middle Kingdom...
(r. 1860–1814 BC; overlapping reign dates due to coregency). The full version of this Middle-Kingdom-era
Middle Kingdom of Egypt
The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty, between 2055 BC and 1650 BC, although some writers include the Thirteenth and Fourteenth dynasties in the Second Intermediate...
text only survives in New-Kingdom-era copies. These include a tablet of the early Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt
Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt
The eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt...
, the Louvre Papyrus dated to the second half of the Eighteenth dynasty, a papyrus of the Ramesside Period (i.e. Nineteenth
Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt
The Nineteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt was one of the periods of the Egyptian New Kingdom. Founded by Vizier Ramesses I, whom Pharaoh Horemheb chose as his successor to the throne, this dynasty is best known for its military conquests in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.The warrior kings of the...
and Twentieth
Twentieth dynasty of Egypt
The Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, New Kingdom. This dynasty is considered to be the last one of the New Kingdom of Egypt, and was followed by the Third Intermediate Period....
dynasties), and over twenty ostraca
Ostracon
An ostracon is a piece of pottery , usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In archaeology, ostraca may contain scratched-in words or other forms of writing which may give clues as to the time when the piece was in use...
fragments dated to the Ramesside Period.
Content
The full text of The Loyalist Teaching comprises approximately 145 verses. It can be divided into two distinguishable sections. In the first, the teacher instructs his children that they must always respect and obey the pharaohPharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
of Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, who is given praise. It is made clear that the pharaoh will destroy his enemies, but his supporters will be cared for. William Kelly Simpson—a professor emeritus of Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
—asserts that The Loyalist Teaching can be classified under the Egyptian "literature of propaganda" that extols the virtues of the king. This is in contrast to works of the "literature of pessimism," such as the contemporaneous Prophecy of Neferti
Prophecy of Neferti
The Prophecy of Neferti is an Ancient Egyptian discourse text set in the reign of the 4th dynasty Old Kingdom king Snofru , but was actually written during the early 12th dynasty . The text is a pseudo-prophecy, i.e. one written after the event...
, which describe a time of chaos and a need to reestablish values that ensure a stable society. In the second section of The Loyalist Teaching, the author of the text instructs his children that they must also respect the common people and uphold their allotted duties in society. This includes duties of the landowner, who must not abuse his tenants lest they abandon and thus impoverish him.
Richard B. Parkinson—a curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
—speculates that the protagonist speaker in the text is a vizier
Vizier (Ancient Egypt)
The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...
, yet the speaker's name is edited out of Sehetepibre's stela and also does not appear in later copies. Since Sehetepibre's stela was modeled after that of the vizier Montuhotep—who served during the reign of Senusret I
Senusret I
Senusret I was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1971 BC to 1926 BC, and was one of the most powerful kings of this Dynasty. He was the son of Amenemhat I and his wife Nefertitanen. His wife and sister was Neferu. She was also the mother of the successor Amenemhat II...
(r. 1971-1926 BC)—it has been conjectured by scholars that Montuhotep was the author of The Loyalist Teaching, although Parkinson affirms that there is no evidence to support the claim. According to the linguistic analysis
Descriptive linguistics
In the study of language, description, or descriptive linguistics, is the work of objectively analyzing and describing how language is spoken by a group of people in a speech community...
of Pascal Vernus—a professor of linguistics and Directeur d’études at the École pratique des hautes études
École pratique des hautes études
The École pratique des hautes études is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions....
of the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
—the text should be roughly dated to the reign of Senusret I.
External links
- The Sehetepibre Stela: The Loyalist Instructions (with translations by William Kelly Simpson and James Henry BreastedJames Henry BreastedJames Henry Breasted was an American archaeologist and historian. After completing his PhD at the University of Berlin in 1894, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago. In 1901 he became director of the Haskell Oriental Museum at the University of Chicago, where he continued to...
)