But shall the heaven rain
1 To be taken of course in a general sense, referring to the majestic and
terrible aspect of the King.
1 To be taken of course in a general sense, referring to the majestic and
terrible aspect of the King.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v09 - Dra to Eme
This
was written in the XXXVth year, the month Tybi.
Translation of F. Ll. Griffith.
THE STELA OF PIANKHY
[The following inscription, one of the longest in existence, covers both
faces and the sides of a large stela of black basalt in the Museum at Gizeh.
It was found in the temple of Gebel Barkal, beyond Dongola in Nubia. Here
was one of the capitals of a native Ethiopian dynasty, and in the temple
dedicated to Amen a number of historical stelæ were set up by different
kings, of whom Piankhy (about 800 B. C. ) was the earliest. Not improbably
he was descended from the priest kings of the XXIst Egyptian dynasty (at
Thebes, about 1000 B. C. ); at any rate, the name which he bore occurs in
## p. 5275 (#447) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5275
that dynasty, and his devotion to Amen agrees with the theory. We learn
from the stela that by some means he had obtained the suzerainty over
Upper Egypt, which was governed by local kings and nomarchs; while Lower
Egypt was similarly divided but independent. Among the princes of the
North land the most powerful was Tafnekht, probably a Libyan nomarch
of Sais who had absorbed the whole of the western side of Lower Egypt.
The stela relates the conflict that ensued when Tafnekht endeavored to
unite Lower Egypt in a confederacy and invade the Upper Country. This
gave Piankhy, who knew his own strength, an opportunity of which he was
not slow to avail himself. The Delta was protected from invasion by its
network of canals, and by its extensive marshes. But when the armies and
navies of the local kings had been drawn into Upper Egypt and there repeat-
edly defeated, weakened and cowed, the princes of the North Land were
at the mercy of the victorious Ethiopian, who was rewarded for his activity
and skill in strategy with an abundance of spoil and tribute, probably also
with the permanent subjection of the country.
The inscription is in a very perfect state; with the exception of one lacuna
of sixteen short lines the losses are very small. The narrative is far more
artistic and sustained than was usual in records of any considerable length.
The piety of the Ethiopian and his trust in his god Amen are remarkably indi-
cated; and some passages cannot fail to remind us of the Biblical records of
certain Jewish kings and of the prophecies concerning Nebuchadnezzar and
Cyrus. There is nothing that suggests the bloodthirstiness and wanton cruelty
of the contemporary kings of Assyria. Altogether, when the time and circum-
stances are taken into account, the impression left is one very favorable to
Piankhy. If he seems to insist overmuch on his Divine mission, this exaggera-
tion is perhaps due to the priests of Amen who drafted the document, desirous
of thereby promoting the honor both of their god and of their king.
There are numerous indications in the signs composing the inscription
that the text was written originally in a cursive character, and afterwards
transcribed into hieroglyphics for record on stone. )
[Date.
EAR xxi, month Thoth,' under the Majesty of the King of
Upper and Lower Egypt, Meriamen Pia. 'shy, living for-
ever:
(Attention demanded. ]
Command: My Majesty saith, Hear how I have done more
than the ancestors! I am a king, the figure of a god, the living
image of Tum, who came forth from the body fashioned as a
a ruler, whose elders feared him,
whose mother recog-
nized that he would reign (while he was yet] in the egg; the
i The first month of the inundation season and of the Egyptian year. This
is the date of the first events recorded, not of the dedication of the stela:
the command” is parenthetical.
## p. 5276 (#448) ###########################################
5276
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
good God, beloved of the gods, Son of the Sun, working with
his hand,' Meriamen Piankhy.
[The narrative. Report of Tafnekht's invasion received: the king's joy
thereat. ]
in.
There came one to tell his Majesty, whereas the ruler of the
West, the nomarch and chief in Neter, Tafnekht, was in the
[Harpoon] Nome, in the Nome of the Bull of the Desert, in Hap,
. , in An, in Per-nub, and in Mennefer,” he took unto him-
self the entire West from the sea-coast to Athet-taui, and went
south with a great army; the two lands were united in following
him, the nomarchs and the rulers of fenced cities were as hounds
at his feet. No fortress was closed (against him]; the nomes of
the South, Mertum, and Per-Sekhem-Kheper-ra, the Temple of
Sebek, Per-Mezed, Tekanesh,' and every city of the West, opened
their gates in fear of him. He turned back to the Eastern
nomes; they opened to him as the former. Het-benu,
Tayuzayt, Het-seten, Per-nebt-tep-ah. Behold [he hath crossed
over to] besiege Henen-seten,' he hath ringed it about, not
allowing outgoers to go out, not allowing incomers to enter, by
reason of the daily fighting. He hath measured it out on every
side, each nomarch gauging his own [length of] wall, that he may
post each one of the nomarchs and the rulers of fenced cities at
his section. ”
even
i The same expression occurs further on, and evidently refers to the per-
sonal activity of the king.
2 Neter was probably Iseum in the centre of the Delta, and so a nomarch-
ship quite separate from Tafnekht's extensive territory in the west. The list
following the name of Tafnekht seems to name localities representative of the
VIIth(? ), Vith, Vth, IVth(? ), IIId(? ), and ist nomes in Lower Egypt, in
their proper order; the last, Mennefer, being Memphis. These would form
literally the whole western side of Lower Egypt «from the coast to Athet-
taui. ” Athet-taui (Lisht ? ) was a city marking the boundary of Upper and
Lower Egypt.
3 Mêdûm, El Lahûn, Crocodilopolis in the Faiyûm, Oxyrhynkhos, Diknash,
all — except perhaps the last — in order from north to south.
* He crossed over to the east bank and went northward, the cities on his
road throwing open their gates to him. With the exception of the last, Per-
nebt-tep-ah [Aphroditopolis), the modern Atfih opposite Mêdûm, they are dif-
ficult to identify positively.
5 1. e. , Heracleopolis Magna, a very powerful city on the edge of the west-
ern desert, left in the rear on Tafnekht's expedition up the river. Its king
was named Pefaui Bast. Its modern name is Ahnâs.
6 Lit. , "he hath made himself into a tail-in-the-mouth. ) [! ]
## p. 5277 (#449) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5277
Now [his Majesty heard these things] with good courage,
laughing, and with joy of heart.
[Anxiety of the King's governors in Upper Egypt at Tafnekht's progress.
Loss of Hermopolis. ]
Behold these chiefs, nomarchs, and captains of the host who
were in their various cities sent to his Majesty daily, saying:
“Hast thou ceased [from action] until thou forgettest the South
Country, the nomes of the royal domain'? Tafnekht is pushing
forward his conquest, he findeth not any to repel his arm.
Nemart [the ruler in Hermopolis) and nomarch of Het-Ur’ hath
breached the fortress of Neferus, he hath ruined his own city for
fear lest he [Tafnekht] should take it, and then lay siege to
another city. Behold, he hath gone to be at his [Tafnekht's]
feet;he hath refused allegiance to his Majesty, and standeth
with him [Tafnekht] like one of [his retainers. He hath harried
the nome of Oxyrhynkhos, and he giveth to him” [Tafnekht] ]
gifts, as his heart inclineth, of all things that he findeth (therein). ”
[Piankhy orders the governors to besiege Hermopolis. ]
Then his Majesty sent a message to the nomarchs and the
captains of the host who were in Egypt, the captain Puarma,
with the captain Armersekny, with every captain of his Majesty
who was in Egypt, saying: “Make haste in striking, join battle,
encircle [Hermopolis), capture its people, its cattle, its ships
upon the river.
Let not the fellâhîn come out to the field; let
not the plowman plow; lay siege to the Hare-city, fight against
it daily. ” Thereupon they did so.
[Piankhy dispatches an army from Ethiopia, bidding them fear not to fight,
for Amen is their strength; and to do homage unto the god at Thebes. ]
Then his Majesty sent an army to Egypt, urging them very
greatly:-“[Spend day and] night as though ye were playing
drafts, so that ye fight according as ye see that he hath arrayed
battle at a distance. If he say the infantry and cavalry have
1 The precise extent of Piankhy's dominion at this time is uncertain.
2 Hûr, opposite Beni Hasan.
3 The notion intended to be conveyed is that of a dog at heel.
* Oxyrhynkhos itself was already in the hands of Tafnekht; the Hermopo-
lite nome, including Hûr, Nefrus, etc. , lay immediately south of it.
5 The pronoun «he ” is used much too freely in this inscription: occasion-
ally it is impossible to decide to whom it refers.
6 Hermopolis.
## p. 5278 (#450) ###########################################
5278
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
1
hastened to another city, why then remain ye until his army
come, and fight even as he shall say. And if his allies are in
another city, hasten ye to them; and the nomarchs, and those
whom he bringeth to strengthen him, the Tehenu' and his
chosen troops, let battle be arrayed against them. One of old
saith:- We know not how to cry unto him, It is the enlistment
of troops and the yoking of war-horses, the pick of thy stables,
that giveth victory in battle. Thou knowest that Amen is the
god that leadeth us. "?
"When ye reach Thebes, the approach to Apt-esut," enter
ye into the water, wash ye in the river, dress on the bank of
the stream, unstring the bow, loosen the arrow. Let no chief
boast as possessing might, there being no strength to the mighty
if he regard him [Amen] not. He maketh the feeble-handed
into strong-handed; a multitude may turn their backs before
the few; one man may conquer a thousand. Sprinkle yourselves
with the water of his altars; kiss ye the ground before his
face; say ye to him, "Give unto us a way that we may fight
in the shadow of thy strong arm. The band that thou leadest, it
cometh to pass that it overthroweth that which hath overthrown
many. '
Then they cast themselves on their bellies before his Majesty
[saying], "It is thy name that giveth us strength of arm, thy
wisdom is the mooring-post* of thy soldiers; thy bread is in our
bellies on every road, thy beer quencheth our thirst; it is thy
valor that giveth us strength of arm; one is fortified at the
remembrance of thy name! while the host is lacking whose
captain is a vile coward. Who is like unto thee in these things?
Thou art a mighty King that worketh with his hands, master of
the art of war! ”
[The Ethiopian army, after leaving Thebes, defeat the van of Tafnekht's
feet. )
They went down-stream; they reached Thebes; they did
according to all the things said by his Majesty.
1
1 Libyans, mercenaries or otherwise. The XXIId Dynasty was probably
Libyan, and as will be seen from subsequent notes, Libyan influence was still
strong in the time of Piankhy.
2 This would seem to be a quotation taken from some address to an earlier
king. Thothmes III. , for instance, attributed his successes to Amen.
3 The great temple of Amen at Karnak.
* Our equivalent term would be «sheet-anchor. )
## p. 5279 (#451) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5279
They went down-stream upon the river; they found many
ships coming up-stream, with soldiers, sailors, levies of troops,
every mighty man of the North land, furnished with weapons of
war to fight against the host of his Majesty. There was made
a great slaughter of them, the number thereof is not known;
their troops were captured with their ships, they were brought
as live prisoners to the place where his Majesty was. '
[Proceeding to attack Heracleopolis, they are met on the river by the confed-
erates under Tafnekht, and defeat them. ]
They went to Henen-seten, arraying battle. The nomarchs
with the kings of the North land were informed (thereof). Now
the King Nemart with the King Auapeth; the chief of the Me,?
Sheshenk of Busiris, with the chief of the Me, Zed-Amen-auf-
ankh of Mendes, and his son and heir, who was captain of the
host of Hermopolis Parva; the host of the Erpa Bakennefi, with
his son and heir, chief of the Me, Nesnakedy in the nome of
Hesebka; and every chief wearing the feather who was in the
North land, with the King Usorkon who was in Bubastis and in
the land of Ra-nefer: every nomarch, and the governors of
fenced cities in the West and in the East and in the islands in
the midst, assembled with one purpose, as following the feet of
the great chief of the West, ruler of the fenced cities of the
North land, priest of Neith, mistress of Sais, and Sem-priest of
Ptah, Tafnekht.
When they went out against them, a mighty overthrow was
made of them, greater than anything, and their ships were cap-
tured upon the river; the remainder crossed over and moored on
the west side, in the neighborhood of Per-peg.
1 In Ethiopia.
The title “chief of the Me) seems to mean «captain of the Libyan
troops. ” The list contains the names of princes of Lower Egypt only, with
the exception of Nemart of Hermopolis Magna, in Upper Egypt.
$ The feather was a Libyan badge of rank.
* Tafnekht is here given most of his principal titles, including the sacer-
dotal ones of high priest of Neith in Sais, and of Ptah in Memphis. With
the rise of Sais, Neith had become the leading deity of Lower Egypt, rank-
ing even above Ptah. The priests at Gebel Barkal doubtless took a special
pride in the overthrow of the protégé of Neith and Ptah by Piankhy, the wor-
shiper of Amen.
## p. 5280 (#452) ###########################################
5280
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
[In a second battle, fought by land on the opposite shore, the enemy is ov
over-
thrown; most escaped northward, but Nemart returns to Hermopolis,
having eluded the besiegers (i. e. , the army of the loyal governors).
Hermopolis is more closely besieged. ]
2
When the land lightened very early, the soldiers of his Majesty
crossed over to them. One host met the other. Then they slew
many men of them, and horses without number, in the charge [? ].
Those who remained fled to the North land with lamentations
loud and sore, more than anything. ' Account of the overthrow
made of them: men, persons
[But] the King Nemart
went up-stream to the South when it was reported to him,
Khmenu’ is in the midst of enemies; the soldiers of his
Majesty are capturing its men and its cattle. ” Then he [Nemart]
entered into Unu, while the soldiers of his Majesty were at the
port of the Hare-city. Then they heard of it; they surrounded
the Hare-city on its four sides; they allowed not goers out to
go out, nor enterers in to enter in.
[The King, enraged at the escape of the enemy, vows that after the New Year
he will go to Thebes, and having discharged a pious duty there, take the
war in hand himself. ]
They sent to report to his Majesty, the King of Upper and
Lower Egypt, Meriamen Piankhy, Giving Life, of every defeat
they had made, and of all the victories of his Majesty. Then
his Majesty raged at it like a leopard:-"Shall one grant unto them
that there be left a remnant of the soldiers of the North land to
permit a goer out to go out from them, to say, 'He commandeth
not to make them die until they bé utterly destroyed? As I live,
as I love Ra, as my father Amen praiseth me, I will go north
myself to ruin that which [Nemart] hath done; I will cause him
to withdraw from battle forever. Verily, after performing the
ceremonies of the New Year, I will sacrifice to my father Amen
in his beautiful festival, when he maketh his fair manifestation of
the New Year. He will lead me in peace to see Amen in the
good feast of the festival of Apt; I shall bring him forth glo-
riously in his divine form unto Southern Apt, in his goodly feast
1 Or «beaten sorely and grievously. ”
2 Here should be the numbers of the slain.
3 « Khmenu,» «Unu,) «Hare-city,” are all names of Hermopolis Magna, the
capital of Nemart's petty kingdom.
## p. 5281 (#453) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5281
of the feast of Apt at night-time,' in the feast established in
Thebes, the feast which Ra instituted for him originally. And I
will bring him forth gloriously to his own house, to rest upon his
throne, on the day of making the god to enter. ? On the second
day of Athyr? I will cause the land of the North to taste the
taste of my fingers. ”
[To retrieve their reputation, the army assaults and captures three cities;
but the King is not appeased. ]
Then the soldiers who were remaining in Egypt heard the
rage that his Majesty was in against them. Then they fought
against Per Mezed' in the nome of Oxyrhynkhos; they took it
like a flood of water. They sent a message to his Majesty, but
his heart was not appeased thereby.
Then they fought against Tatehen, the very strong; they found
it filled with soldiers, and every strong man of the North land.
Then there was made a battering-ram for it; its walls were
breached and a great slaughter was made of them, the number
thereof is not known, including the son of the chief of the
Me, Tafnekht. Then they sent word to his Majesty of it, but
his heart was not appeased thereby.
Then they fought against Het Benu; its citadel was opened
and the soldiers of his Majesty entered into it. Then they sent
word to his Majesty, but his heart was not appeased thereby.
[The King comes to Thebes, and thence proceeds to Hermopolis. He chides
his troops. ]
On the ninth day of Thoth,' came his Majesty down the river
to Thebes; he completed the feast of Amen in the festival of
Apt. His Majesty floated down to the city of the Hare. His
Majesty came out of the pavilion of the boat; horses were yoked
and chariots mounted. The fear of his Majesty reached unto
1
2
Evidently a torchlight procession from Karnak to Luxor (Southern Apt).
The return procession to Karnak.
3 The third month of the season of inundation. Of course a year would
then have elapsed, since the date given in the first line of the inscription.
Oxyrhynkhos.
5 Tehneh (? )
6 Tafnekht, stripped of his grandeur after his defeat at Heracleopolis, is
reduced to the rank of Chief of the Me in Sais. )
7 The first month of the season of inundation, and of the Egyptian year.
' Hermopolis.
IX-331
## p. 5282 (#454) ###########################################
5282
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
1
the ends of Asia; his terror was in every heart. Then his
Majesty came forth disposed to hate his soldiers, raging at them
like a leopard: “Doth it yet remain for you to fight? This is
slackness in my business: the year is completed to the end in
putting terror of me in the North land. ”? They made a great
and grievous lamentation, like one beaten. '
He pitched his tent in the Southwest of Khmenu. It [the
city] was besieged every day. There was made an earthwork to
cover the wall; there was erected a wooden tower to raise the
archers shooting arrows, and the slingers slinging stones, slay-
ing the people thereof every day.
[Hermopolis, vigorously attacked, is brought to great straits. It treats with
the King, and Nemart's wife prays the Queen to intercede for them. ]
The third day came; Unu was abominable to the nose, evil
in its smell. Then Unu threw itself on its belly, praying before
the face of the King; messengers came out and entered with all
things good to behold; gold, every precious mineral, stuffs in a
chest. The diadem was on his [Piankhy's] head, the uræus was
giving forth its terror; there was no ceasing for many days in
praying to his divine crown. His [Nemart's] wife, the royal
wife Satnestentmeh, was caused to approach, to pray the royal
wives, the royal concubines, the royal daughters, the royal sis-
ters. She cast herself upon her belly in the chamber of the
women, before the face of the royal wives: Come ye unto me,
Oye royal wives, daughters, and sisters, that ye may pacify
Horus,' lord of the palace. Great is his mighty spirit! How
grand is his right of victory! Let
> 5
[Presumably the Queen intercedes; Nemart comes out to Piankhy, surrenders,
and brings tributes. ]
“Who is it that hath led thee ? 6 Who is it that hath led
thee? Who is it that hath led thee? Who is it that led thee ?
[Thou hast missed the road of life.
But shall the heaven rain
1 To be taken of course in a general sense, referring to the majestic and
terrible aspect of the King.
2 1. 6. , “It has taken a full year,” etc.
3 Or, « They were sorely and grievously beaten with blows. ”
* 1. e. , the King.
5 Here there is a lacuna of sixteen short lines in the inscription.
6 Apparently Piankhy is addressing Nemart.
4
## p. 5283 (#455) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5283
with arrows ? I am (satisfied when] the South is in obeisance,
and the North lands (cry], "Put us in thy shadow. ' Behold, it
is evil
with his offerings. The heart is a rudder that
wrecketh its owner in that which concerneth the will of God; it
looketh on flame as ice.
not a prince; see who is his
father. Thy nomes are full of children. ” 1
Then he cast himself upon his belly before his Majesty (say-
ing]: "Come to me, Horus, lord of the palace! It is thy mighty
will that doeth this unto me: I am one of the servants of the
King that pay dues to the treasury.
Count their dues:
I have paid to thee more than they. "
Then he offered to him silver, gold, lapis lazuli, malachite,
bronze, and minerals of all kinds in great quantity. Behold, the
treasury was filled with this tribute. He brought a horse in his
right hand, a sistrum in his left, a sistrum of gold and lapis
lazuli.
(Piankhy enters Hermopolis and sacrifices to Thoth. Finding the horses in
the rebel King's stables starved, he is wroth with Nemart and confis.
cates his goods. ]
Behold, his [Majesty] was brought forth gloriously from his
palace, and proceeded to the house of Thoth, lord of Khmenu.
He sacrificed bulls, oxen, and fowl to his father Thoth, lord of
Khmenu, and the gods in the House of the Eight. The soldiers
of the Hermopolite nome rejoiced and sang; they said: "How
beautiful is Horus resting in his country, Son of the Sun, Pian-
khy! Celebrate for us a Sed festival,' even as thou hast protected
the Hare-name. ”
His Majesty proceeded to the house of the King Nemart, he
went to every apartment of the palace, his treasury and his
storehouses; he caused to be brought to him the King's wives
and the King's daughters; they praised his Majesty with things
1 The meaning is not clear; but here seems to be a reference to the
diminution of the adult population by prolonged wars.
2 Khmenu means eight. Thoth, in late times at any rate, combined the
powers of the eight gods who accompanied him. He was sometimes called
«twice great, sometimes (eight times great ) =23, an arithmetical term
especially indicated by the Greek name 'Ερμής Τρισμέγιστος.
3 A «jubilee) after a thirty-years' reign; the expression is therefore
equivalent to wishing the King a thirty-years' reign. The soldiers represent
the King as the god Horus come to claim his own land.
## p. 5284 (#456) ###########################################
5284
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
that women use;' but his Majesty would not amuse himself
with them. His Majesty proceeded to the stables of the horses,
the stalls of the foals; he beheld that they were starved. He
said:-"As I live, as I love Ra, as my nostril is refreshed with
life! very grievous are these things to my heart, the starving of
my horses, more than any ill that thou hast done in the fulfilling
of thine own desire. The fear which thy surroundings have of
thee, beareth witness to me of thee. Dost thou ignore that the
shadow of God is over me, and he doth not fail in any under-
taking of mine ? Would that he who did this unto me
another, knowing me not, [then] I would not censure him for it!
But I, when I was born from the womb, when I was formed in
the egg, the deed of God was in me; and as his Ka endureth,
I do nothing without him! He it is who commandeth me to
act. "
Then he counted his [Nemart's] goods to the Treasury, his
granary to the sacred store of Amen in Aptesut.
were
3
(The King of Heracleopolis, the siege of which had been raised by the
King's troops, brings presents and promises tribute. ]
The ruler of Henen-seten, Pefauibast, came with tribute to
Pharaoh: gold, silver, every kind of mineral, and horses of the
chosen ones of the stable. He cast himself on his belly before
his Majesty, and said, “Salutation to thee, Horus, mighty King,
bull overthrowing bulls. Duat drew me down, I was over-
whelmed in darkness, for which light hath been given unto me.
«I found not a friend on the day of trouble, who would stand
in the day of fight, except thee, O mighty King! Thou hast
drawn away the darkness from me, and I will be thy servant
with all that pertain to me. Henen-seten shall pay tribute to
thy storehouse, thou the image of Harakhti, chief of the Akhmu
Seku. While he exists, so long shalt thou exist as King; if he
be not destroyed thou shalt not be destroyed, O King Piankhy,
living for ever!
1 Music, dancing, etc.
2 An oath.
3 Karnak.
4 The underworld.
5 The stars of the northern hemisphere; see Maspero's Dawn of Civiliza-
tion,' p. 94. By Harakhti, the sun is probably meant.
## p. 5285 (#457) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5285
(El Lahûn, prepared to oppose the entry of the King, yields without fighting:
the treasuries are confiscated. ]
His Majesty went north to the opening of the canal near
Rahent'; he found Per-sekhem-kheper-ra with its walls raised
high, its citadel closed and filled with every valiant man of
the North land. Then his Majesty sent to them saying: “Ye
who live in death, ye who live in death, miserable ones, wretched
ones living in death! If a moment passeth without opening (to
me], behold, ye are reckoned as conquered, and that is painful
to the King. Close not the gates of your life so as to come to
the execution block of this day. Do not love death and hate
your life;
[embrace] life in the face of all the land. ”
Then they sent to his Majesty to say: "Behold, the shadow
of God is upon thy head; the son of Nut? gives to thee his two
hands. What thy heart desireth is accomplished immediately, as
that which issues from the mouth of a god. Behold thou it!
Thou wast born as a god, and thou seest us in thy two hands.
Behold thy city, its forts [are open; do as thou wilt with it];
enterers enter in and goers out go out: let his Majesty do as he
pleaseth. ”
Then they came out with the son of the chief of the Me,
Tafnekht. The host of his Majesty entered into it; he slew not
one of all the people whom he found. [The chancellors came],
with the royal seal-bearers to seal its goods, assigning its treas-
uries to the Treasury, its granaries to the divine offerings of his
father Amen Ra, lord of the thrones of the two lands.
[Likewise with Mêdûm and Athet-taui. ]
His Majesty floated down-stream, he found that Mêdûm, the
Abode of Seker, lord of making light, had been shut up; it
could not be reached, it had put fighting into its heart. [But
they feared] terror (seized] them; awe closed their mouths.
Then his Majesty sent to them saying: “Behold ye, there are
two ways before you, choose ye as ye will: open, and ye live;
close, and ye die. My Majesty passeth not by a city closed. ”
1 The mouth of the barrier, i. e. , the entrance into the Faiyûm. The name
El Lahûn is derived from Rahent; and the city Per-sekhem-kheper-ra, « The
house of Usorkon I. ,) must have been at or close to the modern village of
El Lahûn.
? Set, the god of physical strength.
## p. 5286 (#458) ###########################################
5286
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
Then they opened immediately. His Majesty entered this
city; he offered [an oblation] to the god Menhy in Sehez. He
assigned its treasury and granaries to the divine offerings of
Amen in Apt-esut.
His Majesty floated down-stream to Athet-taui; he found the
fortress closed, the walls full of valiant soldiers of the North
land. Behold, they opened the forts, they cast themselves on
their bellies (singing praises before] his Majesty. «Thy father
hath destined for thee his heritage as lord of the two lands; thou
art in them,' thou art lord of what is upon earth. ”
His Majesty proceeded [to the temple) to cause to be offered
a great offering to the gods who are in this city, of bulls, fat
oxen and fowls, and everything good and pure. Then its treas-
ury was assigned to the Treasury, its granaries to the divine
offerings [of Amen].
[To Memphis he offers a free pardon, but the city prepares to fight. ]
His Majesty went north towards Anbuhez. Then he sent to
them, saying, "Do not close, do not fight, O Residence originally
of Shu! Let the enterers enter and the comers out come out:
let none going be stopped. I will offer sacrifice to Ptah and the
gods who are in Anbuhez; I will worship Sokaris in the Secret
Place; I will behold Res-Anbef. I will go north in peace (for
his Majesty loveth that] Anbuhez be safe and sound, and that
[even] the children weep not. Ye saw the nomes of the South:
not one [soul] was slain therein except the rebels who had blas-
phemed God. Execution on the block was done to the rebel-
lious. ”
Then they closed their forts; they caused soldiers to go out
against a few of the host of his Majesty, consisting of artisans,
of chief builders, and pilots (who had gone towards] the quay of
Anbuhez.
1 Athet-taui (Lisht ? ) was the boundary of Upper and Lower Egypt, and
probably lay in both of them. « The gods who are in this city of the
next paragraph are doubtless kings of the XIIth Dynasty as presiding
deities of the place, this royal Residence having apparently been founded by
Amenenhat I. Compare p. 5238.
? Ra, the first King of Egypt, was fabled to have resided at Heliopolis;
Shu his son and successor at Memphis. The city is called sometimes Anbu. .
hez, “white wall, sometimes Men-nefer, after the pyramid of Pepy I.
3 « South of his wall," an epithet of Ptah, god of Memphis.
## p. 5287 (#459) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5287
[Tafnekht himself visits Memphis in the night, encourages the troops, and
departs, promising to return when he has arranged matters with the allies. ]
Now that chief of Sais came to Anbuhez in the night, urging
its soldiers, its sailors and all the best of its troops, in number
eight thousand men, urging them greatly, greatly.
“Behold,
Mennefer is full of soldiers of all the best of the North land,
barley and durra, and all kinds of grain, the granaries are over-
flowing, and all kinds of weapons of (war. There is a] wall
built, a great battlement made with cunning craft. The river
bounds the eastern side, and no way of attack is there. The
stalls remain full of fat cattle, the treasury is furnished with all
things: silver, gold, copper, bronze, stuffs, incense, honey, oint-
ment. I will go, I will give things to the chiefs of Lower
Egypt; I will open to them their nomes. ' I shall be [away
traveling] three [? ] days until I return. ” He mounted a horse,
he called not for his chariots, he went north in fear of his
Majesty.
[Piankhy finds Memphis strongly fortified and the high Nile risen to its walls.
The army proposes to bridge it, or attack the city it by elaborate ap-
proaches. )
When the earth lightened and it was the second day? his
Majesty came to Anbuhez, He moored upon its north side, he
found the water risen to the walls and ships moored at [the
quay of] Mennefer. Then his Majesty saw that it was mighty
indeed, the wall raised high with new building, the battlement
manned with strength; no way of attacking it was found. Each
person fell to saying his say among the hosts of his Majesty of
every rule of warfare, and every man said, “Let us lay siege to
[Anbuhez]; behold, her soldiers are many. ” Others said: “Make
a causeway unto it; let us raise the ground to its wall; let us
construct a wooden work, let us set up ships' masts, let us make
its edges of poles. Let us divide it with these things on every
side of it, with embankments and
upon its north side,
in order to raise the ground to its wall that we may find a way
for our feet. ”
1 It is difficult to see what is meant by this. Possibly Tafnekht was pro-
posing to bribe the Northern chiefs into continuing the war, by giving up his
recently acquired claims as suzerain.
? Or «very early. ”
3 Perhaps Let us put these things at intervals. ”
## p. 5288 (#460) ###########################################
5288
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
[The King determines to assault it immediately; he seizes all the boats at the
quay, where the houses were comparatively unprotected, and landing his
men in them at that point captures the city. ]
Then his Majesty raged against it [the city] like a leopard,
he said:-“As I live, as I love Ra, as my father Amen who
formed me praiseth me, these things have happened unto it by
the command of Amen. These things are what men say: "[The
North Country] with the nomes of the South they open to him
[Tafnekht] from afar; they had not placed Amen in their hearts,
they knew not what he had commanded. [Then] he [Amen]
made him [Piankhy] in order to accomplish his mighty will, to
cause the awe of him to be seen. ' I will take it like a water
flood; [this] hath [my father Amen commanded me. ”
Then he caused his ships and his army to set out to attack the
quay of Mennefer.
They brought back to him every ferry-boat,
every cabin-boat, every dahabiyeh, and the ships in all their
number that were moored at the quay of Mennefer, the bows
being moored in its houses [on account of the height of the
water. Not] the least of the soldiers of his Majesty mourned. ?
His Majesty came to direct the ships in person in all their
number. His Majesty commanded his soldiers: Forward to it!
Scale the walls, enter the houses upon the bank of the stream.
If one of you enters upon the wall there will be no stand
against him [for a moment], the levies [? ] will not bar you.
Moreover, it is feeble that we should shut up the South Country,
moor at the North land, and sit still at the Balance of the two
lands. )3
Then Mennefer was captured as by a flood of water; men
were slain within it in great numbers, and were taken as pris-
oners to the place where his Majesty was.
[In Memphis Piankhy sacrifices. The neighboring garrisons flee; three North-
ern chiefs and all the nomarchs submit in person; the treasures of Mem-
phis are confiscated. ]
When the [land lightened] and the second day came, his
Majesty caused men to go to it to protect the temples of God
for him, to guard the sanctuary of the gods from the profane,
.
1 The boats were floating on a level with the top of the quay.
? I. e. , no single one of the assailants was injured in the slightest degree.
3 Meaning of course at the boundary between Upper and Lower Egypt. ”
* By waving the wand of sanctification therein.
## p. 5289 (#461) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5289
to sacrifice to the royal circle of gods of Hetkaptah,' to purify
Mennefer with natron and incense, to put the priests on the
place of their feet. ? His Majesty proceeded to the house of
[Ptah]; his purification was performed in the Chamber of Early
Morning, and all the things prescribed for a king were accom-
plished. He entered the temple, great offerings were made to
his father Ptahresanbef, of fat bulls, oxen, and fowl, and every
good thing. His Majesty proceeded to his house.
Then all the villages that were in the region of Mennefer
heard, namely, Hery the city, Penynaauaa, the tower of Byu,
and the oasis of By; they opened their gates, they fled in flight;
one knoweth not the place to which they went.
Came Auapeth with the chief of the Me, Akaneshu, with the
erpa Pediast, with all the nomarchs of the North land, bearing
their tribute, to see the beauties of his Majesty.
Then were assigned the treasuries and the granaries of Men-
nefer, and made into the second offerings of Amen, of Ptah, of
the circle of the gods in Hetkaptah.
(Piankhy crosses over to Babylon, and worships there. )
When the land lightened and the second day came his
Majesty proceeded to the East, and made a purification to Tum
in Kheraha,' [and to] the circle of the gods in the house of the
circle of the gods; namely, the cave in which the gods are, con-
sisting of fat bulls, oxen, and fowls, that they might give Life,
Prosperity, and Health to the King Piankhy, living forever.
[He proceeds along the Sacred Way to Heliopolis, visiting the holy places,
and enters the sanctuary of Tum in Heliopolis, etc. King Usorkon
submits. ]
His Majesty proceeded to Anue on that mount of Kheraha,
upon the road of the god Sep, to Kheraha. His Majesty pro-
i The sacred name of Memphis, supposed to be the origin of the name
"Αιγυπτος - «Egypt. ”
? I. e. , to re-establish the order of the temple services, etc.
3 A chamber set apart for the sacred toilet; see also below, p. 5290.
* Or «very early. ”
5 Kheraha was on the site of old Cairo, known to the classical authors as
Babylon. The cave mentioned is not now known.
6 On, Heliopolis. Here was a sacred well of water (“The Cool Pool »),
supposed to spring from Nu, the primeval waters in heaven and earth, and
not to be derived from Hapi or the Nile. Tradition relates that it was at
this same well, still pointed out at Matariyeh, that the Blessed Virgin washed
the Child on her arrival in Egypt.
## p. 5290 (#462) ###########################################
5290
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
ceeded to the camp which was on the west of the Atiu canal; he
was purified in the midst of the Cool Pool, his face was washed
in the stream of Nu, in which Ra washes his face. He pro-
ceeded to the sand-hill in Anu, he made a great sacrifice on the
sand-hill in Anu, before the face of Ra at his rising, consisting
of white bulls, milk, frankincense, incense, all woods sweet-
smelling. He came, proceeding to the house of Ra; he entered
the temple with rejoicings.
was written in the XXXVth year, the month Tybi.
Translation of F. Ll. Griffith.
THE STELA OF PIANKHY
[The following inscription, one of the longest in existence, covers both
faces and the sides of a large stela of black basalt in the Museum at Gizeh.
It was found in the temple of Gebel Barkal, beyond Dongola in Nubia. Here
was one of the capitals of a native Ethiopian dynasty, and in the temple
dedicated to Amen a number of historical stelæ were set up by different
kings, of whom Piankhy (about 800 B. C. ) was the earliest. Not improbably
he was descended from the priest kings of the XXIst Egyptian dynasty (at
Thebes, about 1000 B. C. ); at any rate, the name which he bore occurs in
## p. 5275 (#447) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5275
that dynasty, and his devotion to Amen agrees with the theory. We learn
from the stela that by some means he had obtained the suzerainty over
Upper Egypt, which was governed by local kings and nomarchs; while Lower
Egypt was similarly divided but independent. Among the princes of the
North land the most powerful was Tafnekht, probably a Libyan nomarch
of Sais who had absorbed the whole of the western side of Lower Egypt.
The stela relates the conflict that ensued when Tafnekht endeavored to
unite Lower Egypt in a confederacy and invade the Upper Country. This
gave Piankhy, who knew his own strength, an opportunity of which he was
not slow to avail himself. The Delta was protected from invasion by its
network of canals, and by its extensive marshes. But when the armies and
navies of the local kings had been drawn into Upper Egypt and there repeat-
edly defeated, weakened and cowed, the princes of the North Land were
at the mercy of the victorious Ethiopian, who was rewarded for his activity
and skill in strategy with an abundance of spoil and tribute, probably also
with the permanent subjection of the country.
The inscription is in a very perfect state; with the exception of one lacuna
of sixteen short lines the losses are very small. The narrative is far more
artistic and sustained than was usual in records of any considerable length.
The piety of the Ethiopian and his trust in his god Amen are remarkably indi-
cated; and some passages cannot fail to remind us of the Biblical records of
certain Jewish kings and of the prophecies concerning Nebuchadnezzar and
Cyrus. There is nothing that suggests the bloodthirstiness and wanton cruelty
of the contemporary kings of Assyria. Altogether, when the time and circum-
stances are taken into account, the impression left is one very favorable to
Piankhy. If he seems to insist overmuch on his Divine mission, this exaggera-
tion is perhaps due to the priests of Amen who drafted the document, desirous
of thereby promoting the honor both of their god and of their king.
There are numerous indications in the signs composing the inscription
that the text was written originally in a cursive character, and afterwards
transcribed into hieroglyphics for record on stone. )
[Date.
EAR xxi, month Thoth,' under the Majesty of the King of
Upper and Lower Egypt, Meriamen Pia. 'shy, living for-
ever:
(Attention demanded. ]
Command: My Majesty saith, Hear how I have done more
than the ancestors! I am a king, the figure of a god, the living
image of Tum, who came forth from the body fashioned as a
a ruler, whose elders feared him,
whose mother recog-
nized that he would reign (while he was yet] in the egg; the
i The first month of the inundation season and of the Egyptian year. This
is the date of the first events recorded, not of the dedication of the stela:
the command” is parenthetical.
## p. 5276 (#448) ###########################################
5276
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
good God, beloved of the gods, Son of the Sun, working with
his hand,' Meriamen Piankhy.
[The narrative. Report of Tafnekht's invasion received: the king's joy
thereat. ]
in.
There came one to tell his Majesty, whereas the ruler of the
West, the nomarch and chief in Neter, Tafnekht, was in the
[Harpoon] Nome, in the Nome of the Bull of the Desert, in Hap,
. , in An, in Per-nub, and in Mennefer,” he took unto him-
self the entire West from the sea-coast to Athet-taui, and went
south with a great army; the two lands were united in following
him, the nomarchs and the rulers of fenced cities were as hounds
at his feet. No fortress was closed (against him]; the nomes of
the South, Mertum, and Per-Sekhem-Kheper-ra, the Temple of
Sebek, Per-Mezed, Tekanesh,' and every city of the West, opened
their gates in fear of him. He turned back to the Eastern
nomes; they opened to him as the former. Het-benu,
Tayuzayt, Het-seten, Per-nebt-tep-ah. Behold [he hath crossed
over to] besiege Henen-seten,' he hath ringed it about, not
allowing outgoers to go out, not allowing incomers to enter, by
reason of the daily fighting. He hath measured it out on every
side, each nomarch gauging his own [length of] wall, that he may
post each one of the nomarchs and the rulers of fenced cities at
his section. ”
even
i The same expression occurs further on, and evidently refers to the per-
sonal activity of the king.
2 Neter was probably Iseum in the centre of the Delta, and so a nomarch-
ship quite separate from Tafnekht's extensive territory in the west. The list
following the name of Tafnekht seems to name localities representative of the
VIIth(? ), Vith, Vth, IVth(? ), IIId(? ), and ist nomes in Lower Egypt, in
their proper order; the last, Mennefer, being Memphis. These would form
literally the whole western side of Lower Egypt «from the coast to Athet-
taui. ” Athet-taui (Lisht ? ) was a city marking the boundary of Upper and
Lower Egypt.
3 Mêdûm, El Lahûn, Crocodilopolis in the Faiyûm, Oxyrhynkhos, Diknash,
all — except perhaps the last — in order from north to south.
* He crossed over to the east bank and went northward, the cities on his
road throwing open their gates to him. With the exception of the last, Per-
nebt-tep-ah [Aphroditopolis), the modern Atfih opposite Mêdûm, they are dif-
ficult to identify positively.
5 1. e. , Heracleopolis Magna, a very powerful city on the edge of the west-
ern desert, left in the rear on Tafnekht's expedition up the river. Its king
was named Pefaui Bast. Its modern name is Ahnâs.
6 Lit. , "he hath made himself into a tail-in-the-mouth. ) [! ]
## p. 5277 (#449) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5277
Now [his Majesty heard these things] with good courage,
laughing, and with joy of heart.
[Anxiety of the King's governors in Upper Egypt at Tafnekht's progress.
Loss of Hermopolis. ]
Behold these chiefs, nomarchs, and captains of the host who
were in their various cities sent to his Majesty daily, saying:
“Hast thou ceased [from action] until thou forgettest the South
Country, the nomes of the royal domain'? Tafnekht is pushing
forward his conquest, he findeth not any to repel his arm.
Nemart [the ruler in Hermopolis) and nomarch of Het-Ur’ hath
breached the fortress of Neferus, he hath ruined his own city for
fear lest he [Tafnekht] should take it, and then lay siege to
another city. Behold, he hath gone to be at his [Tafnekht's]
feet;he hath refused allegiance to his Majesty, and standeth
with him [Tafnekht] like one of [his retainers. He hath harried
the nome of Oxyrhynkhos, and he giveth to him” [Tafnekht] ]
gifts, as his heart inclineth, of all things that he findeth (therein). ”
[Piankhy orders the governors to besiege Hermopolis. ]
Then his Majesty sent a message to the nomarchs and the
captains of the host who were in Egypt, the captain Puarma,
with the captain Armersekny, with every captain of his Majesty
who was in Egypt, saying: “Make haste in striking, join battle,
encircle [Hermopolis), capture its people, its cattle, its ships
upon the river.
Let not the fellâhîn come out to the field; let
not the plowman plow; lay siege to the Hare-city, fight against
it daily. ” Thereupon they did so.
[Piankhy dispatches an army from Ethiopia, bidding them fear not to fight,
for Amen is their strength; and to do homage unto the god at Thebes. ]
Then his Majesty sent an army to Egypt, urging them very
greatly:-“[Spend day and] night as though ye were playing
drafts, so that ye fight according as ye see that he hath arrayed
battle at a distance. If he say the infantry and cavalry have
1 The precise extent of Piankhy's dominion at this time is uncertain.
2 Hûr, opposite Beni Hasan.
3 The notion intended to be conveyed is that of a dog at heel.
* Oxyrhynkhos itself was already in the hands of Tafnekht; the Hermopo-
lite nome, including Hûr, Nefrus, etc. , lay immediately south of it.
5 The pronoun «he ” is used much too freely in this inscription: occasion-
ally it is impossible to decide to whom it refers.
6 Hermopolis.
## p. 5278 (#450) ###########################################
5278
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
1
hastened to another city, why then remain ye until his army
come, and fight even as he shall say. And if his allies are in
another city, hasten ye to them; and the nomarchs, and those
whom he bringeth to strengthen him, the Tehenu' and his
chosen troops, let battle be arrayed against them. One of old
saith:- We know not how to cry unto him, It is the enlistment
of troops and the yoking of war-horses, the pick of thy stables,
that giveth victory in battle. Thou knowest that Amen is the
god that leadeth us. "?
"When ye reach Thebes, the approach to Apt-esut," enter
ye into the water, wash ye in the river, dress on the bank of
the stream, unstring the bow, loosen the arrow. Let no chief
boast as possessing might, there being no strength to the mighty
if he regard him [Amen] not. He maketh the feeble-handed
into strong-handed; a multitude may turn their backs before
the few; one man may conquer a thousand. Sprinkle yourselves
with the water of his altars; kiss ye the ground before his
face; say ye to him, "Give unto us a way that we may fight
in the shadow of thy strong arm. The band that thou leadest, it
cometh to pass that it overthroweth that which hath overthrown
many. '
Then they cast themselves on their bellies before his Majesty
[saying], "It is thy name that giveth us strength of arm, thy
wisdom is the mooring-post* of thy soldiers; thy bread is in our
bellies on every road, thy beer quencheth our thirst; it is thy
valor that giveth us strength of arm; one is fortified at the
remembrance of thy name! while the host is lacking whose
captain is a vile coward. Who is like unto thee in these things?
Thou art a mighty King that worketh with his hands, master of
the art of war! ”
[The Ethiopian army, after leaving Thebes, defeat the van of Tafnekht's
feet. )
They went down-stream; they reached Thebes; they did
according to all the things said by his Majesty.
1
1 Libyans, mercenaries or otherwise. The XXIId Dynasty was probably
Libyan, and as will be seen from subsequent notes, Libyan influence was still
strong in the time of Piankhy.
2 This would seem to be a quotation taken from some address to an earlier
king. Thothmes III. , for instance, attributed his successes to Amen.
3 The great temple of Amen at Karnak.
* Our equivalent term would be «sheet-anchor. )
## p. 5279 (#451) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5279
They went down-stream upon the river; they found many
ships coming up-stream, with soldiers, sailors, levies of troops,
every mighty man of the North land, furnished with weapons of
war to fight against the host of his Majesty. There was made
a great slaughter of them, the number thereof is not known;
their troops were captured with their ships, they were brought
as live prisoners to the place where his Majesty was. '
[Proceeding to attack Heracleopolis, they are met on the river by the confed-
erates under Tafnekht, and defeat them. ]
They went to Henen-seten, arraying battle. The nomarchs
with the kings of the North land were informed (thereof). Now
the King Nemart with the King Auapeth; the chief of the Me,?
Sheshenk of Busiris, with the chief of the Me, Zed-Amen-auf-
ankh of Mendes, and his son and heir, who was captain of the
host of Hermopolis Parva; the host of the Erpa Bakennefi, with
his son and heir, chief of the Me, Nesnakedy in the nome of
Hesebka; and every chief wearing the feather who was in the
North land, with the King Usorkon who was in Bubastis and in
the land of Ra-nefer: every nomarch, and the governors of
fenced cities in the West and in the East and in the islands in
the midst, assembled with one purpose, as following the feet of
the great chief of the West, ruler of the fenced cities of the
North land, priest of Neith, mistress of Sais, and Sem-priest of
Ptah, Tafnekht.
When they went out against them, a mighty overthrow was
made of them, greater than anything, and their ships were cap-
tured upon the river; the remainder crossed over and moored on
the west side, in the neighborhood of Per-peg.
1 In Ethiopia.
The title “chief of the Me) seems to mean «captain of the Libyan
troops. ” The list contains the names of princes of Lower Egypt only, with
the exception of Nemart of Hermopolis Magna, in Upper Egypt.
$ The feather was a Libyan badge of rank.
* Tafnekht is here given most of his principal titles, including the sacer-
dotal ones of high priest of Neith in Sais, and of Ptah in Memphis. With
the rise of Sais, Neith had become the leading deity of Lower Egypt, rank-
ing even above Ptah. The priests at Gebel Barkal doubtless took a special
pride in the overthrow of the protégé of Neith and Ptah by Piankhy, the wor-
shiper of Amen.
## p. 5280 (#452) ###########################################
5280
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
[In a second battle, fought by land on the opposite shore, the enemy is ov
over-
thrown; most escaped northward, but Nemart returns to Hermopolis,
having eluded the besiegers (i. e. , the army of the loyal governors).
Hermopolis is more closely besieged. ]
2
When the land lightened very early, the soldiers of his Majesty
crossed over to them. One host met the other. Then they slew
many men of them, and horses without number, in the charge [? ].
Those who remained fled to the North land with lamentations
loud and sore, more than anything. ' Account of the overthrow
made of them: men, persons
[But] the King Nemart
went up-stream to the South when it was reported to him,
Khmenu’ is in the midst of enemies; the soldiers of his
Majesty are capturing its men and its cattle. ” Then he [Nemart]
entered into Unu, while the soldiers of his Majesty were at the
port of the Hare-city. Then they heard of it; they surrounded
the Hare-city on its four sides; they allowed not goers out to
go out, nor enterers in to enter in.
[The King, enraged at the escape of the enemy, vows that after the New Year
he will go to Thebes, and having discharged a pious duty there, take the
war in hand himself. ]
They sent to report to his Majesty, the King of Upper and
Lower Egypt, Meriamen Piankhy, Giving Life, of every defeat
they had made, and of all the victories of his Majesty. Then
his Majesty raged at it like a leopard:-"Shall one grant unto them
that there be left a remnant of the soldiers of the North land to
permit a goer out to go out from them, to say, 'He commandeth
not to make them die until they bé utterly destroyed? As I live,
as I love Ra, as my father Amen praiseth me, I will go north
myself to ruin that which [Nemart] hath done; I will cause him
to withdraw from battle forever. Verily, after performing the
ceremonies of the New Year, I will sacrifice to my father Amen
in his beautiful festival, when he maketh his fair manifestation of
the New Year. He will lead me in peace to see Amen in the
good feast of the festival of Apt; I shall bring him forth glo-
riously in his divine form unto Southern Apt, in his goodly feast
1 Or «beaten sorely and grievously. ”
2 Here should be the numbers of the slain.
3 « Khmenu,» «Unu,) «Hare-city,” are all names of Hermopolis Magna, the
capital of Nemart's petty kingdom.
## p. 5281 (#453) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5281
of the feast of Apt at night-time,' in the feast established in
Thebes, the feast which Ra instituted for him originally. And I
will bring him forth gloriously to his own house, to rest upon his
throne, on the day of making the god to enter. ? On the second
day of Athyr? I will cause the land of the North to taste the
taste of my fingers. ”
[To retrieve their reputation, the army assaults and captures three cities;
but the King is not appeased. ]
Then the soldiers who were remaining in Egypt heard the
rage that his Majesty was in against them. Then they fought
against Per Mezed' in the nome of Oxyrhynkhos; they took it
like a flood of water. They sent a message to his Majesty, but
his heart was not appeased thereby.
Then they fought against Tatehen, the very strong; they found
it filled with soldiers, and every strong man of the North land.
Then there was made a battering-ram for it; its walls were
breached and a great slaughter was made of them, the number
thereof is not known, including the son of the chief of the
Me, Tafnekht. Then they sent word to his Majesty of it, but
his heart was not appeased thereby.
Then they fought against Het Benu; its citadel was opened
and the soldiers of his Majesty entered into it. Then they sent
word to his Majesty, but his heart was not appeased thereby.
[The King comes to Thebes, and thence proceeds to Hermopolis. He chides
his troops. ]
On the ninth day of Thoth,' came his Majesty down the river
to Thebes; he completed the feast of Amen in the festival of
Apt. His Majesty floated down to the city of the Hare. His
Majesty came out of the pavilion of the boat; horses were yoked
and chariots mounted. The fear of his Majesty reached unto
1
2
Evidently a torchlight procession from Karnak to Luxor (Southern Apt).
The return procession to Karnak.
3 The third month of the season of inundation. Of course a year would
then have elapsed, since the date given in the first line of the inscription.
Oxyrhynkhos.
5 Tehneh (? )
6 Tafnekht, stripped of his grandeur after his defeat at Heracleopolis, is
reduced to the rank of Chief of the Me in Sais. )
7 The first month of the season of inundation, and of the Egyptian year.
' Hermopolis.
IX-331
## p. 5282 (#454) ###########################################
5282
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
1
the ends of Asia; his terror was in every heart. Then his
Majesty came forth disposed to hate his soldiers, raging at them
like a leopard: “Doth it yet remain for you to fight? This is
slackness in my business: the year is completed to the end in
putting terror of me in the North land. ”? They made a great
and grievous lamentation, like one beaten. '
He pitched his tent in the Southwest of Khmenu. It [the
city] was besieged every day. There was made an earthwork to
cover the wall; there was erected a wooden tower to raise the
archers shooting arrows, and the slingers slinging stones, slay-
ing the people thereof every day.
[Hermopolis, vigorously attacked, is brought to great straits. It treats with
the King, and Nemart's wife prays the Queen to intercede for them. ]
The third day came; Unu was abominable to the nose, evil
in its smell. Then Unu threw itself on its belly, praying before
the face of the King; messengers came out and entered with all
things good to behold; gold, every precious mineral, stuffs in a
chest. The diadem was on his [Piankhy's] head, the uræus was
giving forth its terror; there was no ceasing for many days in
praying to his divine crown. His [Nemart's] wife, the royal
wife Satnestentmeh, was caused to approach, to pray the royal
wives, the royal concubines, the royal daughters, the royal sis-
ters. She cast herself upon her belly in the chamber of the
women, before the face of the royal wives: Come ye unto me,
Oye royal wives, daughters, and sisters, that ye may pacify
Horus,' lord of the palace. Great is his mighty spirit! How
grand is his right of victory! Let
> 5
[Presumably the Queen intercedes; Nemart comes out to Piankhy, surrenders,
and brings tributes. ]
“Who is it that hath led thee ? 6 Who is it that hath led
thee? Who is it that hath led thee? Who is it that led thee ?
[Thou hast missed the road of life.
But shall the heaven rain
1 To be taken of course in a general sense, referring to the majestic and
terrible aspect of the King.
2 1. 6. , “It has taken a full year,” etc.
3 Or, « They were sorely and grievously beaten with blows. ”
* 1. e. , the King.
5 Here there is a lacuna of sixteen short lines in the inscription.
6 Apparently Piankhy is addressing Nemart.
4
## p. 5283 (#455) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5283
with arrows ? I am (satisfied when] the South is in obeisance,
and the North lands (cry], "Put us in thy shadow. ' Behold, it
is evil
with his offerings. The heart is a rudder that
wrecketh its owner in that which concerneth the will of God; it
looketh on flame as ice.
not a prince; see who is his
father. Thy nomes are full of children. ” 1
Then he cast himself upon his belly before his Majesty (say-
ing]: "Come to me, Horus, lord of the palace! It is thy mighty
will that doeth this unto me: I am one of the servants of the
King that pay dues to the treasury.
Count their dues:
I have paid to thee more than they. "
Then he offered to him silver, gold, lapis lazuli, malachite,
bronze, and minerals of all kinds in great quantity. Behold, the
treasury was filled with this tribute. He brought a horse in his
right hand, a sistrum in his left, a sistrum of gold and lapis
lazuli.
(Piankhy enters Hermopolis and sacrifices to Thoth. Finding the horses in
the rebel King's stables starved, he is wroth with Nemart and confis.
cates his goods. ]
Behold, his [Majesty] was brought forth gloriously from his
palace, and proceeded to the house of Thoth, lord of Khmenu.
He sacrificed bulls, oxen, and fowl to his father Thoth, lord of
Khmenu, and the gods in the House of the Eight. The soldiers
of the Hermopolite nome rejoiced and sang; they said: "How
beautiful is Horus resting in his country, Son of the Sun, Pian-
khy! Celebrate for us a Sed festival,' even as thou hast protected
the Hare-name. ”
His Majesty proceeded to the house of the King Nemart, he
went to every apartment of the palace, his treasury and his
storehouses; he caused to be brought to him the King's wives
and the King's daughters; they praised his Majesty with things
1 The meaning is not clear; but here seems to be a reference to the
diminution of the adult population by prolonged wars.
2 Khmenu means eight. Thoth, in late times at any rate, combined the
powers of the eight gods who accompanied him. He was sometimes called
«twice great, sometimes (eight times great ) =23, an arithmetical term
especially indicated by the Greek name 'Ερμής Τρισμέγιστος.
3 A «jubilee) after a thirty-years' reign; the expression is therefore
equivalent to wishing the King a thirty-years' reign. The soldiers represent
the King as the god Horus come to claim his own land.
## p. 5284 (#456) ###########################################
5284
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
that women use;' but his Majesty would not amuse himself
with them. His Majesty proceeded to the stables of the horses,
the stalls of the foals; he beheld that they were starved. He
said:-"As I live, as I love Ra, as my nostril is refreshed with
life! very grievous are these things to my heart, the starving of
my horses, more than any ill that thou hast done in the fulfilling
of thine own desire. The fear which thy surroundings have of
thee, beareth witness to me of thee. Dost thou ignore that the
shadow of God is over me, and he doth not fail in any under-
taking of mine ? Would that he who did this unto me
another, knowing me not, [then] I would not censure him for it!
But I, when I was born from the womb, when I was formed in
the egg, the deed of God was in me; and as his Ka endureth,
I do nothing without him! He it is who commandeth me to
act. "
Then he counted his [Nemart's] goods to the Treasury, his
granary to the sacred store of Amen in Aptesut.
were
3
(The King of Heracleopolis, the siege of which had been raised by the
King's troops, brings presents and promises tribute. ]
The ruler of Henen-seten, Pefauibast, came with tribute to
Pharaoh: gold, silver, every kind of mineral, and horses of the
chosen ones of the stable. He cast himself on his belly before
his Majesty, and said, “Salutation to thee, Horus, mighty King,
bull overthrowing bulls. Duat drew me down, I was over-
whelmed in darkness, for which light hath been given unto me.
«I found not a friend on the day of trouble, who would stand
in the day of fight, except thee, O mighty King! Thou hast
drawn away the darkness from me, and I will be thy servant
with all that pertain to me. Henen-seten shall pay tribute to
thy storehouse, thou the image of Harakhti, chief of the Akhmu
Seku. While he exists, so long shalt thou exist as King; if he
be not destroyed thou shalt not be destroyed, O King Piankhy,
living for ever!
1 Music, dancing, etc.
2 An oath.
3 Karnak.
4 The underworld.
5 The stars of the northern hemisphere; see Maspero's Dawn of Civiliza-
tion,' p. 94. By Harakhti, the sun is probably meant.
## p. 5285 (#457) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5285
(El Lahûn, prepared to oppose the entry of the King, yields without fighting:
the treasuries are confiscated. ]
His Majesty went north to the opening of the canal near
Rahent'; he found Per-sekhem-kheper-ra with its walls raised
high, its citadel closed and filled with every valiant man of
the North land. Then his Majesty sent to them saying: “Ye
who live in death, ye who live in death, miserable ones, wretched
ones living in death! If a moment passeth without opening (to
me], behold, ye are reckoned as conquered, and that is painful
to the King. Close not the gates of your life so as to come to
the execution block of this day. Do not love death and hate
your life;
[embrace] life in the face of all the land. ”
Then they sent to his Majesty to say: "Behold, the shadow
of God is upon thy head; the son of Nut? gives to thee his two
hands. What thy heart desireth is accomplished immediately, as
that which issues from the mouth of a god. Behold thou it!
Thou wast born as a god, and thou seest us in thy two hands.
Behold thy city, its forts [are open; do as thou wilt with it];
enterers enter in and goers out go out: let his Majesty do as he
pleaseth. ”
Then they came out with the son of the chief of the Me,
Tafnekht. The host of his Majesty entered into it; he slew not
one of all the people whom he found. [The chancellors came],
with the royal seal-bearers to seal its goods, assigning its treas-
uries to the Treasury, its granaries to the divine offerings of his
father Amen Ra, lord of the thrones of the two lands.
[Likewise with Mêdûm and Athet-taui. ]
His Majesty floated down-stream, he found that Mêdûm, the
Abode of Seker, lord of making light, had been shut up; it
could not be reached, it had put fighting into its heart. [But
they feared] terror (seized] them; awe closed their mouths.
Then his Majesty sent to them saying: “Behold ye, there are
two ways before you, choose ye as ye will: open, and ye live;
close, and ye die. My Majesty passeth not by a city closed. ”
1 The mouth of the barrier, i. e. , the entrance into the Faiyûm. The name
El Lahûn is derived from Rahent; and the city Per-sekhem-kheper-ra, « The
house of Usorkon I. ,) must have been at or close to the modern village of
El Lahûn.
? Set, the god of physical strength.
## p. 5286 (#458) ###########################################
5286
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
Then they opened immediately. His Majesty entered this
city; he offered [an oblation] to the god Menhy in Sehez. He
assigned its treasury and granaries to the divine offerings of
Amen in Apt-esut.
His Majesty floated down-stream to Athet-taui; he found the
fortress closed, the walls full of valiant soldiers of the North
land. Behold, they opened the forts, they cast themselves on
their bellies (singing praises before] his Majesty. «Thy father
hath destined for thee his heritage as lord of the two lands; thou
art in them,' thou art lord of what is upon earth. ”
His Majesty proceeded [to the temple) to cause to be offered
a great offering to the gods who are in this city, of bulls, fat
oxen and fowls, and everything good and pure. Then its treas-
ury was assigned to the Treasury, its granaries to the divine
offerings [of Amen].
[To Memphis he offers a free pardon, but the city prepares to fight. ]
His Majesty went north towards Anbuhez. Then he sent to
them, saying, "Do not close, do not fight, O Residence originally
of Shu! Let the enterers enter and the comers out come out:
let none going be stopped. I will offer sacrifice to Ptah and the
gods who are in Anbuhez; I will worship Sokaris in the Secret
Place; I will behold Res-Anbef. I will go north in peace (for
his Majesty loveth that] Anbuhez be safe and sound, and that
[even] the children weep not. Ye saw the nomes of the South:
not one [soul] was slain therein except the rebels who had blas-
phemed God. Execution on the block was done to the rebel-
lious. ”
Then they closed their forts; they caused soldiers to go out
against a few of the host of his Majesty, consisting of artisans,
of chief builders, and pilots (who had gone towards] the quay of
Anbuhez.
1 Athet-taui (Lisht ? ) was the boundary of Upper and Lower Egypt, and
probably lay in both of them. « The gods who are in this city of the
next paragraph are doubtless kings of the XIIth Dynasty as presiding
deities of the place, this royal Residence having apparently been founded by
Amenenhat I. Compare p. 5238.
? Ra, the first King of Egypt, was fabled to have resided at Heliopolis;
Shu his son and successor at Memphis. The city is called sometimes Anbu. .
hez, “white wall, sometimes Men-nefer, after the pyramid of Pepy I.
3 « South of his wall," an epithet of Ptah, god of Memphis.
## p. 5287 (#459) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5287
[Tafnekht himself visits Memphis in the night, encourages the troops, and
departs, promising to return when he has arranged matters with the allies. ]
Now that chief of Sais came to Anbuhez in the night, urging
its soldiers, its sailors and all the best of its troops, in number
eight thousand men, urging them greatly, greatly.
“Behold,
Mennefer is full of soldiers of all the best of the North land,
barley and durra, and all kinds of grain, the granaries are over-
flowing, and all kinds of weapons of (war. There is a] wall
built, a great battlement made with cunning craft. The river
bounds the eastern side, and no way of attack is there. The
stalls remain full of fat cattle, the treasury is furnished with all
things: silver, gold, copper, bronze, stuffs, incense, honey, oint-
ment. I will go, I will give things to the chiefs of Lower
Egypt; I will open to them their nomes. ' I shall be [away
traveling] three [? ] days until I return. ” He mounted a horse,
he called not for his chariots, he went north in fear of his
Majesty.
[Piankhy finds Memphis strongly fortified and the high Nile risen to its walls.
The army proposes to bridge it, or attack the city it by elaborate ap-
proaches. )
When the earth lightened and it was the second day? his
Majesty came to Anbuhez, He moored upon its north side, he
found the water risen to the walls and ships moored at [the
quay of] Mennefer. Then his Majesty saw that it was mighty
indeed, the wall raised high with new building, the battlement
manned with strength; no way of attacking it was found. Each
person fell to saying his say among the hosts of his Majesty of
every rule of warfare, and every man said, “Let us lay siege to
[Anbuhez]; behold, her soldiers are many. ” Others said: “Make
a causeway unto it; let us raise the ground to its wall; let us
construct a wooden work, let us set up ships' masts, let us make
its edges of poles. Let us divide it with these things on every
side of it, with embankments and
upon its north side,
in order to raise the ground to its wall that we may find a way
for our feet. ”
1 It is difficult to see what is meant by this. Possibly Tafnekht was pro-
posing to bribe the Northern chiefs into continuing the war, by giving up his
recently acquired claims as suzerain.
? Or «very early. ”
3 Perhaps Let us put these things at intervals. ”
## p. 5288 (#460) ###########################################
5288
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
[The King determines to assault it immediately; he seizes all the boats at the
quay, where the houses were comparatively unprotected, and landing his
men in them at that point captures the city. ]
Then his Majesty raged against it [the city] like a leopard,
he said:-“As I live, as I love Ra, as my father Amen who
formed me praiseth me, these things have happened unto it by
the command of Amen. These things are what men say: "[The
North Country] with the nomes of the South they open to him
[Tafnekht] from afar; they had not placed Amen in their hearts,
they knew not what he had commanded. [Then] he [Amen]
made him [Piankhy] in order to accomplish his mighty will, to
cause the awe of him to be seen. ' I will take it like a water
flood; [this] hath [my father Amen commanded me. ”
Then he caused his ships and his army to set out to attack the
quay of Mennefer.
They brought back to him every ferry-boat,
every cabin-boat, every dahabiyeh, and the ships in all their
number that were moored at the quay of Mennefer, the bows
being moored in its houses [on account of the height of the
water. Not] the least of the soldiers of his Majesty mourned. ?
His Majesty came to direct the ships in person in all their
number. His Majesty commanded his soldiers: Forward to it!
Scale the walls, enter the houses upon the bank of the stream.
If one of you enters upon the wall there will be no stand
against him [for a moment], the levies [? ] will not bar you.
Moreover, it is feeble that we should shut up the South Country,
moor at the North land, and sit still at the Balance of the two
lands. )3
Then Mennefer was captured as by a flood of water; men
were slain within it in great numbers, and were taken as pris-
oners to the place where his Majesty was.
[In Memphis Piankhy sacrifices. The neighboring garrisons flee; three North-
ern chiefs and all the nomarchs submit in person; the treasures of Mem-
phis are confiscated. ]
When the [land lightened] and the second day came, his
Majesty caused men to go to it to protect the temples of God
for him, to guard the sanctuary of the gods from the profane,
.
1 The boats were floating on a level with the top of the quay.
? I. e. , no single one of the assailants was injured in the slightest degree.
3 Meaning of course at the boundary between Upper and Lower Egypt. ”
* By waving the wand of sanctification therein.
## p. 5289 (#461) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5289
to sacrifice to the royal circle of gods of Hetkaptah,' to purify
Mennefer with natron and incense, to put the priests on the
place of their feet. ? His Majesty proceeded to the house of
[Ptah]; his purification was performed in the Chamber of Early
Morning, and all the things prescribed for a king were accom-
plished. He entered the temple, great offerings were made to
his father Ptahresanbef, of fat bulls, oxen, and fowl, and every
good thing. His Majesty proceeded to his house.
Then all the villages that were in the region of Mennefer
heard, namely, Hery the city, Penynaauaa, the tower of Byu,
and the oasis of By; they opened their gates, they fled in flight;
one knoweth not the place to which they went.
Came Auapeth with the chief of the Me, Akaneshu, with the
erpa Pediast, with all the nomarchs of the North land, bearing
their tribute, to see the beauties of his Majesty.
Then were assigned the treasuries and the granaries of Men-
nefer, and made into the second offerings of Amen, of Ptah, of
the circle of the gods in Hetkaptah.
(Piankhy crosses over to Babylon, and worships there. )
When the land lightened and the second day came his
Majesty proceeded to the East, and made a purification to Tum
in Kheraha,' [and to] the circle of the gods in the house of the
circle of the gods; namely, the cave in which the gods are, con-
sisting of fat bulls, oxen, and fowls, that they might give Life,
Prosperity, and Health to the King Piankhy, living forever.
[He proceeds along the Sacred Way to Heliopolis, visiting the holy places,
and enters the sanctuary of Tum in Heliopolis, etc. King Usorkon
submits. ]
His Majesty proceeded to Anue on that mount of Kheraha,
upon the road of the god Sep, to Kheraha. His Majesty pro-
i The sacred name of Memphis, supposed to be the origin of the name
"Αιγυπτος - «Egypt. ”
? I. e. , to re-establish the order of the temple services, etc.
3 A chamber set apart for the sacred toilet; see also below, p. 5290.
* Or «very early. ”
5 Kheraha was on the site of old Cairo, known to the classical authors as
Babylon. The cave mentioned is not now known.
6 On, Heliopolis. Here was a sacred well of water (“The Cool Pool »),
supposed to spring from Nu, the primeval waters in heaven and earth, and
not to be derived from Hapi or the Nile. Tradition relates that it was at
this same well, still pointed out at Matariyeh, that the Blessed Virgin washed
the Child on her arrival in Egypt.
## p. 5290 (#462) ###########################################
5290
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
ceeded to the camp which was on the west of the Atiu canal; he
was purified in the midst of the Cool Pool, his face was washed
in the stream of Nu, in which Ra washes his face. He pro-
ceeded to the sand-hill in Anu, he made a great sacrifice on the
sand-hill in Anu, before the face of Ra at his rising, consisting
of white bulls, milk, frankincense, incense, all woods sweet-
smelling. He came, proceeding to the house of Ra; he entered
the temple with rejoicings.
