650. Year 9, a a third month of the third season under the majesty of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Khekure (Sesostris III) beloved of Satet, mistress of Elephantine, living forever. Command of his majesty to the Magnate of the South, Ameni, ['to make] a doorway in the fortress of Elephantine, to make a -1 (a building) for the crown-possessions of the South the people in the region of Elephantine; when [my lord, life! prosperity! he]alth! journeyed to overthrow the wretched Kush.

III. THE FIRST SEMNEH STELA©

651. Sesostris III, having, in his eighth year, pushed his southern advance above the second cataract, to a point about thirty-seven miles south of Wadi Halfa, set up his landmark, the stone marking the southern boundary of his realm. His great-grandfather, Sesostris I, had already conquered to this point (§§ 510 ff.), but Sesostris III was now prepared to maintain the conquest.

652. 'Southernd boundary, made in the year 8, under the majesty of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Khekure (Sesostris III), who is given life forever and ever; in order to prevent that any Negro should cross it, by water or 3by land, with a ship, (or) any herds of 4the Negroes; except a Negro who shall come to do trading in Ikene (Ykn), 5or with

aBirch has 8, but the original has 9: the last unit on the left is very faint, and was therefore overlooked. This is doubtless the date on which the work was finished, the order having been given as the king passed, a year previously. It is hardly probable that there was another campaign in the ninth year after that of the eighth.

bCf. § 522, l. 16.

CA red granite stela discovered by Lepsius at Semneh on the west bank of the Nile. It is now in Berlin (No. 14753); published by Lepsius, Denkmäler, II, 136, i, and (copied therefrom) Lemm, Lesestücke, 62. On its strange history, see § 653, note, p. 294.

dAt the top of the stela is the single word "West," indicating on which side of the river it belonged. There must have been another on the other side, but it has never been found.

eUnknown place.

"

a commission. Every good thinga shall be done with them, but without allowing a ship of the Negroes to pass by Hehb (Hh), going downstream, forever.

653. After the campaign of the eighth year, it was again necessary in the twelfth year to chastise the Nubians. Of this expedition only the meagerest record has reached us in an inscription on the rocks at Assuan, of which, beside the date and the name of Sesostris III, we can read only the following: "His majesty journeyed to overthrow Kush."

654. Already in the sixteenth year further disturbances in Kush again called the king thither, and this expedition is twice recorded: on the second Semneh stela; and on a duplicate found on the island of Uronarti, just below Semneh. The duplicate contains in the first line, after the

aRead yht, "thing," the hieratic for which was mistaken by the copyist for tw (Erman).

bModern Semneh (see Baedeker's Egypt, 1902, 379), on the west side of the river, about thirty-seven miles above Wadi Halfa. Here and at Kummeh, on the eastern side, Sesostris III erected two fortresses for enforcing the blockade above decreed.

cRed granite stela set up on the west shore at Semneh in the temple in the fortress of Sesostris III (see § 640). It has had a remarkable history since its discovery by Lepsius in July, 1844. Broken into two pieces, the upper portion after packing, was forgotten by Lepsius' workmen, and with the "First Semneh Stela" (§§ 651 f.) was left in Semneh, so that only the lower portion of the "Second Stela" reached Berlin. Some forty years later (1886) the forgotten pieces were found by Insinger on the banks of the river, still in Lepsius' boxes. They were taken to Cairo, where they remained in the Gizeh (Bulak) collection for many years, but were at last secured by the Berlin Museum, and the two portions of the "Second Semneh Stela" were rejoined in 1899, after a separation of over fifty years (Berlin, No. 1157). Published by Lepsius (Denkmäler, II, 136, h); I also had a copy from the original, kindly loaned me by Professor Erman.

dPetrie, Season in Egypt, XIII, 340. It has been omitted in de Morgan's Catalogue des monuments.

eIt was discovered by Steindorff, Borchardt, and Schaefer in March, 1900. It is not yet published, and I collate the variants from a copy by Borchardt, cited in the note as U. An account of it, with a copy of the title, is given by Steindorff in Berichte der philologisch-historischen Classe der Königlichen Sächsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig, Juni, 1900, p. 233.

king's name, a variant of great historical importance, as follows: "Stela made in the year 16, third month of the second season, when the fortress: 'Repulse-of-the-Troglodytes'a was built."

655. It was on this campaign, therefore, that the Uronarti fortress was built. The temple in the Semneh fortress was already built for a feast, likewise called "Repulse-of-theTroglodytes," doubtless in commemoration of this victory, which was celebrated in it on the twenty-first of Pharmuthi, a month later. This feast continued to be celebrated in the Empire, and the enactments for offerings upon it, and the other feasts of this temple, were reinstituted by Thutmose III (see II, 167 ff.).

656. The "Second Semneh Stela" is as follows:

Introduction

'Live the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Sesostris III, who is given life, stability, satisfaction forever.

Boundary Established

657. 3Year 16, third month of the second season,e (occurred) his majesty's making the southern boundary as far as Hehe (Hḥ). I

aThis is certainly the name of the fortress on Uronarti; we could render: "the fortress which repulses the T.," for which we have the parallel: "the walls of the prince, made to repulse the Bedwin" (§ 493); but the fact that a feast of Sesostris III, probably celebrating this victory, was also called “Repulse-of-the-Troglodytes" (II, 171), is clear evidence that we have here a name for the fortress. Moreover, another fortress of Sesostris III is mentioned in the same way in the inscription (Lepsius, Denkmäler, 151, c) of an officer of one of the first Sebekhoteps, cut on the neighboring rocks to record the height of the Nile (§§ 751, 752).

bThere was another feast celebrating a similar victory in this temple, called "Binding-of-the-Barbarians" (see II, 171, l. 12), at which offerings were made to the queen, "great king's-wife Merseger."

The variants in the duplicate are chiefly of grammatical importance, but where they clear up the meaning, I have adduced them in the notes.

dText has full titulary.

eThis phrase is lacking in U; and in its place appears the statement above (§ 654) regarding the fortress.

have made my boundary beyonda (that) of my fathers; I have sincreased that which was bequeathed to me. I am a king who speaks and executes; that which my heart conceives 'is that which comes to pass by my hand; (one who is) eager to possess, and 'powerful to π—1; not allowing a matter to sleep in his heart. 8. . . . . . 'attacking him who attacks, silent in a matter, or answering a matter according to that which is in it; since, if one is silent after attack, it strengthens 1othe heart of the enemy. Valiance is eagerness, cowardice is to slink back; he is truly a craven "who is repelled upon his border; since the Negro hearkens to the -1 of the mouth; it is answering him which drives him back; when one is eager against him, he turns his back; when one slinks back, he begins to be eager. 13 But they are not a people of might, they are poor and broken in heart. 14My majesty has seen them; it is not an untruth.

Plundering of Nubia

658. I captured their women, I carried off1s their subjects, went forth to their wells, smote their bulls; I reaped their grain, and 16set fire thereto. (I swear) as my father lives for me, I speaks in truth, without a lieh therein, 17coming out of my mouth.

Future Maintenance of Boundary

659. Now, as for every son of mine who shall maintain this boundary, 18which my majesty has made, he is my son, he is born to my

aLit., "in front of," which is to an Egyptian the same as "southward of." bAt this point the narrative is interrupted by a encomium on himself by the king, which is in poetic parallelism, and in parts is unintelligible. It merges into satire on the Negroes, and continues to l. 14, where the narrative is resumed. CU has tm ssdr, lit., "not causing a matter to sleep." dU has gr mdt.

eU has sd w“broken, pierced,” heretofore known only in connection with a wall, an egg, or the like; it has nothing to do with "tails," as rendered, Petrie, History of Egypt, I, 180.

f This word does not mean "destroy," as so often rendered, but is used of gathering the harvest, the vintage, or even getting stone from a quarry, e. g., inscription of Uni (§ 323, 1. 43). U has the finite form: wḥny, "I reaped."

gU has "I have spoken" (dd-ny).

hU has: hn ym n cbc, in which we are to read hn n cbe together like ḥn-n-mdwt; hn n is a pleonastic phrase before nouns indicating speech (see Erman, Glossar, s. v.).

majesty, the likeness of a son who is the champion of his father, 19who maintains the boundary of him that begat him, Now, as for him who shall relax it, and shall not fight 20for it; he is not my son, he is not born to me.

Royal Statue at Boundary

660. Now, behold, my majesty caused a statuea 21of my majesty to be made upon this boundary, which my majesty made; in order that ye might prosper because of it, and in order that ye might fight for it.

V. INSCRIPTION OF IKHERNOFRETd

с

661. The following commission of Ikhernofret to Abydos, of great interest and importance in many respects, is inserted here especially for its bearing on the Nubian wars of Sesostris III. It is not dated, but we are able to date it from another source with considerable probability. Ikhernofret was accompanied to Abydos by one of his officials, Sisatet;* each of the two men erected a stela there on this occasion, and that of Sisatet states that the visit was made "when Sesostris III journeyed to overthrow the wretched Kush, in the year 19." The gold taken from Kush (ll. 3, 4) was therefore probably captured in the campaign of the sixteenth year (8657). We have nowhere else any record of the campaign of the nineteenth year.

662. Ikhernofret narrates how he executed the king's commission, and adds a statement of the functions which

aNo trace of this statue has ever been found.

bU has the proper genitive n.

cOr: "upon it," the boundary.

dOn his memorial tablet erected at Abydos; now in Berlin (No. 1204, Ausführliches Verzeichniss des Berliner Museums, 90, 91); published by Lepsius, Denkmäler, II, 135, h. It is in bad condition, and full of gaps. I had a copy made from the original, which Schaefer kindly placed at my disposal; it filled nearly all of the gaps in Lepsius' Denkmäler. Schaefer has since published it, with full translation and commentary, in Sethe's Untersuchungen, IV, but I have not yet seen it.

e§§ 671 ff.