REIGN OF SNEFRU

SINAI INSCRIPTIONSa

168. Although the Pharaohs had operated in the copper region of Sinai as far back as the First Dynasty, Snefru was later regarded as the great founder of the Egyptian mining there. He became a patron god of the region (§ 722), he gave his name to the roads and stations of the eastern Delta (§ 493, 1. 9), and officials boasting of their achievements there claimed that nothing like them had been done since the time of Snefru (8 731).

Being the only existing inscriptional record of achievement by Snefru, this document is of especial importance. The relief to which the inscriptions belong is as important as they. It represents the king in the etef-crown, with upraised war-club about to smite a Bedwi, whom he has forced to kneel, holding him by the hair of his head.b This, of course, symbolizes Snefru's victory over the Bedwin of this region, during his mining operations here.

169. The inscriptions contain only titles and names of Snefru; they are:

King of Upper and Lower Egypt; Favorite of the Two Goddesses: Lord of Truth; Golden Horus: Snefru. Snefru, Great God, who is given Satisfaction, Stability, Life, Health, all Joy forever.

a Engraved on the rock-walls of the Wadi Maghara in the Peninsula of Sinai. Text: Lepsius, Denkmäler, II, 2 a; Laborde, Voyage de l'Arabie Petrée, Pl. 5, No. 4; Laval, Voyage dans la Péninsule Arabique, Inscriptions hiéroglyphiques, Pl. 3, No. 1; Brugsch, Thesaurus, VI, 1492 (inscriptions only); Sethe, Urkunden, I, 7, 8; Morgan, Recherches, I, 233; Weill, Sinai, 103.

bThis form of relief is as old as the early First Dynasty. Such a scene had already been left here by King Semerkhet, of the early dynastic age (Weill, Revue archéologique, II [1903], 231); and an ivory tablet shows King Usephais, of the First Dynasty, smiting a Bedwi native in the same way (Macgregor Collection, Spiegelberg, Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache, XXXV, 8).

Horus: Lord of Truth.a

Smiter of Barbarians.

A second, similar relief of Snefru in the Wadi Maghara is near the above, b

BIOGRAPHY OF METHEN

170. This is the earliest biography which we possess, and it clearly betrays its primitive character. It is impossible to determine with certainty the succession of the parts distributed on the different walls, and the language is so bald, abbreviated, and obscure that some of the narrative remains unintelligible. Apart from the fact that it is our earliest document of the kind, and the only one from the Third Dynasty, the biography is especially valuable because it deals with the geography and government of the North, narrating Methen's activity in the Delta, of the administration of which at this early period we otherwise know almost nothing. The narrative tells of his gradual rise, from a beginning as scribe and overseer of a provision magazine, until he governs a considerable number of towns and districts in the Delta. He also obtained in Upper Egypt the rule of the eastern part of the Fayum and the Anubis nome (Seventeenth). He was liberally rewarded with gifts of lands, became master of the hunt, and tells us the size of his house, with some account of the grounds; all of which, from an age so remote, is of especial interest. He died in the reign. of Snefru; all his affiliations were with the families preceding Snefru, and he was naturally buried beside the terraced pyramid of Zoser, of the earlier part of the Third Dynasty.

aIn the palace façade, the so-called "banner."

bWeill, Sinai, 104.

From his mastaba-chamber, found by Lepsius at Sakkara, and now in Berlin (Nos. 1105, 1106); published by Lepsius in Denkmäler, II, 3−7, 120, a-e; Schaefer, Aegyptische Inschriften aus dem Königlichen Museum zu Berlin, I, 68, 73-87; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 1-7.

Death of Methen's Father

171. 'There were presented to him the things of his father, a the judge and scribe Anubisemonekh; there was no grain or anything of the house, (but1) there were peopleb and small cattle.

Methen's Career

172. 'He was made chief scribe of the provision magazine, and overseer of the things of the provision magazine. He was made -14becoming local governor of Xois (Ox-nome), and inferior field-judge of Xois. 5He was appointed --judge, he was made overseer of all flax of the king, he was made ruler of Southern Perked (Pr-kd), and 'deputy', 'he was made local governor of the people of Dep, palace-ruler of Miper ('Myl-pr) and Persepa (Pr-sp3), and local governor of the Saitic nome, ruler of the stronghold of Sent (Snt). [deputy] of nomes, 1°ruler of Pershesthet (Pr-šstt), ruler of the towns of the palace, of the Southern Lake.d Sheret-Methen (Šrt-Min) was founded, and the domain whichel his father Anubisemonekh presented to him.

Honors and Gifts

173. Administrator, nomarch, and overseer of commissions in the Anubis nome,f overseer of of the Mendesian nome, ■— —1 4 'state of land, (with) people and everything. . . 3. . . . 4There were founded for him the 12 towns of Shet-Methen (Št-Mțn) in the Saitic nome, in the Xoite nome, and the Sekhemite nome. sThere were conveyed to him as a reward 200 stat of lands by numerous royal-; "a mortuary] offering of 100 loaves every day from the mor

aSupply a t, which clearly has been lost or omitted.

bSee the same expression, § 175, l. 18. These are the serfs attached to the land and conveyed with it.

cNht-hrw, lit. “strong-voiced," an administrative position having to do with

lands.

dThe Southern Lake occurs also next to Nomes XX and XXI (combined) of Upper Egypt in a Tehneh tomb, Annales III, 76.

eOr “when his father A. gave (it) to him.”

fSeventeenth nome of Upper Egypt.

gOn the doubtful character of the measure here, see Griffith, Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archæology, XIV, 412.

tuary temple of the mother of the king's children, Nemathap (N-m>'thp); "a house 200 cubits long and 200 cubits wide, built and equipped; fine trees were set out, a very large lake was made therein, figs and vines were set out. It was recorded therein according to the king's writings; their names were according to the decree (sr) of the king's writings. Very plentiful trees and vines were set out, a great quantity of wine was made therein. A vineyarda was made for him: 2,000 stat of land within the wall; trees were set out, ('in1) bImeres (Yy-mrs), Sheret-Methen (Šr-Min), Yat-Sebek (Y't-Sbk), Shet-Methen (St-M ṭn).

Methen's Offices

174. 'Ruler of Southern Perked (Pr-kd);

Rulerd of Perwersah (Pr-wr-s'h);

3Ruler and local governor of the stronghold, Hesen (Hsn); in the Harpoon nome;

4Palace-ruler and local governor in Sekhemu (Shmw) of Xois (Ox

nome).

sPalace-ruler and local governor in Dep (Buto);e

❝Palace-ruler and local governor in Miper (Myl-pr), of the Saite nome;f 7Palace-ruler and local governor in Two Hounds, of the Mendesian

nome;

8Palace-ruler in Heswer (Hs-wr); ruler of fields in the west of the Saitic nome;g

"Palace-ruler of the Cow stronghold;h local governor in the desert, and master of the hunt;

1°Ruler of fields, 'deputy and local governor in the Sekhemite nome;i "Nomarch, administrator), and deputy in the eastern Fayum; 12Field-judge, palace-ruler of the west of the Saitic nome, leader of [—

aThe first vineyard seems to have been in the garden around his house; the second is a large vineyard by itself.

bThe connection of these four towns is not evident.

eVar., “Local governor of Dep, local governor of the people of Dep."

fHe was also "Palace-ruler and local governor in Mesezut (Msdwt), of the Saitic nome."

8Var., "Palace-ruler of fields, and local governor in the Saitic nome."

hVar., "Local governor of the Cow stronghold;" this was one of the oases. iSecond nome of Lower Egypt.

Gifts of Land

175. 13There were conveyed to him, as a reward, 200 stat of land by the numerous royal [_]

14There were conveyed to him 50 stat of land by (his) mother Nebsent (Nb-snt); 15she made a will thereof to (her) a children; 16it was placed in their possession by the king's writings (in) every place.

17 Ruler of [-] of the Sekhemite nome. There were given to him 12 stat of land, with his children; 18there were people and small cattle.c

aNot "my children,” see l. 7, where “the people of Dep" is written in the

same way.

bThat is: "and to his children likewise."

cWith the land; see §171.