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court, when preparing the king's journey (or) when making stations. I did throughout 10so that his majesty praised me for it above everything.

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Prosecution of the Queen

310. When legal procedure was instituted in privateb in the harem against the queen, Imtes (Ymts)d his majesty caused me to enter, in order to hear (the case) alone. No "chief judge and vizier at all, no prince at all was there, but only I alone, because I was excellent, because I was pleasant to the heart of his majesty; because his majesty loved me. I alone was the one who put (it) in writing, 12together with a single judge attached to Nekhen; while my office was (only) that of superior custodian of the domain of Pharaoh. Never before had one like me heard the secret of the royal harem, except that the king caused 13me to hear (it), because I was more excellent to the heart of his majesty than any official of his, than any noble of his, than any servant of his.

War against the Bedwin

311. His majestye made war one the Asiatic Sand-dwellers (m-hryw-š) and 14his majesty made an army of many ten thousands: in the entire South, southward to Elephantine, and northward to Aphroditopolis; in the Northland on both sides entire 15in the 'stronghold,h and in the midst of the 'strongholds, among the Irthet (yrtt) negroes, the Mazoi (Md) negroes, the Yam (Ym'm) negroes, 16among the Wawat (Wɔwɔt) negroes, among the Kau (Kw) negroes, and in the land of Temeh (Tmḥ).i

aThere is a contrast here between his duties at the fixed court and making preparations for the king's journeys. The third reference is perhaps to the duty of assigning court stations to noblemen according to rank.

bLit.: "When the matter was contested.” Cf. similar phrase, note l. 14 and note 1. 29.

cLit.: "great king's-wife.”

dAcc. to Sethe, ym? (Verbum I).

eLit.: "repulsed the matter of the A" (hsf yh't), which Erman holds to be an idiom for "punish" (Gespräch, 72).

8See Griffith, Kahun Papyri, II, 21.

fSee $320, 1. 33 and note. hSome particular stronghold is 'apparently meant; Erman suggests "the old fortress in the eastern part of the Delta,” but this is a conjecture.

iThis list of Nubian lands has been treated by Brugsch, Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache, 1882, 30-36; Cf. also Lepsius, Nubische Grammatik, lxxxvii ff. The discovery of the Harkhuf inscription has thrown light on the location of Yam, showing that the journey thither and return occupied seven months.

Uni Leads the Campaign

312. His majesty sent me at the head of this army "7while the counts, while the wearers of the royal seal, while the sole companions of the palace, while the nomarchs and commanders of strongholds belonging to the South and the Northland; the companions, the caravanconductors, 18the superior prophets belonging to the South and the Northland, the overseers of the crown-possessions, were (each) at the head of a troop of the South or the Northland, of the strongholds and cities which they commanded, and of the negroes of these countries. 19I was the one who made for them the plan while my office was (only) that of superior custodian of the domain of Pharaoh of '— — —1. Not one thereof -la with his neighbor; 2°not one thereof plundered 'dough1 (or) sandals from the wayfarer; not one thereof took bread from any city; "not one thereof took any goat from any people. I despatched them from the Northern Isle, the Gate of Ihotep (y-ḥtp), the bend of Horus, Nibmat (Hr-nb-m't, Snefru). While I was of this rank 22_ everything, I inspectedle the number of these troops, (although) never had any servant inspected. e

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Return of the Army

313. This army returnedf 23in safety, (after) it had hacked up the land of the Sand-dwellers; this army returned in safety, (after) it had destroyed the land of the Sand-dwellers; 24this army returned in safety, (after) it had overturned its strongholds; this army returned in safety, (after) it had cut down 25its figs and its vines; this army returned in

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See Sethe, Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache, XXX, 62.

dAre these three places in apposition or are they three different localities? Erman (Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache, 1891, 120, n. 1) thinks we should, as in some other analogous cases, consider the two following names as partitive appositions denoting two places located in the "northern isle." The latter is, I think, the same as the "Isle of Snefru," reached by Sinuhe on his flight through the same region (8 493, l. 9). In view of the "bend of Snefru” above, this is at least very probable. The name is of course due to the activity of Snefru in this frontier region necessitated by his opening the mines in the Sinai peninsula.

ewb. It occurs also in Harkhuf inscriptions, $334, where the meaning is modified to "explore."

f This verb is regularly used of the return from Asiatic campaigns in the Empire, and must have the same meaning here.

safety, (after) it had thrown fire in all its [troops]; this army returned 26in safety, (after) it had slain troops therein, in many ten thousands; this army returned in safety (after) [it had carried awaya] 27therefrom a great multitude as living captives. His majesty praised me on account of it above everything.

Revolts of the Bedwin

314. His majesty sent me to despatch [this army] 28five times, in order to traverse the land of the Sand-dwellers at each of their rebellions, with these troops. I did so that [his] majesty praised me [on account of it].

Campaign in Southern Palestine

315. 29 When it was said there were revolters because of a matter among these barbarians in the land of Gazelle-nose,b I crossed over 3oin troop-ships with these troops, and I voyaged to the back of the height of the ridged on 31the north of the Sand-dwellers. When this army had been brought in the highway, I came and smote them all 32and every revolter among them was slain.

[Continued $8319 ff.]

aThere was probably a first object before ymf, with which "multitude" was in apposition.

bm šrt. The reading "Tiba" for this name, given by Maspero (Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache, 1883, 64) is not supported by the careful collation of Erman and Borchardt, nor by Piehl (ibid., 26, 112); nor by Sethe.

The same use of m as in Harkhuf, 11. 6 and 8, et passim in that text.

dThe Palestinian highlands; Maspero in placing this region between Gaza and the Serbonis Lake seems to have overlooked the word "ridge;" there are no highlands in the locality defined by him. Uni must have landed a little farther north and reached the highlands of southern Palestine. See also Müller, Asien und Europa, 33.

stone.

eThe end of Uni's career under Pepi I is marked by a line of separation on the

REIGN OF MERNERE

INSCRIPTIONS AT THE FIRST CATARACT

316. These important inscriptions, which record a visit of Mernere to the region immediately above the first cataract, are supported in their statement that the Nubian chiefs came to do him obeisance, by the biography of Uni (ll. 46-47, §324), whom Mernere sent to excavate a channel through the cataract. The same negro tribes who furnished the wood for Uni's quarry-boats, here do reverence to his king. This visit and his construction of the canal, are important evidences of Mernere's activity on the Nubian frontier, thus preparing the way for the conquest of lower Nubia in the Twelfth Dynasty.

Northern Inscriptiona

317. The king stands leaning upon his staff, with the lion's tail as his only symbol of royalty. Behind him is the god Khnum, and before him the chiefs of Nubia. Over his head are the usual name and titles: "King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Mernere," behind him the words: "Beloved of Khnum, Lord of the Cataract;" below him the date: "Year 5, second month of the third season (tenth month), day 28."

aRoughly cut on a block of granite south of the first cataract "on the eastern bank of the Nile, facing the southern extremity of the island of El-Hesseh;" (not "on" the island as stated, Egypt Exploration Fund Archæological Report, 1903– 1904, 12); text by Sayce, Recueil, XV, 147; manuscript copy by Borchardt; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 110.

bThere must be a row of Nubian chiefs before him (not noticed by Sayce) as in 318.

The treasurer's seal at the beginning is probably an error in the reading. dBelonging to the lacking Khnum figure, for undoubtedly there is a figure of Khnum at the left of this column, not noticed by the copyists.

eSayce hash't.

Before the king is a column of text, as follows:

The coming of the kingb himself, standing behind the hill-country, while the chiefs ofd Mazoi (Md),e Irthet (Yrtt), and Wawat (Ww''t), did obeisancef and gave great praise.

Southern Inscriptionh

318. This is practically a duplicate of the preceding, but there is no date; one of the Nubian chiefs is still visible standing before the king, and the accompanying record is slightly fuller, thus:

The coming of the king himself, appearing behind the hill-country, [that he might see that which is in the hill-country, while the chiefs of, etc. (as above).i

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319. By Mernere Uni is at length appointed to exalted office, for this king made him governor of the South. As such he was entrusted by the king with the expedition to the granite quarries at the first cataract to secure the neces

aThis text contains apparently only the beginning of this column; for the rest we fortunately possess a duplicate in Petrie, Season in Egypt, XIII, 338. See § 318. b"King" is from Petrie, Season in Egypt. cRead chc.

dSo far Petrie, Season in Egypt, is parallel and must be corrected to st hkw nw; the copyists could read no farther, as the line is badly preserved.

eThe final t is of course misread from the determinative. Later: Verified by Borchardt's copy.

fsn-t> "smelled the earth;" Sayce has misread the t-sign as n.

gAdverb wr't.

hOn the rocks, "road valley near Philae," Petrie, Season in Egypt, XIII, 338 -Lepsius, Denkmäler, II, 116, b=de Morgan, Catalogue des monuments, I, 17, No. 78. Sethe, Urkunden, I, III (from the publications); de Morgan's text is simply a copy of Lepsius, Denkmäler, with all the mistakes; the best copy is Petrie, Season in Egypt.

iBut only the m of "mazoi" and part of the word "praise" can be read.

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