Papyrus Leiden I 344

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The Papyrus Leiden I 344 (also Ipuwer-Papyrus , The Admonitions of Ipuwer or Klagen des Ipuwer ) is an ancient Egyptian text on papyrus . The papyrus is exhibited in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden . Alan Gardiner brought out a first edition under the title "Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage". The storm stele from the reign of Ahmose I contains a similar description of the natural disaster, but in the current Egyptian chronology [2014] it is dated about 150 years later than the Ipuwer papyrus.

Title and structure

An Egyptian title of the work has not survived due to the fragmentary condition of the only text witness, from which passages of unknown length have been lost at the beginning and end. The text is structured as a dialogue between Ipuwer, who gives the name of the modern description of the text, and his counterpart, who is called the ruler of the world.

Dating

The papyrus was dated by John Van Seters to the time of the Hyksos invasion at the end of the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the Dark Age (approx. 1674 BC). Recent studies support a dating to the late Middle Kingdom (after Sesostris III , but before the rule of Hyksos).

content

A partly German translation:

I The virtuous complains: What has happened in the country? ... the desert tribes have become Egyptians everywhere ... What the ancestors predicted has come true ... The land is overflowing with allies ... The Nile overflows its banks, but nobody plows the field afterwards. Everyone says: ›We don't know what will happen to the country.‹ Women are sterile ... no more men are born because of the conditions in the country.

II The poor suddenly have riches ... the plague is in the whole country, blood everywhere, death is not lacking ... Many dead are buried in the river. The river is a grave, the place of embalming is a river. The nobles are in need, but the poor are full of joy. Every city says: let's suppress the mighty! … There is dirt all over the country and there is no one whose clothes are still white in these times. The land turns like a potter's wheel. The robber has riches ... Indeed, the river has turned to blood, but people drink from it ... Indeed, gates, pillars and walls are burned ... Cities are destroyed and Upper Egypt has become an empty wasteland ... Indeed, there are few people and everywhere people bury their brothers.

III Indeed, the desert has spread all over the country ... and the foreigners have come to Egypt ... There are no more Egyptians. Slaves wear necklaces made of gold and lapis lazuli, silver and turquoise, carnelian and amethyst ... We lack gold ... the raw materials have run out ... The palace has been plundered ... There is a lack of grain, charcoal, fruit and wood ... Why the treasury without income? … What can we do? Spoil everywhere! The laughter has ceased ... people moan and complain across the country.

IV Higher ranking and nobody can no longer be distinguished. Indeed, big and small say: "I wish to die." Little children say: I should not have been born. Indeed, princes will be smashed against walls ... What was seen yesterday is gone; the country groans under its weakness as if cutting flax ... Those who never saw the light of day went out unhindered ... All slaves are allowed to speak freely. And if her mistress speaks, it bothers her. Indeed, the trees have fallen and their branches have been stripped.

V cake is missing for most of the children, there is no food ... Big farmers are hungry ... Indeed, the hot-blooded one says: If I knew where God is, I would serve him. Runners fight to rob the robbers. All property is taken away. Indeed, the animals weep, the cattle complain of the state of the land. Verily, princes will be smashed against walls ... Verily, the horror kills, the frightened one puts a stop to what is done against your enemies. The few are content ... Indeed, the slaves ... throughout the land. Men camp in ambush until the nocturnal wanderer comes by. Then they loot his belongings. They beat him up with sticks and kill him. Indeed, what was seen yesterday is gone, the land groans under its weakness as if it were cutting flax.

VI Indeed, everywhere barley is spoiled, and people lack clothes, spices, and oil. Everyone says: there is nothing. The warehouse is empty and its guards are on the floor ... The servant has become the master of servants ... The writings of the scribes have been destroyed ... The children of the mighty have been thrown into the street.

VII Behold, things have happened that have not happened for a long time; the king was deposed by the mob ... See, Egypt fell by the pouring of water, and he who poured the water on the ground plunged the mighty into misery. See, the serpent has been taken out of its hole and the secrets of the kings of Upper and Lower Egypt have been revealed ... See, those who previously had robes are now clad in rags. But those who couldn't weave for themselves before now have fine linen. See, whoever couldn't build a boat for himself before, now owns a fleet ... See, whoever didn't know the lyre before, now owns a harp.

VIII See, whoever had no property before, now has riches and the mighty praise him. See, the poor of the country have become rich ... See, the slaves have become masters, who were once messengers, are now sending someone out themselves ... Those who could not slaughter for themselves before, now slaughter bulls ...

interpretation

The Ipuwer text describes Egypt as a natural disaster stricken, collapsed community. Former subordinates now hold high offices, while the former upper class has lost its influence. The text deals with the largest imaginable national disaster and its effects. These consist of an economic collapse, a famine as well as social and political upheavals.

It is understood either as a general complaint about the chaos in this period or, in older research, as historical poetry depicting the fall of the Old Kingdom centuries before, possibly a combination of both.

According to another interpretation, the text describes the consequences of the Ten Plagues , the Exodus from Egypt and the destruction of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea for Egypt at the end of the Middle Kingdom .

reception

The text was taken up by Bertolt Brecht in the Caucasian Chalk Circle . While in the original text the fact that poor people get rich and that the worldview is turned upside down is deplored (“See, the man without possessions is now the master of riches”), Brecht cheers the same fact: “ Hurray, the man without possessions is now the lord of riches ”.

literature

  • Roland Enmarch (Ed.): The Dialogue of Ipuwer and the Lord of All . The Griffith Institute, Oxford 2005, ISBN 0-900416-86-6 , (Also: Thesis (Ph.D), Oxford University).
  • Roland Enmarch: A World Upturned. Commentary on and Analysis of The Dialogue of Ipuwer and the Lord of All (= A British Academy postdoctoral fellowship monograph. ) Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 2008, ISBN 978-0-19-726433-1 (Partly also: Dissertation, Oxford University 2004).

See also

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ Lamentations of Ipuwer. In: bibelwissenschaft.de. Retrieved March 17, 2019 .
  2. ^ J. Van Seters: A date for the "Admonitions" in the second intermediate period. In: The Journal of Egyptian Archeology. 1964, No. 50, pp. 13-23.
  3. ↑ R. Enmarch: A world upturned. ... Oxford et al. 2008, p. 24.
  4. ↑ The Ipuwer papyrus: The ten Egyptian plagues in an extra-biblical source. Retrieved March 17, 2019 .