Instruction of Amenemhet

Author: Traditional

Time Period: 5000 BCE–2500 BCE

Country or Culture: Egypt

Genre: Myth

PLOT SUMMARY

The poetic instructions of Amenemhet begin with a brief introduction of the author, King Amenemhet (Ammenemes) I, and intended recipient, his son Senusret (Sesotris or Senwosret). Amenemhet first wishes Senusret fortune in his reign and then advises him not to trust others. Amenemhet describes the various ways in which he showed kindness to others and how others betrayed him each time; he instructs his son not to become close to anyone and risk the same thing happening to him. Amenemhet gives his ultimate reason for this way of thinking: he himself was the victim of an assassination attempt.

Amenemhet describes the night of the assassination attempt. He had let his guard down and was dozing when he heard the sound of people fighting. At first he tried to stay out of sight, but when he finally joined the fray, he realized he was fighting with his own guards. Here, Amenemhet is apologetic, saying that had he risen to fight sooner, he might have been able to defeat his enemies; however, he lacked the courage to do so because he was alone and the hour was late.

Depending on the interpretation of his next words, Amenemhet either dies or is gravely wounded in this fight. His injury causes him to lament the fact that he has not made his joint rule with Senusret public and that his advisers are unaware that he wants to do so. He expresses shock that such an unexpected and violent thing has happened and denounces his disloyal servants for their betrayal.

In the final portion of the myth, Amenemhet defends his person and his reign by describing the various deeds he accomplished during his lifetime. These deeds included extensive traveling, fighting creatures such as lions and crocodiles, conquering various enemies, and making his realm prosperous through good relations with the local gods. He also accumulated enough wealth to decorate his lavish dwelling with gold, lapis lazuli, silver, and bronze. None of these accomplishments and riches, however, is as important to him as his son, and so he expresses his wish that Senusret will prosper. Amenemhet implies that Senusret’s reign is what the gods wish and that he has prepared everything in order to ensure a smooth transition. Finally, he bids Senusret to continue to worship the gods, prepare well for his own death, remain an upstanding person, and continue the prosperous reign that Amenemhet began.

SIGNIFICANCE

Many copies of the instructions in this Egyptian myth have survived, indicating that this was likely considered a classic in ancient Egypt. Two major competing theories seek to explain the circumstances of its composition, stating that it was composed by Senusret I as propaganda or that it was written by Amenemhet himself an assertion of his joint rule with Senusret. What both schools agree upon is that these instructions are highly poetic and offer a very bitter perspective; in them, Amenemhet advises his son to trust no one.

The theory that these instructions were written by Senusret assumes that Amenemhet was killed in the assassination attempt described in the story and that either Senusret or an individual named Khety, who is credited with recording the myth, intentionally set the story from Amenemhet’s perspective to evoke sympathy in the reader. Amenemhet supposedly returns as a ghost to apprise Senusret of what happened and to advise him not to make the same mistakes. This interpretation also relies heavily on the brief sections in the beginning and end of the story that address Senusret directly and wish him success in his reign.

The competing theory argues that Amenemhet was not killed in the assassination attempt recorded in the story. There is no direct evidence in the story to suggest that he was killed, and the dates of his death do not line up with the timing of this tale. Rather than propaganda, this theory suggests that because this father-son pair formed Egypt’s first coregency, this tale was actually written by Amenemhet to help legitimize the institution. When Amenemhet was targeted in the assassination attempt, he had not yet made any public proclamation of his intent that they should rule together. The event likely made him aware of the challenges they faced, and he may have written it to serve as a public declaration of their joint rule. Another interpretation is that Amenemhet wrote it in order to explain to his son the circumstances of the rebellion and to emphasize his lack of involvement in the event, casting himself as the victim. This helps explain the fact that the myth is very sympathetic to Amenemhet’s character when it would seem to make more logical sense for it to be sympathetic to Senusret.

Finally, the content of this myth draws on ancient Egyptian mythology to assert the right of Amenemhet and Senusret to rule. The events described in the myth have been compared to the myths of the gods Osiris, Horus, and Set (Seth). In this interpretation, Amenemhet stands in for Osiris and Senusret for Horus, the father and son gods who ruled ancient Egypt. Those who rebelled against Amenemhet represent the traitorous and aggressive Set, god of chaos and violence. Over the course of the tale, the ancient Egyptian value of maat (meaning “truth” or “justice”) is challenged; when father and son overcome the assassination attempt, they restore maat and thus prove their right to rule.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anthes, Rudolf. “The Legal Aspect of the Instruction of Amenemhet.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 16.3 (1957): 176–91. Print.

Foster, John L. Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology. Austin: U of Texas P, 2001. Print.

Goedicke, Hans. “The Beginning of the Instruction of King Amenemhet.” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 7 (1968): 15–21. Print.

Simpson, William Kelly, ed. The Literature of Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Stories, Instructions, and Poetry. New Haven: Yale UP, 1972. Print.

Theriault, Carolyn A. “The Instruction of Amenemhet as Propaganda.” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 30 (1993): 151–60. Print.