Through the Eras

Literaturerescues him, and Sinuhe is able to reach the town of Byblosin modern Lebanon, eventually settling in UpperRetenu in modern Syria. There he meets a local rulernamed Amunenshi, who gives him his daughter in marriageand land in a place called Yaa. Sinuhe prospers inYaa, has children, and successfully leads Amunenshi’sarmy against other tribes. Near the end of his life, however,he decides he wants to return to Egypt for burial.He sends a letter to the king, and the benevolent SenwosretI welcomes him back to Egypt with full honorsdespite his cowardly flight years before. Senwosret Iarranges for Sinuhe’s burial in Egypt, and the final versesdescribe Sinuhe’s tomb and his final contented days inEgypt waiting for death.TRANSFORMATION. John L. Foster, the AmericanEgyptologist, analyzed Sinuhe’s personal developmentfrom his loss of status when he fled from Egypt to hiseventual restoration to his rightful place in Egyptian society.Foster demonstrated that the real interest of thestory for modern readers is in Sinuhe’s personal development.It is one suggestion that perhaps helps modernreaders understand the story’s appeal to ancient readers.At the start of the story Sinuhe is a coward who desertshis king out of fear of losing his own life. His actionnearly costs him his life, but he is rescued by a bedouinchief, a man whom Sinuhe would never have recognizedas an equal earlier in his life. When Sinuhe meetsAmunenshi, he feigns ignorance of his reasons for leavingEgypt, claiming that it was the act of a god. The realturning point in Sinuhe’s life comes when an unnamed“hero” challenges him to single combat. Though Sinuheis smaller, he successfully overcomes the hero throughphysical courage. This scene witnesses Sinuhe’s transformationfrom the coward who abandoned Senwosret toan effective agent himself. Sinuhe recognizes the changehimself in the poem he recites after his victory over thehero. In the poem, Sinuhe remembers the story of his lifeand contrasts his cowardly escape from Egypt with hiscurrent situation as a conqueror. With his transformationfrom cowardly nobleman to victorious hero now complete,Sinuhe is ready to return to his homeland.THE GOODNESS OF THE KING. Senwosret’s responseto Sinuhe’s request to return to Egypt indicatesthat this story served a political purpose. The king readilyforgives Sinuhe for his disloyalty and welcomes himwith open arms, restoring him completely to his formerstatus. Most commentators have seen the king’s forgivenessof Sinuhe as the central purpose of the story. Aspropaganda, the story established Senwosret’s goodnessand loyalty to those who remained loyal to him. But Foster’sanalysis, which stresses Sinuhe’s development,SINUHE: A MAN WHO CHANGEDINTRODUCTION: The Story of Sinuhe begins with an actof cowardice when the protagonist flees the sceneupon learning of the death of King Amenemhet.Sinuhe’s situation changes when he summons thecourage to fight a local hero in his new home inthe East. The following extract is the poem he recitesafter his victory in which he recognizes thechanges that he has experienced.A fugitive flees from his neighborhood,But my fame will be in the Residence [i.e.,Senwosret’s palace].One who should guard creeps off in hunger,But I, I give bread to my neighbor;A man leaves his own land in nakedness,I am one bright in fine linen;A man runs (himself) for lack of his messenger,I am one rich in servants.Good is my home, and wide my domain,[But] what I remember is in the palace.SOURCE: John L. Foster, Thought Couplets in “The Tale ofSinuhe” (Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Peter Lang, 1993):50–51.demonstrates that this epic was also a close look at individualpsychology. The story depicts Sinuhe’s development,starting with his removal from his own societyto full restoration as a nobleman. Sinuhe moves fromdisgrace, to renewal, to forgiveness. In the course of thisdevelopment he also passes from ignorance of his ownmotives to self-awareness and acknowledgement of hisown responsibilities. Not only does he learn to take responsibilityfor his actions but he also ponders man’sproper relationship to the temporal powers of the world.SOURCESJohn L. Foster, Thought Couplets in the Tale of Sinuhe(Frankfurt am Main & New York: Peter Lang, 1993).Alan Gardiner, Notes on the Story of Sinuhe (Paris: LibrairieHonoré Champion, 1916).EMERGENCE OF NEWKINGDOM LITERATUREPUZZLE. Egyptian literature of the New Kingdom(1539–1075 B.C.E.) presents a puzzle for scholars.Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 131