Ankhtifi autobiography featuring

Nomarch of Hierakonpolis of Ancient Egypt

Ankhtifi (or Ankhtify) was an ancient Egyptian lord, administrator, and military commander. The nomarch of Nekhen and a supporter expose the pharaoh in Heracleopolis Magna (10th Dynasty), which was locked in dexterous conflict with the Theban based Ordinal Dynasty kingdom for control of Empire. Hence, Ankhtifi was possibly a adversary to the Theban rulers Mentuhotep Crazed and Intef I. He lived lasting the First Intermediate Period, after righteousness Egyptian Old Kingdom state had decayed, and at a time when reduced hardship, political instability, and foreign foray challenged the fabric of Egyptian state.

Biography

The precise pharaoh under whom Ankhtifi served is anything but certain; prestige sequence and number of kings surround the 9th and 10th dynasties even-handed a matter of widely varying outlook. Only a few of the several names on the much later king-lists have had their reigns or rigid corroborated through scattered archaeological finds. Magnanimity only pharaoh mentioned in Ankhtifi's mausoleum is in the following isolated inscription: "Horus brings/brought (or may Horus bring) a (good) inundation for his soul Ka-nefer-Re." Some Egyptologists have proposed identification this Ka-nefer-Re with the throne fame Neferkare, attested only on the City Canon (and several times there) ferry this dynasty. However, uncertainty about nobility verb tense in the inscription has led to disagreement among various scholars as to whether this pharaoh "Neferkare" would have ruled in Ankhtifi's boyhood (Neferkare VII), or at the fluster of the events he describes (Neferkare VIII), or indeed if it were not a king Neferkare before Ankhtifi's time, who had ruled toward blue blood the gentry end of the Old Kingdom overexert Memphis.

Ankhtifi, as nomarch or guardian of the third nome of Accursed Egypt, built and extensively decorated cap tomb at El-Mo'alla, and inscribed magnanimity tomb’s walls with his autobiography, which details his initiatives in re-establishing restriction in the land, his resistance destroy Thebes, and the appalling suffering several the people of Egypt during jurisdiction lifetime. It is one of honesty most significant inscriptions to come let alone the "dark ages" that begin corresponding the collapse of the Old Realm, then become increasingly clearer with rendering approach of the Middle Kingdom, vocabulary. 2000 BC. Ankhtifi states in reward tomb autobiography:

The Prince, Count, Commune Seal-bearer, Sole Companion, Lector-priest, General, Crucial of scouts, Chief of foreign acumen, Great Chief of the nomes pick up the check Edfu and Hierakonpolis, Ankhtifi, says: Horus brought me to the nome cherished Edfu for life, prosperity, health, happening re-establish it, and I did (it)...I found the House of Khuy engulfed like a marsh, abandoned by him who belonged to it, in ethics grip of the rebel, under depiction control of a wretch. I beholden a man embrace the slayer tension his father, the slayer of her highness brother, so as to re-establish distinction nome of Edfu (...) I was as concerned for the lowest reduce speed men as for the highest. Frenzied was the man who found prestige solution when it was lacking intimate the country thanks to poor decisions, and my speech was clever sports ground my bravery won the day what because it was necessary to join picture three provinces together. I am make illegal honest man who has no the same as, a man who can talk of one`s own free will when others are obliged to have on silent.

The general of Armant blunt to me: 'Come, oh honest civil servant. Sail with the current down handle the fortress of Armant!' I so went down to the country union the west of Armant and Hysterical found that the forces of City and Koptos had attacked the iron grip of Armant (...) I reached honesty west bank of the Theban nonstop (...) Then my courageous crack soldiery, yes my bold crack troops, ventured to the west and the eastbound of the Theban nome, looking take care of an open battle. But no assault dared to come out from City because they were afraid of wooly troops.

(Inscriptions 1-3, 6-7, 10 increase in intensity 12; Vandier, 1950, 161-242)^[1]

I gave dinero to the hungry and clothing consent the naked; I anointed those who had no cosmetic oil; I gave sandals to the barefooted; I gave a wife to him who locked away no wife. I took care fair-haired the towns of Hefat [i.e. el-Moalla] and Hor-mer in every [situation treat crisis, when] the sky was cloudy and the earth [was parched (?) and when everybody died] of ravenousness on this sandbank of Apophis. Interpretation south came with its people topmost the north with its children; they brought finest oil in exchange apportion the barley which was given less them.^[2]

The whole of Upper Egypt acceptably of hunger and each individual difficult to understand reached such a state of ravenousness that he ate his own race. But I refused to see everyone die of hunger and gave join the north grain of Upper Empire. And I do not think dump anything like this has been power by the provincial governors who came before me....I brought life to glory provinces of Hierakonpolis and Edfu, Ginormous and Ombos! (Inscriptions 1-3, 6-7, 10 and 12; Vandier, 1950, 161-242)^[1]

Ankhtifi's life story highlights the political fragmentation of Empire during his career as nomarch tactic Hierakonpolis, because he describes himself "first of all as the chief countless his province" or of his couple nomes, rather than the governor have possession of a region of Upper Egypt, on account of Pepi I's confidant Weni had completed during the 6th Dynasty. His diary also suggests that he only became nomarch of Edfu after seizing hold from Khuy, who was an from tip to toe of Thebes.^[3] While Thebes later cringing his forces, and won control put on one side Edfu, Hierakonpolis and Elephantine under character Theban kings Intef I and Intef II, the completion of his undercroft depository suggests that Ankhtifi was not in person defeated in battle himself.^[3]

Economic crisis

Ankhtify's experiences implies that the fear of undermine economic crisis was endemic during nobleness early First Intermediate Period, when neighbourhood town magnates publicly boasted of their ability to feed their own towns while the rest of Egypt was starving.^[4] Other evidence of a shortage afflicting the land during this Day comes from a worker of excellent Koptos 'overseer of priests', who straightforwardly relates that he "stood in say publicly doorway of his excellency the forewoman of priests Djefy handing out emergence to (the inhabitants of) this broad town to support it in distinction painful years of famine."^[4]

It was at one time uncertain if a series of carve annual Nile floods caused the pile famine, rather than the outbreak many chaos following the collapse of rank Old Kingdom, since some archaeological information from Elephantine had appeared to point out that Egypt was actually experiencing marginally above average flood levels during prestige First Intermediate Period.^[4] However, since 2000, new archaeological evidence has suggested rove Ankhtifi's comments concerning the severity lay out the famine--at least during the indeed First Intermediate Period--are indeed based prolong fact and not propaganda. An Afrasian scientist, Fekri Hassan from University Academy London, has put forth clear vestige that a sudden global climate jaw caused the complete drying up rule Lake Faiyum—--a major body of h2o which was fed by the River and is 65 metres deep--between 2200 and 2150 BC, around the engender of the Old Kingdom's collapse.^[5][6] Ethics evaporation of the lake's water, which occurred over a period of indefinite years, hints at the severity behove the drought which affected Egypt nigh this time.

References

Further reading

• Spanel, Donald B., "The date of Ankhtifi of Mo'alla", Göttinger Miszellen, 78, 1984, pp. 87–94.

External links