Instructions of Amenemhat


Instructions of Amenemhat is a short ancient Egyptian poem of the sebayt genre written during the early Middle Kingdom. The poem takes the form of an intensely dramatic monologue delivered by the ghost of the murdered 12th Dynasty pharaoh Amenemhat I to his son Senusret I. It describes the conspiracy that killed Amenemhat, and enjoins his son to trust no-one. The poem forms a kind of apologia of the deeds of the old king's reign. It ends with an exhortation to Senusret to ascend the throne and rule wisely in Amenemhat's stead.

Authorship

The Instructions may have been authored at Senusret's command to eulogize his father and legitimize his claim to the throne as it is historically attested that a civil war broke out after Amenemhat's assassination and that Senusret was forced to brutally suppress seditious forces aligned against him. Several centuries later, in the New Kingdom Papyrus [Chester Beatty IV], the authorship of the poem was attributed to "the foremost of scribes" Kheti.

Content

The Instructions open by identifying the author as "the Osiris King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Sehetepibre, the son of Re Amenemhat" and claim to be Amenemhat's advice to his son "the Horus, Lord of All, Kheperkare" on how to maintain his kingship and prosperity. The ghost of Amenemhat then warns his son not to trust anyone, friends or siblings, for even those he had helped in the past had refused support and explains that he was assassinated by his bodyguards while he was in bed. He briefly describes his provisions for Egypt; his military successes and his building accomplishments are given. The Instructions close with blessings for his son, Senusret, and advice on how he should rule as sole pharaoh.

Impact

This manuscript is one of the earliest references to "Asiatics". Later pharaohs copied parts of older writings to legitimize their deeds. The 25th Dynasty pharaoh Piye copied sections from the Instructions of Amenemhat almost verbatim. The poem was still being read in the fifth century BC, some 1500 years after it was written. It was even copied into Greek as the "Teaching of King Ammenemes I to His Son Sesostris I".

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