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JONATHON KARAGIANNIS

Ancient History – Why was the source (The Prophesy of Neferti) created in this particular form at
this specific time in the Middle Kingdom? 1000 – 1500 words

The Prophesy of Neferti is a text in the form of didactic literature, according to historians, written
after the reign of Amenemet I, possibly by his son Senwosret I. The text speaks of a time of chaos
and discord after the reign of Snefru. This text, from the Middle Kingdom, reflects on a period of
time after the Old Kingdom, that was known as the First Intermediate period. The Prophesy could
have been written for the Egyptian public to warn them of the chaos which took place and to keep
Ma’at in balance. It also speaks of foreign invaders, which was a real threat. By creating these
Prophesies, Amenemet I aimed to have powerful grip on the emotion of the nation and in doing
this, he would have gained their full respect and appeal, making him a ruler with ambitious agendas.

The Prophesy of Neferti is a warning to society reflecting a period of chaos and discord that came
after the Old Kingdom. Many are lead to believe that this is a reference to the 1 st Intermediate
Period in order to remind the people in the Middle Kingdom of its horrors, in order to not let this,
occur again. The Renaissance of Egypt rose up from the ashes of a century of precarious famine,
death and civil war. The independence of the nomarchs at the end of the Old Kingdom, dominated
with great authority, rose up against the pharaonic powers and his people. These nomarchs ruled
individually in 42 nomes, both in Upper and Lower Egypt. The nomarchs waged war against one
another, plunging Egypt into discord, during the First Intermediate Period. Such events are
recounted and embellished by the many contemporaneous texts, written in the Middle Kingdom.
Most like the Prophesy of Neferti, Admonitions of Iquwer, and the Instructions of Amenemet I
was all motivated by these terrible phenomena. They give a different perspective of what might’ve
occurred during the First Dark Age. The Prophesy speaks of a land “utterly ruined”, “the sun…
veiled” and “men… living in the necropolis”. There are “strange birds feeding in the Delta,” “Men
wreak[ing] destruction on what has been made,” and “Re-separating himself from men”. Some of
the most interesting descriptions point to the fact that nomarchs were living on individualism,
because there was no central power to keep them in check. “The land is diminished, though it’s
controllers are many,” the text calls these nomarchs “great men in governance of the land.” The
esoteric belief the Egyptians believed in, is that Ma’at will finally able to be made out of Isfet
(chaos), bringing balance. This was possible due to the fact that Thebes during the time, was a
southern power house of the overlords in Upper Egypt, making rivalries with the Hierakonpolis
rulers. This was because Thebes was located at the Nile bend, where deserts roads, like Wadi-
Hammamat, can easily get into the fertile Nile valley. Because of this feature, Thebes was able to
dominate surrounding nomes by its rising economy, making it capable for control under one ruler.
It was here, where a line of kings rose to power and reunited Egypt. This was under the Theban
prince Mentuhotep II. The first things he did when he became king, was disable the threats of the
nomarchs by conquering Lower Egypt. He was careful and diplomatic when doing this, so he
tactfully kept close watch on them, and gave them titles - hotep - named after himself. His whole
goal was to tighten the central Theban power. The Prophesy is a written text that is meant to edify
the Egyptian audience.

Amenemet I strived to rule like the successful Old Kingdom rulers in order to efficiently extinguish
the nomarch’s dominance. The Prophesy speaks of Amenemet being the unifier of this Dark Age,
JONATHON KARAGIANNIS

but this statement proves this text was propaganda to justify his divinity as king. Before the 12th
dynasty, the Middle Kingdom of Egypt was peaceful and a time were Old Kingdom views were
built apon. Didactic literature and exotic art were at its zenith. But what was most significant was
the change in the image of the king. They were anxious, fallible rulers, using the crook and giving
a watchful eye on the whole nation, which was a burden on their shoulders. Amenemet I didn’t
seem to appreciate this style of rulership. It is possible that he rose to power because he through
this style of rulership was too weak to permanently disable the nomarch’s independence. Because
what was occurring in the 11th Dynasty, the nomarchs had equal power with the king and still had
a great grip over the 42 nomes. This is evident from a relief of the transportation of a colossal
statue of nomarch Thehuthotep, proving that Mentuhopeh II only wanted balance between him
and them. Amenemet, highly aware of what occurred in the past, ruled by the flail in order to
prevent the danger of nomarchs rising up again. His whole rulership was essentially driven by fear.
This is seen of the granite statue of Amenemet’s great-great grandson, Senwosret III, whose
naturistic facial design defines what the Mentuhotep’s original idea of rulership was: one of caution
and of stress. Amenemet, in his ‘Instructions’ to his son, says that signs of disorder were still an
occurrence during the 11th Dynasty, even after the Dark Age. He says that he was assassinated by
his own palace guards. There is a lot of fear in this text as it explains to “trust no brother, know
no friend.” Amenemet saw himself as a “snake in a desert,” on hot and dangerous ground. In
order to keep this chaos at bay the people needed to have hope and faith in Amenemet’s semi-
divine rule, in order to prove himself. He tried to recycle the Old Kingdom practices of the ruler
being the masculine and super human, rather than fallible and anxious. Proof that he ruled like an
Old Kingdom pharaoh is his pyramid at el-Lisht, near the Faiyum. It was a deliberate effort to
associate his dynasty with the glories of the pyramid age. This would ultimately make Amenemet
appear grandiose, as he brought back the old ways of the pyramid builders, reminding his people
of Egypt’s extraordinary past. Unlike the Mentuhoteps before him, Amenemet built a pyramid
complex, in contrast to tomb making in the Middle Kingdom, which were built in cliffs. By
standing out, he reinvented the god king status of the pharaoh during his reign. After all the graphic
descriptions of the state of the land of Egypt, the Prophesy then mentions that a ruler from the
south called Ameny, taking up “the white crown” and “the red crown… join[ing] them together”.
Since these Prophesies are set during the Old Kingdom and the Dark Age, by Amenmet referring
himself as a unifier, he is excluding the Mentuhotep’s influence. He is doing this because he didn’t
see Mentuhotep as legitimate, since there was still chaos waging in Egypt during and after their
reigns. Drawing from this evidence, it can be said that both the Prophesy and the Instructions are
ultimately considered to be propaganda. Amenemet I needed to validate his position as king which
is arguably obtained by foul means. Originally the vizer of Mentuhotep IV, he disabled their power
and erased him and his dynasty from history, in his propagandist pieces, ultimately to justify his
legitimacy. The Prophesy is also considered propaganda because this texts states that Amenemet
is related to the royal family. We know from historical kinglists that is not so. It could also support
why Amenemet was so motivated and powerful, because since he wasn’t of royal blood, he had to
go out of his way to prove himself greater than any pharaoh before.

Foreign invaders and multi-culturalism, is evidence the Prophesy was written at this specific time
for it mentions that, there was a great influx in foreigners in Egypt. These people only were
permitted in Egypt by the Mentuhotep’s strict border patrol in Nubia. During the reigns of the
11th and 12th Dynasty kings, many trading expeditions were opened to Punt for myrrh, mainly by
the steward Henenu. Trade also flourished in Syria and the Aegean, as evidence from the tomb of
JONATHON KARAGIANNIS

Khunmhotep, depicts Asiatic people from Western Asia and the Mediterranean, giving offerings.
At this specific time, mining and quarrying projects were also exploited for valuable materials like
gold, stone from Nubia especially, for the king’s building projects. The land of Nubia was highly
significant during this period in time. It was held under control by a string of large fortresses, from
the First and Second Cataract, up to the time of Amenemet. These protected the trade of gold and
to keep to the Medjay, tribes of Kush in check. Unlike the Mentuhoteps, Amenemet erected a
defensive wall called the Walls of the Ruler in the Delta. This effort to keep people safe is expressed
in the Prophesy as “Asiatics raid and terrorise those at harvest. [those that can’t fight]” Also known
as the Hyksos, these people, who will later take control of Lower Egypt, was a large part of the
cultural diversity in Egypt. The Egyptians were fearful, because for years, they have lived in
isolation, protected in safety of the Nile Valley and have already been through a period of chaos.
This fear is expressed in the Prophesy as enemies and that “men will hold back and look out by
night, the fortress will be entered, and sleep will banish.” This movement of people in the Middle
Kingdom is evidence that these Prophesies was written at this particular time and showed the
gradual fear and caution held by these rulers, elaborated in their literature.
The Prophesy of Neferti was written in this particular form, at this specific time, because of the
acknowledgement of a chaotic period, that was settled by a ruler that unified the land, and also
speaks of the foreigners entering Egypt and the people’s concern of them.

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