The Duties Of The Vizier

Civil Administration in the Early New Kingdom

G. P. F. Van Den Boorn

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781136881855
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Anthropology
• Index: Social Sciences

Part of a collection on Studies in Egyptology, and originally published in 1988, this monograph looks at 'Rekhmara expedie les affiars du gouvernement' a text by Phillippe Virey which describes the organisation of the Egyptian State under the eighteenth Dynasty. It was later renamed as 'The Duties of the Vizier'.

Chapter 1

The Text: Translation and Commentary

1. Introduction

The text is divided into sections, i.e. self-contained units each subdivided into two or more sentences. Each section deals with its own subject-matter (for further remarks, see chapter 2.5.1). Our translation and commentary will follow the text’s division into sections. Each section-heading conforms to a single pattern. It has the following layout.

Section X R... – R...

Each section has been given its own no. and covers a (number of) column(s) of the Rekhmire-version of The Duties (cited as R + number of column).

P1. 00;00

Here the reader is referred to the plates at the end of the present volume. They reproduce the pertinent plates in the editio princeps of the R-version in Davies, Rekhmire, P1. XXVI–XXVIII; CXIX–CXXII.

P1. 1–3	:	Davies’ facsimile of the R-version
P1. 4–7	:	Davies’ collation of the R-version with the versions: of User (cited as W) in TT no. 131 of Amenemopet (cited as A) in TT no. 29 of Paser (cited as P) in TT no. 106.

I

The two main editions of The Duties are given here:

Davies	–	refers to Davies, Rekhmire.
Urk IV	–	refers to the text as given by Sethe. Although less reliable, we have included the edition for easy reference. The reader should always check Davies’ publication for definitive readings.

II

Sigla have been used to designate the main translations. We have excluded the publications of Virey, Revillout and Newberry because they are either completely outdated or do not constitute translations stricto sensu. As said before, the Russian translations of Lurje and Perepelkin were not available to us.

B – Breasted

F – Farina

D – Davies

S – Struwe

H – Helck

J – James

L – Luft

For the pertinent publications, see paragraph 3 of the previous chapter.

III

Various studies are presented here that incorporate translated sentences, passages or phrases from The Duties. We want to stress that we do not consider the list to be exhaustive.

Transliteration

Under this heading the R–version of The Duties has been transliterated. Throughout the study this version has been used as the main source because it is the most complete version. Whenever there occur lacunae in R, the other versions W, A and P have been consulted. They are indicated separately in the transliteration. Uncertainties in R are again checked by means of the parallel versions, if parallel text is available. In case of lacunae in R, the most complete and reliable parallel version has been used to supplement R. The versions W, A and P have not been transliterated except when needed.

Variants

This entry contains the main variants in orthography, phrasing, lexicography etc. of the versions W, A and P as compared with R. Minor differences have not been included.

Translation

As a rule the translation supplied is from the R–version. Additions from other versions are not indicated separately because they have been pointed out in the transliteration.

Notes on Structure and Text Division

Here general observations are made on the structure and division of the section under discussion, as well as on its relationship with comparable aspects of other sections, when needed.

2. The Sections

Section 1 R1 – R3

	P1. 1; 4
I	Davies, P1. XXVI, 1–3; CXIX, 1–3
	Urk IV, 1103,14 – 1104,16
II	B, 273	H, 30–1
	F, 925–30	J, 62 (1st part of R1)
	D, 31 (part of R1), 89	L, 435–6
	S, 110
III	Allam, in: St. Westendorf, 449	R1–R3
	Wilson, in: ANET, 213–4	R1–R3
	Hassan, Stöcke und Stabe, 185	R1–R2
	Valloggia, Messagers, 94	R2–R3
	Helck, SAK 3 (1975), 100–1	part of R2

Transliteration

R1	tp-rd n ḥmst ^a) n ỉmy–r nỉwt ṯ3ty n n ỉwt rst n ẖnw mḫ3 nṯ3ty; ỉr ỉrt nbt p3 sr ṯ3ty ḥr sḏm mḫ3 n ṯ3ty, ḥms.f ḥr pḥḏw, ḳn ḥr s3tw, šnp ḥr.f, šdf ẖr psd.f, šd ẖr rdwy.f,[ ]ḥr.f,
R2	’b3 r-’.f, ^b)šsmw 40 sš(w) m-b3ḥ.f, ^b) wrw-mḏ-šm’w ^c) m-ỉtrty ^d) m-b3ḥ.f, ^b) ỉmy-r ‘ẖnwty ḥr wnm.f, ^b) ỉry-ḫt-’ḳ ḥr ỉ3b.f, sšw n ṯ3ty r-’.f; w’ ggw n w’ m s nb r-’ḳ3.f, sḏm(w) w’ ḥr-s3 snnw.f nn rdỉt sḏm(w) ẖr(y)-pḥ ^e) r-ḥ3t
R3	ḥry; ỉr ḏd ḥry ^f): nn sḏm nb r-’i., ḫr.t(w) nḏr.t(w).f ỉn wpwtyw n ṯ3ty.

Variants

a) Whereas in Al ḥmst has the usual determinative of the man-sitting-on-heel (Signlist A3) ¹, in R1 the verb is represented by Davies (P1. 4) as having an interesting determinative of an official-sitting-on-a-throne-with-legs. The facsimile (P1. 1) is undecisive.

b) In the enumeration of col. 2, A2 four times interjects the non-enclitic particle ḫr indicating a continuation of the list (GEG, § 239).

c) The orthography of the title wr-mḏ-šm’w in R2 and A2 shows a considerable difference, cf. Verwaltung, 41; 53.

d) The phrase m-ỉtrty in R2 is absent in A2.

e) A3 leaves out pḥ.

f) In A3 ḥry is preceeded by p3. For its use and meaning in the text, see below p. 23.

Translation

R1

Instruction ^1 for the session ^2 of the governor of the city ^3, the vizier of the Southern City and of the Residence ^4 in the bureau of the vizier ^5. As for every act ^6 of the (aforementioned) ^7 official, ^8 the vizier, when hearing ^9 (cases) in the bureau of the vizier, has to sit ^10 on the phdw-chair ^11, the reed-covered dais ^12 on the ground, the vestment ^13 on him. a leather cushion under his back, a leather cushion under his feet ^14 the[^15] on him,

R2

the ‘b3-scepter ^16 beside ^17 him, the ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Abbreviations
• List of Figures
• Introduction
• Editions, Studies and Translations
• Chapter 1. The Text: Translation and Commentary
• Chapter 2. The Text as a Composition: Notes on Language, Structure and Patterning
• Chapter 3. The Text as a Source: The Activities of a Vizier
• Chapter 4. The Text in Perspective: Date and Historical Background
• Conclusion
• Appendix: The Final Columns of the Installation Text of User and Rekhmire
• Indexes
• Plates: 1–7