The document summarizes the ancient Egyptian story known as The Tale of Sinuhe. It describes how Sinuhe was an assistant to King Amenhotep I who fled Egypt after the king's death and lived with a Bedouin tribe. He became a leader and married the tribe's daughter, but eventually longed to return to Egypt. After a chance encounter, King Senusert I invited Sinuhe back, forgave him, and allowed him to live out his days as an Egyptian elite. The story provides insights into ancient Egyptian culture and life at the time it was written over 4,000 years ago.

2. • The Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt (2000 BCE – 1700 BCE) saw the
start of more formal writing which included religious scripts,
administrative notes, and more in-depth fictional writing.
• One of the most iconic pieces of writing to come out of the Middle
Kingdom was The Tale of Sinuhe.
• Sinuhe was a courier and assistant to the King of Egypt, Amenhotep I.
• He fled Egypt and joined a Bedouin tribe to the east and started a new life
near Syria.

3. • Once he reached old age he returned and finished out his life in Egypt.
• The importance of this story goes beyond the structure and writing
techniques of the text as it provides insight into the cultural differences
between Egypt and the Near East.
• Philologists are still analysing the text and acquiring new insight to the text
today.
• This 4,000 year old tale provides insight into the world and mind of
an Egyptian, and is just another example of Egyptian brilliance.

4. BERLIN 3022 & 10499 PAPYRI
• The best known copies of Sinuhe were from the 12th and 13th dynasty
(1900 – 1700 BCE), and these manuscripts are labelled Berlin 3022 and
10499.
• The Berlin 10499 (Also known as Ramesseum papyrus 10499) has The
Tale of Sinuhe and another story called The Tale of the Eloquent
Peasant on the reverse side of the papyrus.
• Berlin 3022 is the most well-preserved and the best account for
translation. The Berlin 3022 is missing the beginning of the tale with 311
total lines, and Berlin 10499 has the beginning, but only has 203 lines.

5. BERLIN 3022 & 10499 PAPYRI
• Egyptologists today discuss the strategy of the scribe who created these
papyri.
• They have created a modern replica of the papyrus role which is five
meters long and cut into fourteen sections.
• When we closely analyse the script we can observe the scribes attempt
to clean off the papyri from previous writing and debris.
• The total word count in most English translations is 4,500 words.

6. TRANSLITERATION FROM MIDDLE EGYPTIAN TO ENGLISH
• nn pDty smA m idHy There is no desert-nomad who befriends a
marshman ptr smn idyt m Dw Does a marsh-reed flourish on the
mountain-side
• in iw kA mr.f aHA Does a bull love to fight,
• pry mr.f wHm sA m Hr nt mxA.f sw Then should a herd-leader like to turn
back in fear of being matched?
• ir wnn ib.f r aHA imi Dd n.f xrt-ib.f If he wishes to fight, let him be told his
wish in
• iw nTr xm Sat.n.f rx nt pw mi-m” Does a god not know what he ordained?
Or a man who knows how it will be?”

7. TRANSLITERATION FROM MIDDLE EGYPTIAN TO ENGLISH
• sDr.n.i qAs.n.i pDt.i wd.n.i aHAw.i I went to rest, tied my bow,
sharpened my arrows,
• an.i sn n bAgsw.i sXkr.n.i xaw.i Whetted the blade of my dagger,
arrayed my weapons
• HD.n tA rtnw iyt Ddb.n.s wHyt.s At dawn Syria came, it roused its
people,

8. A SUMMARY OF THE TALE OF SINUHE
• The story of Sinuhe refers to a man who fled his duties in Egypt and
became a Bedouin in an Asiatic tribe.
• Sinuhe was an assistant to King Amenemhat I who was the first king
of the 12th Dynasty in Egypt (1991 – 1962 BCE).
• The tale begins with the death of Amenemhat and the news travels to
his son Senusert I who is fighting to the East.
• Word of his death reaches the son and Sinuhe. Sinhue panics and is
scared to return home as he is unaware of how the King died. He then
flees to the east to go into exile.

9. A SUMMARY OF THE TALE OF SINUHE
• For further reading on the death of Amenemhat I, read The Testament
of Amenemhat.
• The story provides implications to the death of Amenemhat, and
his ghost finds his son Senusert and helps aid his son through his
reign.
• The story provides insight into remarkable Egyptian poetry and the
views of the afterlife.
• Another quick note of interest is the names of leaders may differ
depending on the translation. Amenhotep I is also described as
Sehetepibra by some translations, and Senusret I may also be
described as Sesostris I or Kheperkara. The names vary due to
individual preference and what document is being used for translation.

10. A SUMMARY OF THE TALE OF SINUHE
• During the early years of Sinuhe's exile, he runs into a man who is a
leader of an Asiatic tribe called the Renetu.
• He is taken in and Sinuhe marries the leader's eldest daughter and
becomes a leader of his own tribe within the Renetu.
• After being chosen as a commander of the military, he completed the
tasks set before him by the leader.
• These included battles, taking livestock, and taking prisoners.
• Sinuhe had multiple children and raised them into adulthood. As he
aged he began to long to go back home to Egypt..

11. A SUMMARY OF THE TALE OF SINUHE
• One fateful night, Sinuhe was confronted by a warrior who was sent to
kill him.
• The now older Sinuhe accepted the challenge and duelled with the
man. After a hard fought battle, Sinuhe was victorious.
• He killed the warrior and began to think back on his life. He missed
Egypt more than ever and wanted to finish out his life back in his old
home.

12. A SUMMARY OF THE TALE OF SINUHE
• Fortunately, soon thereafter Sinuhe received a letter from the King of
Egypt, Senusert I.
• The letter requests him to return to Egypt and meet with the king.
Sinuhe was excited, yet weary as he fled after the death of
Amenemhet I.
• After Sinuhe agrees to meet with the king, he leaves his wife and
children behind. He makes his eldest son the new leader of the tribe.

13. A SUMMARY OF THE TALE OF SINUHE
• Sinuhe returns to Egypt and walks through the capital and meets with
the king.
• The king was pleased to see him and gave him a place to sleep and
to clean up.
• As a Bedouin, Sinuhe had tattered clothes, long hair, and a beard.
This look was not acceptable in Egypt as royalty and the upper elites
were clean shaven men.
• The king forgave Sinuhe for fleeing his post and gave him the
opportunity to become a part of the Egyptian elite. Sinuhe lives out his
life in Egypt and is buried in a tomb for the elite class.

14. A SUMMARY OF THE TALE OF SINUHE
• Today, scholars are still not sure whether or not Sinuhe is a real
individual.
• The tale was to represent the adventures of the courier Sinuhe copied
from the inscriptions from his tomb.
• The rulers and locations described were authentic and the cultural
differences described were also accurate.
• Regardless, the tale is one of the oldest forms of fictional storytelling.
The story was written nearly 4,000 years ago, and interpretations are
still created in the modern day.
• A 20th century CE Finnish writer Mika Waltari wrote a novel
called Sinuhe Egyptiläinen which has been translated by Naomi
Walford.

15. A SUMMARY OF THE TALE OF SINUHE
A relief from the tomb of Pharaoh Amenemhet I, El-Lisht, 12th Dynasty. (Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York)