Judicial Papyrus of Turin

Last updated
Judicial Papyrus of Turin
Papyrus judicial Turin.jpg
Judicial Papyrus displayed in the Museo Egizio, Turin
Material Papyrus
Writing Hieratic Egyptian
Created20th Dynasty c.1190-1077 BCE [1]
Discoveredbefore 1824 [1]
Egypt
Present location Turin, Italy

The Judicial Papyrus of Turin (also Turin legal papyrus) is a 12th-century BCE ancient Egyptian record of the trials held against conspirators plotting to assassinate Ramesses III in what is referred to as the "Harem conspiracy". The papyrus contains mostly summaries of the accusations, convictions and punishments meted out. [2]

Contents

The Judicial Papyrus is the largest and most complete of a series of documents that refer to the conspiracy. The others, Papyrus Rollin, Papyrus Varzy, Papyrus Lee, Papyrus Rifaud I and II, may once have been part of the same document as the portion in Turin. The text seems to have been separated by a thief who carefully cut the document, making sure to not do much damage to the text itself. [3] The Rollin and Lee papyri provide further details of the case, highlighting the condensed nature of the Judicial Papyrus. [4] The document contains the entire list of those who participated in the conspiracy, as well as their verdict and punishment they received. [5]

Historical background

The reign of Ramesses III was characterized by external conflict and internal decline, which seem to have weakened the position of the pharaoh, surrounded by servants and officials of foreign descent. Symptomatic for the state of the country was the apparent incapability of the bureaucracy to supply the workers at Deir el-Medina which brought about the first recorded strike in history in the 29th year of Ramesses' reign. [6] In this atmosphere of uncertainty, Queen Tiye [Note 1] wanted to substitute her own son Pentawer for Ramesses' designated heir, the future Ramesses IV, a son of another wife, Tyti [9] and she had no problems finding influential people who would assist her.

The conspiracy

Tiye enlisted the help of Pebekkamen, a pantry chief, Mastesuria, a butler, Panhayboni, a cattle overseer, Panouk, overseer of the harem, and Pendua, a clerk of the harem. This group were responsible for attempting to raise a rebellion against the king, with Pebekkamen disseminating the call to action:

...he had begun to bring out their word to their mothers and their brothers who were there, saying: 'Stir up the people! Incite enmity in order to make rebellion against their lord!' [10]

During the Beautiful Festival of the Valley the plotters assassinated Ramesses III, but failed to place Pentawer on the throne. The conspirators were arrested and put on trial.

The trial

The papyrus is not a detailed record of court proceedings, but rather a list of the defendants, who were often referred to by a pseudonym such as Mesedsure, meaning "Re hates him", [11] the crimes they were accused of and their sentences.

It was once thought that Ramesses III survived the initial attack, only to die some time later. This is due in part to the Judicial Papyrus of Turin, which preserves a record of the trials of the conspirators, being carried out under his name. The document opens with:

[King Usermare'-Meriamun, l.p.h., Son of Re': Ramesses] Ruler of Heliopolis [l.p.h. said]... I commissioned the overseer of the treasury Montemtowe; the overseer of the treasury Pefrowe; the standard-bearer Kara; the butler Paibese, the butler Kedendenna; the butler Ba'almahar; the butler Peirswene; the butler Dhutrekhnefer; the king's adjutant Penernute; the clerk Mai; the clerk of the archives Pre'em-hab; the standard-bearer of the infantry Hori; saying 'As for the matters which the people-I do not know who-have plotted, go and examine them'. [12]

After giving the instructions to the judges, he then reports the following outcomes:

And they went and examined them, and they caused to die by their own hands those whom they caused (so) to die, though [I] do not know [wh]o, [and they] also punished [the] others, though I do not know who. But [I] had charged [them strictly], saying: 'Take heed, have a care lest you allow that [somebody] be punished (9) wrongfully [by an official] who is not over him'. [12]

It is now known that Ramesses III did not survive the attempt on his life, and that the trial was carried out by his successor Ramesses IV in the name of his murdered father. [13]

The court consisted of twelve judges: Montemtowe and Pefrowe, overseers of the treasury; Kara and Hori, standard-bearers; Paibese, Kedendenna, Ba'almahar, Peirswene, and Dhutrekhnefer, butlers; Penernute, the king's adjudant; and Mai and Pre'em-hab, clerks. Over the course of three trials, those who actively participated in the conspiracy and those who aided them were tried before the court, found guilty and punished accordingly. Pebekkamen, Mastesuria, Panayboni, Panouk, and Pedua were all

placed before the officials of the Court of Examination; they found him guilty; they caused his punishment to overtake him. [13]

In total, 28 people were executed while 10, including Pentawer, were allowed to take their own lives. The text refers to it laconically as:

They (i.e. the judges) left him in his where he was, he took his own life. [13]

The fourth and fifth trials concern the punishment of members of the court. A further four people, including two of the judges, Paibese and Mai, had their noses and ears cut off, and another was verbally reprimanded, for cavorting with the accused women. Hori was also involved but his punishment is not recorded. [13]

Aftermath

It had been thought that Ramesses III lived long enough to oversee the trial of his attempted assassins as the document opens with him addressing the judges directly. However, he is referred to in the Papyrus Lee as "the Great God", a term used only for deceased kings at this time. [14] His well-preserved and still wrapped mummy does not display any outward signs of a violent death so the cause of death was long assumed to be a natural one. [15] Recent CT scanning revealed that beneath the bandages on his neck was a large gash that cut all the way to the bone. This injury proved fatal. [16] [17]

The mummy of 'Unknown Man E' has been confirmed as a son of Ramesses III. This mummy was not mummified in a typical fashion, and was interred in a ritually impure goatskin inside an uninscribed coffin. This treatment certainly makes the body a likely candidate for that of Pentawer. [16]

See also

Notes

  1. Tiye is generally thought to have been one of Ramesses's minor wives, [7] but Breasted thought that it was not impossible for her to have been the mother or stepmother of Ramesses III [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses III</span> Egyptian pharaoh 1186–1155 BCE, New Kingdom, 20th Dynasty

Usermaatre Meryamun Ramesses III was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt. Some scholars date his reign from 26 March 1186 to 15 April 1155 BC, and he is considered to be the last great king of the New Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiye</span> Queen consort of Egypt

Tiye was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III, mother of pharaoh Akhenaten and grandmother of pharaoh Tutankhamun; her parents were Yuya and Thuya. In 2010, DNA analysis confirmed her as the mummy known as "The Elder Lady" found in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) in 1898.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turin King List</span> Ancient Egyptian manuscript

The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is an ancient Egyptian hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio in Turin. The papyrus is the most extensive list available of kings compiled by the ancient Egyptians, and is the basis for most chronology before the reign of Ramesses II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses IV</span> Third pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt

Usermaatre Heqamaatre Setepenamun Ramesses IV was the third pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. He was the second son of Ramesses III and became crown prince when his elder brother Amenherkhepshef died aged 15 in 1164 BC, when Ramesses was only 12 years old. His promotion to crown prince:

is suggested by his appearance in a scene of the festival of Min at the Ramesses III temple at Karnak, which may have been completed by Year 22 [of his father's reign].

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Setnakhte</span> First pharaoh of the 20th dynasty

Userkhaure-setepenre Setnakhte was the first pharaoh (1189 BC–1186 BC) of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt and the father of Ramesses III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses X</span> Ninth ruler of the 20th dynasty of Ancient Egypt

Khepermaatre Ramesses X was the ninth pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. His birth name was Amonhirkhepeshef. His prenomen or throne name, Khepermaatre, means "The Justice of Re Abides."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses XI</span> Egyptian pharaoh of the 20th dynasty

Menmaatre Ramesses XI reigned from 1107 BC to 1078 BC or 1077 BC and was the tenth and final pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt and as such, was the last king of the New Kingdom period. He ruled Egypt for at least 29 years although some Egyptologists think he could have ruled for as long as 30. The latter figure would be up to 2 years beyond this king's highest known date of Year 10 of the Whm Mswt era or Year 28 of his reign. One scholar, Ad Thijs, has suggested that Ramesses XI could even have reigned as long as 33 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses VII</span> Ancient Egyptian sixth pharaoh of the 20th dynasty

Usermaatre Setepenre Meryamun Ramesses VII was the sixth pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. He reigned from about 1136 to 1129 BC and was the son of Ramesses VI. Other dates for his reign are 1138–1131 BC. The Turin Accounting Papyrus 1907+1908 is dated to Year 7 III Shemu day 26 of his reign and has been reconstructed to show that 11 full years passed from Year 5 of Ramesses VI to Year 7 of his reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Cache</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The Royal Cache, technically known as TT320, is an Ancient Egyptian tomb located next to Deir el-Bahari, in the Theban Necropolis, opposite the modern city of Luxor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iset Ta-Hemdjert</span> Queen consort of Egypt

Iset Ta-Hemdjert or Isis Ta-Hemdjert, simply called Isis in her tomb, was an ancient Egyptian queen of the Twentieth Dynasty; the Great Royal Wife of Ramesses III and the Royal Mother of Ramesses VI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiye (20th dynasty)</span> Queen consort of Egypt

Tiye was an Ancient Egyptian queen of the Twentieth Dynasty; a secondary wife of Ramesses III, against whom she instigated a conspiracy.

Pebekkamen was an ancient Egyptian official during the reign of pharaoh Ramesses III of the 20th Dynasty. Along with Ramesses' secondary wife Tiye and the official Mesedsure, he was a primary organizer of the Harem conspiracy in 1155 BC. The conspirators intended to assassinate Ramesses and place Pentawer, her and Ramesses' son, on the throne instead of his elder half-brother Ramesses IV.

The ancient Egyptian document PapyrusLeopold II, is part of the original court records dealing with the tomb robberies under Ramesses IX and dates to Year 16 of Ramesses IX. It contains the confessions of eight men who had broken into the tomb of Sobekemsaf II and a description of the reconstruction of the crime. It throws light on the practices followed at ancient Egyptian courts: eliciting confessions by beating with a double rod, smiting their feet and hands, reconstructing the crime on site, and imprisonment of suspects in the gatehouse of a temple. The document remains an important document for understanding the importance of burial and the afterlife in ancient Egypt as well as crime and punishment practices in Egypt during the 20th Dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentawer</span> Ancient Egyptian Prince of the 20th dynasty, son of Ramesses III and Tiye

Pentawer was an ancient Egyptian prince of the 20th Dynasty, a son of Pharaoh Ramesses III and his secondary wife, Tiye. He was involved in the so-called "harem conspiracy", a plot to kill his father and place him on the throne. The details of his trial are recorded in the Judicial Papyrus of Turin; he committed suicide following his trial. A candidate for his body is a mummy known as "Unknown Man E", discovered in the Deir el-Bahari cache in 1881. This mummy is unusual as it was found wrapped in a sheep or goat skin and was improperly mummified, being left with all his organs. Bob Brier has suggested that this mummy does indeed belong to the disgraced prince; DNA analysis has confirmed a father-son relationship with Pentawer's known father, Ramesses III, with both sharing the same Y chromosomal haplogroup and half of their DNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyti</span> Great Royal Wife, Kings Daughter

Tyti was an ancient Egyptian queen of the 20th Dynasty. A wife and sister of Ramesses III and possibly the mother of Ramesses IV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt</span> Period from 1189 to 1077 BCE

The Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt is the third and last dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom period, lasting from 1189 BC to 1077 BC. The 19th and 20th Dynasties together constitute an era known as the Ramesside period. This dynasty is generally considered to mark the beginning of the decline of Ancient Egypt at the transition from the Late Bronze to Iron Age. During the period of the Twentieth Dynasty, Ancient Egypt faced the crisis of invasions by Sea Peoples. The dynasty successfully defended Egypt, while sustaining heavy damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harem conspiracy</span> Successful plot to murder Ramesses III

The Harem conspiracy was a coup d'état attempt against the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses III in 1155 BC. The principal figure behind the plot was one of the pharaoh's secondary wives, Tiye, who hoped to place her son Pentawer on the throne instead of the pharaoh's chosen successor Ramesses IV, but mainly organized by the court official Pebekkamen. The plotters succeeded in killing the pharaoh but failed to establish Pentawer on the throne. In the aftermath, the leading conspirators were convicted and executed.

This page list topics related to ancient Egypt.

Sahar Saleem is a professor of radiology at Cairo University where she specialises in paleoradiology, the use of radiology to study mummies. She discovered the knife wound in the throat of Ramesses III, which was most likely the cause of his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conspiracies in ancient Egypt</span> Plots during Ancient Egypt to put the reigning monarch to death

In ancient Egypt, there is evidence of conspiracies within the royal palace to put the reigning monarch to death. Texts are generally silent on the subject of struggles for influence, but a few historical sources, either indirect or very eloquent, depict a royal family disunited and agitated by petty grudges. Highly polygamous, Pharaoh had numerous concubines living in the harem buildings. At certain points in history, women driven by ambition and jealousy formed cabals ready to sacrifice the general interest for the particular needs of princes and courtiers in need of recognition. In the most serious cases, these factions manifested themselves by fomenting conspiracies that threatened or even shortened the life of the sovereign – all to the hoped-for benefit of a secondary wife and her eldest son in competition with the more legitimate Great Royal Wife.

References

  1. 1 2 "Cat.1875". Papyri Museo Egizio. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. Vernus (2003) , pp. 108f
  3. Redford, Susan (2002). The Harem Conspiracy : the murder of Ramesses III. Dekalb: Northern Illinois University Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN   978-0-87580-295-4.
  4. Goedicke, Hans (December 1963). "Was Magic Used in the Harem Conspiracy against Ramesses III? (P.Rollin and P.Lee)". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 49: 71–92. doi:10.2307/3855702. JSTOR   3855702.
  5. de Buck, A. (1937). "The Judicial Papyrus of Turin". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 23 (2). Egyptian Exploration Society: 152–164. doi:10.2307/3854420. JSTOR   3854420.
  6. Edwards (2000) , p. 246
  7. cf. Edwards (2000), p. 246
  8. Breasted (1906), p. 208
  9. Collier, Mark; Dodson, Aidan; Hamernik, Gottfried (2010). "P. BM EA 10052, Anthony Harris, and Queen Tyti". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 96: 242–247. doi:10.1177/030751331009600119. ISSN   0307-5133. JSTOR   23269772. S2CID   161861581.
  10. de Buck, A. (December 1937). "The Judicial Papyrus of Turin". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 23 (2): 153–154. doi:10.2307/3854420. JSTOR   3854420.
  11. Montet (1981) , p. 217
  12. 1 2 de Buck, A. (December 1937). "The Judicial Papyrus of Turin". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 23 (2): 154. doi:10.2307/3854420. JSTOR   3854420.
  13. 1 2 3 4 de Buck, A. (December 1937). "The Judicial Papyrus of Turin". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 23 (2): 152–164. doi:10.2307/3854420. JSTOR   3854420.
  14. Breasted (1906) , §418
  15. Harris, James E.; Weeks, Kent R. (1973). X-Raying the Pharaohs (Hardback ed.). London: Macdonald and Company (Publishers) Ltd. p. 163. ISBN   0356043703.
  16. 1 2 Hawass, Zahi; Ismail, Somaia; et al. (December 17, 2012). "Revisiting the harem conspiracy and death of Ramesses III: anthropological, forensic, radiological, and genetic study". BMJ. 345. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.: e8268. doi:10.1136/bmj.e8268. hdl: 10072/62081 . PMID   23247979. S2CID   206896841 . Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  17. Hawass, Zahi; Saleem, Sahar N. (2016). Scanning the Pharaohs : CT Imaging of the New Kingdom Royal Mummies (Hardback ed.). New York: The American University in Cairo Press. pp. 181–182. ISBN   978-977-416-673-0.

Bibliography

  • Breasted, James Henry (1906). The Twentieth to the Twenty-Sixth Dynasties. Ancient Records of Egypt. Vol. IV. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  • Edwards, I. E. S., ed. (2000). Cambridge Ancient History, Part 2. Cambridge University Press.
  • Montet, Pierre (1981). Everyday Life in Egypt in the Days of Ramesses the Great. Translated by A. R. Maxwell-Hyslop; Margaret S. Drower. Introduction by David B. O'Connor. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN   978-0-8122-1113-9.
  • Vernus, Pascal (2003). Affairs and Scandals in Ancient Egypt. Translated by David Lorton. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN   978-0-8014-4078-6.

Further reading