Return to my Egyptology pages
Go to my home page
© Copyright 2002, Jim Loy
This story is from several papyrus fragments, mostly from one now in Berlin.
In the year 30, second month, first season, 7th day, son of Ra Amunemhat I, king of Upper and Lower Egypt Sehetepibra died, rising to heaven to join the god Ra. [Some accounts of this story say that he was murdered, but the originals apparently do not say this.] The people of Egypt bowed down in silent mourning.
Amunemhat's son and heir, the good god Senusert I (who the Greeks call Sesostris I) was commanding the king's army in the land of Libya. One night, messengers found him returning from Libya, and told him of the death of his father. Senusert flew to Egypt to claim his throne, without letting his army know.
When the messengers had arrived, Sinuhe (a hereditary prince and friend of Senusert) hid himself behind some bushes, and overheard the message of the death of the king. He was greatly troubled and afraid, and he fled in the night toward the Delta. [Apparently, Sinuhe thought that the king had been murdered or that there was some other great trouble. Perhaps he was even involved in such a plot. Or maybe he thought that his spying would implicate him, even though he was innocent. The original papyri do not tell us about this.]
Sinuhe met one man who was afraid of him. Then he was able to sneak through the Egyptian frontier. He drank from the lake of Kemwer (black water), which is the northern end of the Red Sea, and he prepared to die of thirst. He was saved by a Bedouin, who gave him water, milk, and food. He then traveled from tribe to tribe, and stayed a year and a half in Kedem near the Dead Sea.
He was greeted by Emuienshi, ruler of the land of Upper Retenu (Palestine) [which Sinuhe mistakenly called Tenu]. Sinuhe, when asked why he had left Egypt, did not tell the truth. Eventually Sinuhe married Emuienshi's oldest daughter and was given his choice of the best of Emuienshi's land. It was a land filled with figs, wine grapes, honey, oil, fruit trees, barley, and cattle. He lived there many years, growing richer. His children grew into strong men. But of all men of Palestine, Sinuhe was the greatest.
[Most accounts of this story claim that, in his old age, Sinuhe grew homesick for Egypt, and returned, and that Senusert forgave him, and made him even wealthier than he was before. Apparently this is not mentioned in the original papyri, either. One can guess that he did return, because the original story is told by Sinuhe himself.]