The Autobiography of Harkhuf is a private tomb inscription from ancient Egypt. It is significant in

Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , ''-logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious p ...

as one of the two most important, and the most famous, autobiographical inscriptions of

Old Kingdom In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700–2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth ...

officials. His name sometimes spelled as Herkhuf, Horkhuf, or Hirkhuf, all that is known of his life comes from the inscriptions in his tomb at

Qubbet el-Hawa Qubbet el-Hawa or "Dome of the Wind" is a site on the western bank of the Nile, opposite Aswan, that serves as the resting place of ancient nobles and priests from the Old and Middle Kingdoms of ancient Egypt. The necropolis in use from the F ...

on the west bank of the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ...

Aswan Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the ...

, near the

First Cataract The Cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths (or whitewater rapids) of the Nile river, between Khartoum and Aswan, where the surface of the water is broken by many small boulders and stones jutting out of the river bed, as well as many rocky ...

of the Nile. He was a native of Elephantine. Harkhuf served under kings Merenre I, fourth king of the

6th Dynasty The Sixth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty VI), along with the Third, Fourth and Fifth Dynasty, constitutes the Old Kingdom of Dynastic Egypt. Pharaohs Known pharaohs of the Sixth Dynasty are listed in the table below. Manetho acc ...

(ca. 2255–2246 B.C.), and

Pepi II Pepi II Neferkare (2284 BC – after 2247 BC, probably either 2216 or 2184 BC) was a pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom who reigned from 2278 BC. His second name, Neferkare (''Nefer-ka-Re''), means "Beautiful is ...

, the last powerful king of the 6th Dynasty (ca. 2246–2152 B.C.). He was appointed governor of Upper Egypt. His primary business was trade with

Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...

, forging political bonds with local leaders, and preparing the ground for an Egyptian expansion into Nubia. He led four major expeditions to Nubia. His written account of these expeditions is the most important source for Egypt's relations with

at this time. On the last expedition, he brought back with him what his correspondence with the young pharaoh Pepi II referred to as a dwarf, apparently a pygmy. He travelled a considerable distance to a land called ''Iyam'', which probably corresponds to the fertile plain that opens out south of modern

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

, where the

Blue Nile The Blue Nile (; ) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water to ...

joins the

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

. However,

Jean Yoyotte Jean Yoyotte (4 August 1927 – 1 July 2009) was a French Egyptologist, Professor of Egyptology at the Collège de France and director of research at the École pratique des hautes études (EPHE). Biography Born in 1927 at Lyon, he attended th ...

thought Iyam was located further north in the

Libyan Desert The Libyan Desert (not to be confused with the Libyan Sahara) is a geographical region filling the north-eastern Sahara Desert, from eastern Libya to the Western Desert of Egypt and far northwestern Sudan. On medieval maps, its use predates t ...

. The inscriptions in Harkhuf's tomb reflect changes in the Egyptian world view that were occurring during the Late

and the First Intermediate Period, with the person of the king becoming more human and displaying emotions and interests, while commenting on a person leading a moral life by helping his neighbour: "I gave bread to the hungry, clothing to the naked, I ferried him who had no boat."

Tomb inscription

The narration of Harkhuf's career is aforementioned by prayers for offerings and a good burial, and the list of virtues - standardized components of tomb-autobiography. Carved on the outside of the soft, flaking stone of the tomb are fifty-eight lines.Lichtheim Listed below are the descriptions of the inscriptions on each side of the tomb.

Above the entrance (Eight lines)

Harkhuf has prayers for offerings and a good burial. He mentions an "offering which the king gives and Anubia." This shows his significance and hierarchy in Egypt. Even the king gives an offering, revealing even further. Harkhuf states his titles such as Governor of Upper Egypt, prays for a peaceful journey in the afterlife, and mentions many feasts and that he be celebrated. Lastly, a list of his virtues is included, such as never judging between two, helping other civilians, and building a house. This is very similar to the duties of a king; Harkuf, who is a highly esteemed priest has these king-like qualities to him.

Right side of entrance (Fourteen lines)

Harkhuf accounts his expedition to Yam (located in Upper Nubia), the first time with his father, bearing gifts and products. The second trip was done alone where he traveled back through other foreign lands, noting that this has not been done by anyone else before, and again, bearing beautiful gifts. The third trip to Yam, he found that the ruler had gone to Tjemeh-land to smite the Tjemeh; however, Harkhuf was able to please the ruler of Yam, and Yam's ruler praised all the gods.

Left side of entrance (Ten lines)

After satisfying the ruler of Yam, Harkhuf came down through the south of Irtjet and north of Setju. He found their ruler, which was impressed by all of his goods and products as well as the numerous troops from Yam with him, that the ruler escorted him and led him to Irtjet's mountain path.

On the far right (Twenty-six lines)

Harkhuf's tomb describes the text of a letter he received from the king Neferkare, where he vividly expresses his eagerness to see the pygmy whom Harkhuf was bringing back with him. For his success, Harkhuf is promised with many worthy honors by the king. Harkhuf's expeditions stated the only purpose was to reach Yam, acquire the desired products, and return to Egypt.O'Connor, p. 29

References

Notes Sources * Miriam Lichtheim, ''Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings'', Vol.1, Berkeley 1973, pp. 23–27 * George William Murray, ''Harkhuf's Third Journey'', The Geographical Journal, Vol. 131, No. 1 (Mar., 1965), pp. 72–75 *James Henry Breasted, ''Ancient Records of Egypt'', Vol. I, Chicago 1906

External links

{{Commons category, Herkhuf
Harkhuf's Story
23rd-century BC inscriptions H Sixth Dynasty of Egypt