The Coptos Decree of

Nubkheperre Intef Nubkheperre Intef (or Antef, Inyotef, sometimes referred to as Intef VI) was an Egyptian king of the Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt at Thebes during the Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was divided by rival dynasties including the Hyksos in Lo ...

is a legal ruling written in

hieroglyphic Egyptian hieroglyphs (, ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt, used for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with some 1,000 distinct characters.There were about 1,00 ...

on the wall of the

Min Min or MIN may refer to: Places * Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China ** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian * Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China * Min River (Fujian) * Min River (Sichuan) * Mineola (Am ...

-temple in Coptos.

Content of the Decree

The Coptos Decree was issued by

to the ''mayor of Koptos'' Minemhat concerning the removal of

Teti, Son of Minhotep Teti, Son of Minhotep, was an Egyptian official in Coptos during the reign of Pharaoh Nubkheperre Intef of the Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt (reigned c.1571 to mid-1560s BCE). His only clear attestation is in the Coptos Decree, which deprives him of ...

, from his position in the temple. According to the decree, Teti had committed some serious misconduct, which has been interpreted differently by different translators. Teti had either supported the kings' enemies, or had stolen an item from the temple of Min.Sethe, Kurt. ''Erläuterungen zu den ägyptischen Lesestücken''. Leipzig 1927 The wording of the degree probably indicates the latter. The consequences of this crime were serious and far-reaching. The culprit not only lost his offices and emoluments, but he and his family members were excluded from his offices for the future.

Historical significance

The Coptos Decree provides the highest documented regnal year for Nubkheperre Intef: his Year 3. It also establishes that Minemhat was the count or governor of Coptos in that year of Nubkheperre Intef's reign.

References

Online link

The Coptos decree of Nebkheperure-Intef
Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt Decrees {{AncientEgypt-stub