Weni the elder autobiography books
Autobiography of Weni
From a Autobiography Perspective, the autobiography is a descent one but what makes it stand out is its antiquity(maybe the first autobiography in whole history) and also, it is very helpful for a historian as it throws light on the sixth dynasty, especially the first three kings, of Egyptian History.
Weni
Flourished Circa 2350-2288 b.c.e.
Bureaucrat
Sources
Three Kings. Weni served as a governor of Upper Egypt during Dynasty 6 (circa 2350-2170 b.c.e.). His autobiography traces his government service from his youth under King Teti to his maturity under both King Pepy I and King Merenre. Weni’s career illustrates the life of a bureaucrat in the Old Kingdom (circa 2675-2130 b.c.e.).
Faithful Servant. Weni served the monarchy in civil, religious, and military functions. He began his career as custodian of the storehouse in the reign of Teti. In Pepy I’s reign Weni was promoted to Overseer of the Robing Room, a position which must have brought him into direct contact with the king. This position led to increased rank as a Companion and the prestigious position of Inspector of Priests of the pyramid town. He was also entrusted with investigating a crime committed in the royal harem, but kept so secret that Weni’s autobiography alludes to it in vague terms. Weni was so successful in these offices that Pepy I rewarded him with a limestone sarcophagus, doorposts and lintels for his tomb, and an offering table from Tura, the best quarry in Egypt.
Governorship. Weni’s military career included five campaigns against the Sinai Bedouin and an additional campaign against Gazelle’s-Head, an unidentified country. In the reign of Merenre, Weni was appointed Governor of Upper Egypt. In this position he was responsible for a census, expeditions to quarries, canal construction, and shipbuilding.
Significance. Weni’s varied career demonstrates the ideal for a bureaucrat in ancient Egypt. He was primarily an organizer and expediter whom the king entrusted with a multitude of tasks. His remaining great asset was loyalty to the king.
Sources
Lionel Casson, The Pharaohs (Chicago: Stonehenge, 1981).
Peter A. Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt (New York: Thames & Hudson, 1994).
Jaromi The story of the Voyage of Wenamen, also called the Report of Wenamen, or the Misadventures of Wenamen, is considered one of the earliest surviving adventure tales. Unlike many of their neighboring cultures, the Egyptians did not write historical narratives, the text must have started as an autobiography of Wenamen circa 1065 BC. The one partially surviving copy appears to have been excerpted from the original autobiography, copied for a one of the Meshwesh (Berber) Pharaohs that ruled the late-21st Dynasty after Osorkon the Elder seized the throne in 992 BC. It appears as if only the sections about Canaan were copied, which suggests the Pharaoh in question was looking for information on Canaan, likely as a prelude to an invasion. GENRE History PUBLISHER Digital Ink Productions .Publisher Description
The surviving text includes the beginning of Wenamen's voyage, but not the beginning of biography, which would have included his titles and honors and the story of how he became a priest of Amen. The surviving text covers Wenamen's voyage from his departure from Thebes, through his stops in the Egyptian capital of Tanis, and the coastal Canaanite cities of Dor, Tyre, and Byblos, before his ship was blown off course to Cyprus, and the story abruptly ends. The section that covers the stop in Tyre is in the damaged section, in the middle of the story, and only survives in fragments. The abrupt ending of the story is clearly not the end of Wenamen's Biography as it does not include his return to Egypt, which must have taken place or his story would never have been known to the Egyptians. More Books by Scriptural Research Institute