The Tjeker or Tjekker ( Egyptian : ṯꜣkꜣr or ṯꜣkkꜣr ) were one of the Sea Peoples .
51-537: Known mainly from the " Story of Wenamun ", the Tjeker are also documented earlier, at Medinet Habu , as raiders defeated by Pharaoh Ramesses III of Egypt in years 5, 8, and 12 of his reign. They are thought to be the people who developed the port of Dor in Canaan during the 12th century BCE from a small Bronze Age town to a large city. As with other Sea Peoples, the origins of the Tjeker are uncertain. Their name
102-410: A Twenty-second Dynasty date for its composition (Caminos 1977:3; Helck 1986:1215), as well as a number of anachronisms more reflective of a post-Twentieth or Twenty-first Dynasty time frame (Sass 2002; Sass specifically states it was written during the reign of Shoshenq I ). The text ends quite abruptly, possibly showing that the person writing the text down was only interested in the first part of
153-509: A 10th year (which more or less equates year 28 proper of Ramesses XI). Pinehesy was subsequently designated as an enemy in several papyri from year 1 and 2 of the whm-mswt (equalling year 19 and 20 proper of Ramesses XI) where his name was consistently associated "by the nDs [or] (‘bad’) bird as its determinative" in these papyri. How exactly the anarchic period of the Suppression was ended and who ultimately forced Pinehesy out of Thebes
204-464: A JEA 87 (2001) paper which studied several newly discovered fragments belonging to this document. Consequently, it would appear that Ramesses XI's highest undisputed date is presently Year 11 of the Whm-Mswt (or Year 29 proper) of his reign, when Piankh's Nubian campaign terminated which means that the pharaoh had a minimum reign of 29 years when he died—-which can perhaps be extended to 30 years due to
255-406: A harem conspiracy against Ramesses III reveals that Tyti was instead a queen of pharaoh Ramesses III instead. Hence, Ramesses XI's mother was not Tyti and although he could have been a son of his predecessor, this is not established either. Ramesses XI is believed to have married Tentamun , the daughter of Nebseny, with whom he is assumed to have fathered Duathathor-Henuttawy —the future wife of
306-406: A large, well-fortified city (classified as "Dor XII", fl. c. 1150–1050), the center of a Tjeker kingdom that is confirmed archaeologically in the northern Sharon plain . The city was violently destroyed in the mid-11th century BCE, with the conflagration turning the mud bricks red and depositing a huge layer of ash and debris. Ephraim Stern connects the destruction with the contemporary expansion of
357-504: A primary historical source of the late 20th dynasty." As examples of the latter approach, Sass cites Mazar (1992), Kitchen (1996), Millard (1998), Yurco (1999), Ward (1999), Markoe (2000), Leahy (2001), and Weinstein (2001). For details on the former approach, see Baines 1999; Scheepers 1992; Egberts 2001; Sass 2002; Schipper 2005. Jaroslav Černý found that the text had no corrections, and was apparently written without any interruptions, such as would have been caused by simultaneously composing
408-628: A renewed study of certain terms. Ramesses XI Menmaatre Ramesses XI (also written Ramses and Rameses ) 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
459-544: A tomb prepared for himself in the Valley of the Kings ( KV4 ), it was left unfinished and only partly decorated since Ramesses XI instead arranged to have himself buried away from Thebes, possibly near Memphis . This pharaoh's tomb, however, includes some unusual features, including four rectangular, rather than square, pillars in its burial chamber and an extremely deep central burial shaft– at over 30 feet or 10 metres long– which
510-500: Is unprovenanced . It was reported to have been discovered in an illicit excavation at al-Hibah , Egypt, and was bought by Vladimir Golenishchev in 1891-92. Golenishchev published the manuscript in 1897-99. The story is set in an anonymous "Year 5", generally taken to be the fifth year of the so-called Renaissance of Pharaoh Ramesses XI , the tenth and last ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt (1190 - 1077 BCE). However, since Karl Jansen-Winkeln has proposed to reverse
561-527: Is a source of information on conditions in Egypt and Phoenicia . The document reflects common attitudes toward religion (especially the cult of Amon ), the state of Mediterranean shipping practices, and even the attitudes of foreign princes to Egyptian claims of supremacy in the region. Even the supremacy of the pharaoh in Egypt comes into question; the current pharaoh, Ramesses XI , is never even mentioned during Wenamun's journey. Thebes , Wenamun's hometown,
SECTION 10
#1732776646420612-542: Is an Egyptian exonym , usually romanized as tkr , and expanded as Tjekru or Djekker . As such there is no consensus on the original form or etymology of the name, or the origin of the people. They have sometimes been identified with the Sicels of Sicily, who are also linked to Shekelesh : another exonym attributed to a different group amongst the Sea Peoples. Another theory, put forward by Flinders Petrie , links
663-633: Is known to have campaigned in Nubia during Year 28 of Ramesses XI's reign (or Year 10 of the Whm Mswt) and would have returned home to Egypt in the following year. Ramesses XI was once thought to be the son of Ramesses X by Queen Tyti who was a King's Mother, King's Wife and King's Daughter in her titles. However, recent scholarly research into certain copies of parts of the Harris papyrus (or Papyrus BM EA 10052)--collected by Anthony Harris —which discusses
714-756: Is set in the fifth regnal year of Smendes I , the Delta -based founder of the Twenty-first Dynasty . As the story begins, the principal character, Wenamun, a priest of Amun at Karnak , is sent by the High Priest of Amun Herihor to the Phoenician city of Byblos to acquire lumber (probably cedar wood) to build a new ship to transport the cult image of Amun. After visiting Smendes (Nesbanebded in Egyptian) at Tanis , Wenamun stopped at
765-525: Is under the control of Herihor , High Priest of Amon. The Story of Wenamun was discovered together with another historical fiction, the so-called Tale of Woe ( Papyrus Pushkin 127 ), which takes the form of an imaginary letter as a vehicle to convey a narrative. Alessandra Nibbi wrote a great number of articles in which she tried to show that many modern interpretations of geographical references in Ancient Egyptian texts are incorrect. On
816-475: Is unknown, due to a lack of explicit sources. However, it seems that Pinehesy retreated to Nubia and succeeded in maintaining some sort of powerbase there for over a decade. In year 10 of the whm-mswt the then general and High Priest Piankh goes on an expedition to Nubia to "meet Pinehesy". Although it is often postulated that it was the aim of this campaign to fight the former Viceroy, this is by no means certain. The sources are actually ambiguous on this point and
867-430: Is written, showing that it is not the original, which of course limits the value of paleography as a means to date the content of the story. It would be naïve to assume that there have only been two copies of this narrative: a 20th Dynasty original and a 22nd Dynasty copy. The literary elements in the surviving text (such as the "too good to be true timeframe" which was pointed out by Arno Egberts) suggest that in-between
918-480: 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. It is believed that Ramesses ruled into his Year 29 since a graffito records that the general and High Priest of Amun Piankh returned to Thebes from Nubia on III Shemu day 23—or just 3 days into what would have been the start of Ramesses XI's 29th regnal year. Piankh
969-767: The House-list (from an unspecified year 12) and the Srmt-list (undated, but slightly later than the Houselist ); Pap. B.M. 9997, of an unspecified year 14 and 15; and an entire series of Late Ramesside Letters written by -among others- the scribes of the Necropolis Dhutmose, Butehamun, and the High Priest Piankh . Late Ramesside Letter no. 9 establishes that the Whm Mswt period lasted into
1020-634: The Phoenicians , which was checked by the Philistines further south and the Israelites . The Tjeker are perhaps one of the few Sea Peoples for whom a ruler's name is recorded — in the 11th-century papyrus account of Wenamun , an Egyptian priest, the ruler of Dor is given as " Beder ". According to Edward Lipinski , the Sicals (Tjekker) of Dor were seamen or mercenaries, and b3-dỉ-r (Beder)
1071-417: The "gap between the beginning of Dynasty 21 and the reign of Ramesses XI." with 33 years being hypothetical. Krauss and Warburton specifically write that due to the existence of this time gap, Aidan Dodson, however, allows for a 'year 15' of the Whm-Mswt on the basis of P. BM 9997. Either during the reign of Ramesses XI or shortly afterwards, the village of Deir El Medina was abandoned, apparently because
SECTION 20
#17327766464201122-474: The High Priest of Egypt at Thebes. Thijs' separate proposal that the first 17 years of Ramesses XI's reign were entirely contemporary with the reigns of Ramesses IX (Years 5-19) and Ramesses X (Years 1-3) is not currently accepted by most Egyptologists except Aidan Dodson in his 2012 book Afterglow of Empire . Sometime during this troubled period, Ramesses XI died under unknown circumstances. While he had
1173-640: The IIIrd and IVth month of Akhet rather than III Shemu 20 as is conventionally assumed. Demarée stresses in his 2023 paper that the sources which support an accession date of III Shemu day 20 for Ramesses XI are hardly conclusive: Ramesses XI's reign is notable for a large number of important papyri that have been discovered, including the Adoption Papyrus , which mentions regnal years 1 and 18 of his reign; Pap. B.M. 10052 , Pap. Mayer A , Pap. B.M. 10403 and Pap. B.M. 10383 (the last four containing
1224-554: The Royal Necropolis was shifted northward to Tanis and there was no further need for their services at Thebes. The conventional Egyptian chronology view is that Ramesses XI had an independent reign of between 29 and 30 or 33 full years between Ramesses X and Smendes before dying. Shortly before his death, he transferred Egypt's political capital to Tanis where he died and was buried by Smendes who succeeded him but only ruled Lower Egypt while Herihor ruled Upper Egypt as
1275-709: The Russian Egyptologist Vladimir Golenishchev . It was found in a jar together with the Onomasticon of Amenope and the Tale of Woe . The papyrus is now in the collection of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts , Moscow, and officially designated as Papyrus Pushkin 120 . The hieratic text was published by Korostovcev 1960, and the hieroglyphic text was published by Gardiner 1932 (as well as on-line). The two-page papyrus
1326-623: The Summer season, day 20) However, a later 20th Dynasty papyrus fragment from Deir el-Medina published in 2023 by the Egyptologist Robert J. Demarée refers to a partial date of Year 4, III month of Akhet together with a change to Year 1, IV month of Akhet . Although both kings are unnamed, the papyrus is strongly suggested by Demarée to refer to the reigns of Ramesses X and his successor Ramesses XI. If confirmed, this would mean that Ramesses XI actually had his accession date between
1377-534: The accounts of tomb-robbery trials conducted during the first two years of the Whm Mswt); Pap. Ambras (containing a list of documents which were repurchased in year 6 of the Whm Mswt, after having been stolen from some temple archive, most probably during the chaotic period of the suppression of the High Priest of Amun Amenhotep ); the Turin Taxation Papyrus , of an unspecified year 12; Pap. B.M. 10068, which includes on its verso two lists, called
1428-454: The affairs of the Levant during the twenty-second dynasty. The author of Wenamun possibly wrote the original manuscript as an administrative document, a report of his journeys. However, the man who had the document copied over a century later most likely had a different reason. When theorizing about the purposes of the copyist, it seems to be all-too-common to forget about the reverse side of
1479-403: The aim of the expedition nor its outcome are beyond doubt. The issue is further complicated by the ongoing debate about [1] the order of High Priests (either Herihor before Piankh or Piankh before Herihor) and [2] the correct ascription (either to the pre-Renaissance period or to the whm-mswt itself) of several documents from the reign of Ramesses XI. At present, Thijs' suggestion that Pinehesy
1530-636: The basis of her analysis of the source texts, she concluded that Egypt was not a seafaring nation. Egyptian words normally connected to the Mediterranean (such as "the great ym of Kharu") and the associated geographical names are reinterpreted. As a result of her investigations, she has had to "relocate" the places mentioned in Wenamun , assuming that Wenamun journeyed through the wadi Tumilat to lake Timsah . Although her conclusions have so far not been accepted by any major scholars, her work has led to
1581-412: The document. In general, the literary character of the text is summed up by Egberts (2001:495) as being apparent from the sophisticated plot , the rhetoric and irony of the dialogues , the imagery , and the underlying reflection on political, theological, and cultural issues. Specific grammatical features also point to the literary nature of the text. Moreover, the palaeography of the text points to
Tjeker - Misplaced Pages Continue
1632-485: The ethnonym to Zakros , in eastern Crete. Some other scholars have accepted the association. A possible identity has been suggested with the Teucri , a tribe described by ancient sources as inhabiting northwest Anatolia to the south of Troy . However, this has been dismissed as "pure speculation" by Trevor Bryce . The Tjeker may have conquered the city Dor , on the coast of Canaan near modern Haifa , and turned it into
1683-405: The events described and the apparent date of our surviving copy the story was somehow reworked to entertain a broader audience. From the fact that many of the main protagonists are not properly introduced, it seems clear that the "report" became "literature" at a time when most of the names and situations were still recognizable for an educated audience. A case in point is the ambiguous reference to "
1734-520: The high priest Pinedjem I . Ramesses XI may have had another daughter named Tentamun who became king Smendes ' future wife in the next dynasty. Sometime during his reign, the High Priest of Amun , Amenhotep , was ousted from office by Pinehesy , the Viceroy of Kush who for some time took control of the Thebais. Although this “suppression of the High Priest of Amun” used to be dated quite early in
1785-479: The land find out. Whereas Piankh would probably have had the authority to have people executed, it is noteworthy that his correspondents are explicitly urged to keep the matter secret. It has been argued that, given Piankh's supreme position at the time, the secrecy can only have concerned the king. If this is correct, it follows that the political situation of the time must have been very complex, with Piankh possibly acting on some hidden agenda. Unfortunately, due to
1836-403: The messengers of Khaemwase who spent 17 years in this country and died in their positions " in lines 2, 51-53. Since this could theoretically refer to either Ramesses IX , Ramesses XI or the son of Ramses II , it seems that the editor of the text could expect his readers to know who was meant. It is quite possible that the copy we have may date as much as one-hundred and fifty years later than
1887-408: The narrative, and stopped when he realized that he had continued too far into the return journey. However, it has also been suggested that the text as it stands is complete and nothing has been lost at the end, with the last words ( And she said to me: "Be at rest" ) as a fitting, but hitherto unrecognized closing formula. Finally, at the end of the text, in a slightly larger hand, the syllable ( copy )
1938-522: The order of the High Priests of Amun Herihor and Piankh , this ascription has become disputed. With the pontificate of Herihor falling later than that of Piankh, who is attested in year 7 of the Renaissance, the date in the heading of Wenamun should rather refer to the direct (or indirect) successor of Ramesses XI. Following Jansen-Winkeln, Arno Egberts (1991) therefore argues that the story
1989-474: The original. The first reason for this assumption is that the post-script is used. This is otherwise only used in the twenty-second dynasty (945-715 BCE). The other reason is the locale where the document was discovered—the Upper Egyptian town of al-Hibah . This town only gained any degree of importance under the reigns of Shoshenq I and Osorkon I . There was also apparently a renewed interest in
2040-403: The papyrus. This concerns, as near as we can tell, the "sending of commodities by Ni-ki.. through the agency of Ne-pz-K-r-t for unspecified payment." It could be that this is a summarization of an attempt to perform a mission similar to that of Wenamun in this later time. The Journey of Wenamun to Phoenicia , then, may have been copied as a preparation for this later trip. The Story of Wenamun
2091-810: The pharaoh, Ramesses XI." In this letter, better known as LRL no. 21, Piankh remarks: As for Pharaoh, l.p.h., how shall he reach this land? And of whom is Pharaoh, l.p.h., superior still? In the same letter and two others (LRL no. 34 and no. 35) Piankh gives the order to the Scribe of the Necropolis Tjaroy (=Dhutmose), the lady Nodjmet and a certain Payshuuben to secretly arrest and question two Medjay policemen about certain things they had apparently said: If they find out that (it is) true, you shall place them (in) two baskets and (they) shall be thrown (into) this water by night. But do not let anybody in
Tjeker - Misplaced Pages Continue
2142-478: The political climate may well have changed over the years. There is some evidence that at this time Piankh may no longer have been a loyal servant of Ramesses XI, which allows for the possibility that he was secretly negotiating with Pinehesy, possibly even plotting against the reigning king. E. Wente wrote: "One has the impression that the viceroy and his Nubian troops were loyalists, for the remarks made by his opponent Piankh in letter No. 301 are quite disparaging of
2193-478: The port of Dor ruled by the Tjeker prince Beder, where he was robbed. Upon reaching Byblos, he was shocked by the hostile reception he received there. When he finally gained an audience with Zakar-Baal , the local king, the latter refused to give the requested goods for free, as had been the traditional custom, instead demanding payment. Wenamun had to send to Smendes for payment, a humiliating move that demonstrates
2244-490: The protection of the local queen, whom he called Hatbi. At this point the story breaks off. It was once widely believed that the Story of Wenamun was an actual historical account, written by Wenamun as a report regarding his travels. However, literary analysis conducted by Egyptologists since the 1980s (Helck 1986) indicates that it is a work of historical fiction , a view now generally accepted by most professionals working on
2295-455: The reign (prior to year 9 of the reign), recently the communis opinio has changed to the view that it took place only shortly before the start of the Whm Mswt or Renaissance, an era which was inaugurated in regnal Year 19, probably to stress the return of normal conditions following the coup of Pinehesy. Ramesses XI is usually assigned an accession date of III shemu 20 (third month of
2346-514: The text. As Sass (2002) summarized the situation, "In recent years most Egyptologists have come to regard Wenamun as a work of fiction, composed after the events it relates, its value as a historical source rather limited (see also end of Section 4). On the other hand students of the Ancient Near East and of Egypto-Levantine connections, thirsting as they are after every scrap of written information, often still treat Wenamun practically as
2397-610: The very limited nature of the sources, the exact relationships between the three main protagonists, Piankh, Pinehesy and Ramesses XI remain far from clear. Some scholars believe that the Nubian campaign was part of an ongoing power struggle between the High Priest of Amun and the Viceroy of Kush However, it is equally possible that Piankh came to the rescue of Pinehesy against some common enemy. The verb often translated as "to attack (Pinehesy)" only means "to meet/ to go to". In fact, neither
2448-510: The waning of Egyptian power over the Eastern Mediterranean ; a causative factor of a new nature can be seen in this ebbing of Egyptian power — the rise of Assyria and its intrusion into Phoenicia around the year 1100 BCE. After a wait of almost a year at Byblos, Wenamun attempted to leave for Egypt, only to be blown off course to Alashiya ( Cyprus ), where he was almost killed by an angry mob before placing himself under
2499-496: Was apparently rehabilitated by Ramesses XI in year 11 or 12 of the whm-mswt has only been explicitly accepted by the Egyptologist A. Dodson. Neither the length of the Renaissance nor the ascription of certain documents from the reign of Ramesses XI are beyond dispute. At present, Thijs' proposal that Papyrus BM 10054 dates to the Whm-Mswt has been confirmed by other scholars such as Von Beckerath and Annie Gasse—the latter in
2550-593: Was perhaps designed as an additional security device to prevent tomb robbery. During the 21st dynasty, under the reign of the High Priest of Thebes, Pinedjem I , Ramesses XI's tomb was used as a workshop for processing funerary materials from the burials of Hatshepsut , Thutmose III and perhaps Thutmose I . Ramesses XI's tomb has stood open since antiquity and was used as a dwelling by the Copts . Since Ramesses XI had himself buried in Lower Egypt, Smendes rose to
2601-688: Was the title of the local governor, a deputy of the king of Tyre . No mention of the Tjeker is made after the story of Wenamun. Story of Wenamun The Story of Wenamun (alternately known as the Report of Wenamun , The Misadventures of Wenamun , Voyage of Unamūn , or [informally] as just Wenamun ) is a literary text written in hieratic in the Late Egyptian language. It is only known from one incomplete copy discovered in 1890 at al-Hibah , Egypt, and subsequently purchased in 1891 in Cairo by
SECTION 50
#1732776646420#419580