Upper And Lower Egypt Analysis

Upper and Lower Egypt” Egypt wasn’t actually unified during his rule. Being a 10th Dynasty king, this inscription was made in the first intermediate period, which affects some of the advice given. Firstly, the King advises on political matters such as the importance of dealing quickly with rebels, as they are possible of spoiling the masses. Which in a time of division of Upper and Lower Egypt it would be a real fear to have people rebel against you, as the King at this time did not have sole power, the King’s legitimacy was compromised due to the separate rulers of Upper and Lower Egypt. Yet, the King goes onto say, punish them mercifully, so that even in their punishment, they do not hate you. “A good temperament means serenity for a man/

But the malice of the angry-hearted is (his) torment.” This same logic is told to be used on the loyals, who, the king says, Merikare should treat frequently because he who likes you, will do good by you, “He will be partial towards him who is generous to him And biased towards the one who pays him.” Thus we see that a lot the king’s advice is about making sure that your people like you in order to maintain the political order.
The king should also be knowledgeable. “Be proficient in speech, so that you may be strong/ For the strength of a king is his tongue.” To be smart and wise is the ultimate strength, for then you will have Ma’at on your side; Ma’at being the goddess of truth and justice. To ensure the other gods are on his side, the king advises to do high priest tasks of giving many offerings, “For even a single day can contribute toward eternity, An hour can embellish the future, and God recognizes him who works for him.” Here we see the king expressing the importance of maintaining peace with the gods to ensure that the king may enter the after world of the gods. So we see that the king's understand that going to the afterworld as a god is not a given it must be worked for.
King Khety also gives military advice, discussing how Merikare should leave the Southern border alone as “You are on good terms with the southern territory/ Which comes to you bearing gifts and tributes./ The same thing done for me by (their) ancestors.” The king acknowledges the split between Egypt, and that there is no point in going to war with the Upper Egyptian rulers in Thebes, without specifically acknowledging that the southern border is still Egypt. Yet if those past the southern border were nubians, there would be a great difference in attitude, but because they are Egyptians he says to “[Leave things as they are], and renew the treaties.” So maintain a good relationship with them. But he does say to expand northward against the “vile Asiatics,” but to not fear them. He intertwines his own military feats in expanding into asiatic territory, and westward, and then challenges his son to acquire Medenit and Djedsut in order to surpass him in expansion. He also discusses ancestry, showing the importance of royal family, and how he and Merikare are are blessed by their forefathers and past kings. Ending his piece with “May you be called “Destroyer of the Time of Evil/ By those who are among the descendents of the house of Khety,” emphasizing how it is important to be remembered as honorable and powerful by future kings.
The second primary source “Building Inscriptions of Sesostris I” only survives in the form of a leather roll that has text copied from either a stele or wall at the temple of Atum in Heliopolis, where the original text would have been inscribed.

The text illustrates Sesostris I, 2nd king of the 12th Dynasty, announcing that he is having a temple built to honor the god Horakhty who made him king. He elaborates on how he was appointed king before he was even born, “He fashioned me a palace dweller, an offspring not yet issued from the thighs.” And after birth, “He advanced me to Lord of the Two Parts, a child wearing swaddling clothes.” So still as an infant he was made king of all Egypt, because Horakhty wished it. And thus as the son of the god “I will construct a great house for my father Atum.” From this we see the king closely relating himself to the god in a different way than in the Old Kingdom. This is a different take on the importance of ancestry, seen in the Merikare piece where there was a strong connection between father and son, and how honoring the past kings, as well as being worth the honor of future kings, as family, is important. But instead of acknowledging his royal ancestral line, Sesostris adopts a biological relationship as son and father with the god Atum, he legitimise his kingship by not only being a godly incarnation, but the son of a god as well. He repeats this concept of being picked by Atum and being the son of Atum over and over to ensure that

it is understood implicably, and even emerges at one point wearing the double plumed crown on Amuun.
The response from the royal companions, to the king’s speech is an example of legitimacy, “In answer to their god (the king): Hu is in your mouth, Sia is behind you, O King!” Hu being the god of spoken word and authority, and Sia the goddess of divine knowledge, the royals are saying that he perpetuates authority and divine knowledge with his words and actions. This is an example of legitimacy being accepted as the officials cheer and agree with everything the king has said, and it is political as it is a lower level of people, accepting the condition of additional power that their ranking official has. This is a political, and religious ceremony.
Repetition of key points and the story like text makes it so that the reader can easily digest the king’s speech, and feel almost present. In this way the text is more interactive, and creates a more personal effect on the reader than if the story had been told without dialog. This text was more aimed towards civilians, as it would have been in an accessible place and is read more as a discussion on why Sesostris should be recognized as king than as an honoring of the god Atum. The temple itself, and other inscriptions would have been more aimed at honoring the gods. It is also notable that this text was seen as very important as it was copied, and if it hadn’t, we wouldn’t have any record of Sesostris I’s founding of the temple.
The third primary source “Dedication Inscriptions of Seti I,” is found in three different locations in a small, rock temple. Text A is a dedication to Horus, who the temple is in honor of, and a small poem where it asks of Amun to give king Seti I, 2nd King of the 19th Dynasty, eternity, because he made a temple in honor of you, and a well that gives life. Thus we see first and foremost who this temple is made for, whom the king is aiming to give offerings to, and why. In text B Horus is again being directly spoken to, and it is explained why the well was dug; because his majesty witnessed the hard desert travel, and decided to make a well so that travelers could easier mine for gold and bring it to his temple as offerings “‘For I am considerate and compassionate towards travelers.’” But it is important to note that the king gives the god Horus the credit for the well, for the god led the king, and the well was dug. Thus Seti is thanking Horus for bringing him to the spot in the desert where a functioning well could be made, which makes him as the king who made it, a good king in the eyes of travelers, and a king who can care for his people. “Happy is he who acts on the word of the God, for his plans do not fail.”
Thus his audience, is the gods, but also anyone who would have come across the temple. He is thanking Horus, and also letting it be know to visitors, that he made this well and has a strong and beneficial relationship with the gods. At this time in Egyptian history it was important for Seti I to legitimize his kingship. Being the second King of the 19th Dynasty, Egyptian kingship was still recovering from Akhenaten of the 18th Dynasty who had attempted to make Egypt monotheistic, which upset the people. So Seti I was in a position of acknowledging all the gods, and reestablishing the legitimation of kingship. Text C is “a decree, designed to assure the perpetual supply of gold for the king's mortuary temple at Abydos,” where he gives select people the specific task of only working to bring offering of gold to his tomb. He then states that anyone who removes these important individuals from the task that he has assigned them to, or their children, who should follow in the same task, will royally upset the past and future kings as divinities. Essentially all the king's, specifically him, that have died and are now gods, will be angered and will punish whoever messes up his decree. Thus we see Seti talking about his future as a god, and acknowledging the belief of all past kings becoming gods, and these kings looking out for eachother; again a mention of family and ancestral lines among all the past and future kings.
Another important aspect at this temple, despite not being a text, is the icon imagery of the king, displayed as fit and mostly nude, bashing in the heads of enemy Nubians and Asiatics. Which at this time Egypt being unified, it makes sense for the king to display himself defeating both the southern and the northern enemies. This iconic image is a prime example of the manipulation of iconography to perpetuate a certain political belief, which fits Richards and Van Buren’s definition of legitimacy.
Kings put effort into legitimizing, and glamorizing each of their kingly duties, head of politics, high priest, and commander in chief. As the three primary sources show, these means of discussing these roles shift, dependent on the state and general safety of the kingship. Such as how in the “Teachings for king Merikare,” King Khety is very adamant about his son quenching rebellions, but making sure to not be unfair in his punishment, where civilians would start to see him as cruel and unfair. With these kings ruling at a time where Egypt was divided, it makes sense for Khety to focus on this aspect of maintaining a society that respected Merikare as a king, because without a society to rule over, a king doesn’t have much power. This differs, but is similar with the “Dedication Inscriptions of Seti I” where the main focus is on the king making a temple for the god Horus in an act of honor and offering. Yet with Seti ruling post Akhenaten and attempted monotheism he had to appease to the Egyptians with the reintroduction of polytheism and appealing to all of the gods who had been mistreated, because as high priest, if the world were to go into chaos because the gods were upset, it would be the kingship’s fault. So similar to Merikare, Seti has to focus on reestablishing the kingship, but with a different role.
Sesostris I’s rule was also stressed with the pressure of resolving the tainted image of kingship.

Unlike Merikare who rules during the first intermediate period, Sesostris ruled post first intermediate period, and in an attempt to re-legitimize kingship, focused doing so religiously, as well as politically. Thus we see his adamant claims to being the son of Atum, and the heir to the throne because he was chosen by Horakhty. In this way, Sesostris’s inscriptions differ from Seti’s, as they are more directed towards the people seeing that Sesostris is a son of a god, where Seti is talking to Horus and focusing on acknowledging a god too long forgotten. The role of the royal companions in Sesostris’s inscriptions provide an example of him being seen as wise and authoritative, which the point would have been to get other people to see him similarly as the officials in his inscriptions did. This acts as a political tool of legitimization, exemplifying how your closest officials react to what you say, and how they believe you to be the son of Atum, makes it harder for other people to reject

so.
“Teaching for king Merikare,” “Building inscription of Sesostris I” and “Dedication Inscriptions of Seti I,” all provide examples of the different responses made when kingship was being questioned. Whether it be from a lack of a unified state, newly reformed state, or reintroduction of polytheism, some cases in Egyptian history required excess forms of legitimization. Kingship is nearly useless without a state to rule over, and people to governs and protect, thus the king must maintain an image of strength, power, divinity, but most importantly necessity. The people must believe that the king is necessary, or else the kingship cannot remain intact, whether it be to protect Egypt from outside enemies, or maintain utility in the world, the king must legitimize their role as king, and more importantly, the kingship as the linchpin of Egyptian civilization.