Ancient Egyptian Kings Advice to Son: Loyalty, Justice, and Prosperity

Abstract

THE TEACHING OF KING AMENEMHET I FOR HIS SON SENWOSRET “The teaching of king Amenemhet I for his son Senwosret” is a literary text from an ancient Egyptian dating back to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt. Basically, this literary text stands out as a set of instructions or a piece of advice given by a father to son “King Amenemhet to Senwosret” with themes grounded on loyalist teachings (Tobin, 167-171). The king emphasized on the relevance of loyalty to the throne as well as the kings authority urging the son to remain faithful as well as stick to the established orders as a sign of respect to the kingdom. While urging his son to remain vigilant as a sign of securing the throne, the king had noted the possibilities of assassination and conspiracies thus prepared the son for such tests to get assurance that the throne will remain protected forever. The king also emphasized on the relevance of justice while ruling to enhance fair treatment for all as well as upholding the law for a just nation. On economic prosperity, the King urged his son to ensure promote it and enhance development in the kingdom for the betterment of all. Religious duty is the fifth theme that the text also touches on as the king emphasizes on its relevance urging the son “as the king to be” to remain as a potential mediator between the people and the gods. The article also emphasizes on the need to seek counsel to gain more wisdom on how to approach things. To this effect the king advices the son on the relevance of wisdom and consultation as valuable quality for a leader as they help in making critical decisions. Basically, the text within this article offer great insights into the historical context of ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom dating back around 1975-1640 BCE. It provides valuable insights into the concerns and mindset of an Egyptian ruler and also the ideals and principles of great kingship in the ancient Egypt. The author of “The Teaching of King Amenemhet I for his Son Senwosret” is King Amenemhet I and Pharaoh that reigned during the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (Tobin, 168). The Kings urge to instruct and prepare Senwosret I for his future role as a king influenced him greatly to write the article. The King wished to pass on his wisdom, guidance and experience to ensure prosperity and stability of Egypt as a kingdom under his son’s rule. The Kings advice aimed to ensure continuity of his dynasty. To this effect, one can argue that the King had a direct and an intimate relationship with the document who in this case is the son that he directly addresses within the text. His advice came from...