The Ancient Near East

¶ … Ancient Near East

The story of Sinuhe may be seen as one of the first sources of literature as well as history of the world. It represents interesting and indeed somewhat fascinating events which took place in ancient Egypt and Syria. It is also a mirror image of the way in which ancient people viewed their country, their religion, and their beliefs.

Sinuhe was the traditional Egyptian servant who flees the country after overhearing a plot being set in place in order to assassinate the king at the time. The individual ishe entire story however is important not necessarily for the actual events which take place which could be the part of any medieval novel or story, but rather the actual depiction of the society and the environment at that particular time. Therefore, one of the first elements to be pointed out was the sense of honor and respect nurtured for the ruler. More importantly, this respect was manifested through the refusal of Sinuhe to take part in any possible attempt to assassinate the ruler of the country. In this sense, he chose to flee the country rather than confront the challenges.

Another aspect which the story fo Sinuhe points out is the relationship between the individual and the state. In this case the individual is seen as representing the state, with all its qualities and benefits. Therefore, the story underlines the fact in the moment in which Sinuhe is received in exile. Thus "well then, Egypt is happy knowing that he is strong. But you are here. You shall stay with me. What I shall do for you is good. He set me at the head of his children. He married me to his eldest daughter. He let me choose for myself of his land, of the best that was his, on his border with another land" (the Story of Sinuhe, n.d.). Therefore, the faith the ruler had in a stranger was relfcted in fact by the faith he had on the country he represented.

In ancient Egypt the country or the land one belonged to represented a crucial identification mark. It stood for the honesty or dishonesty of an individual or for the actual image created in the world. Taking into account the Story of Sinuhe, this particular land made no exception. This case was visible throughout the poem but especially towards the end. The character refused to be buried on foreign territory, regardless of the treatment they offered to him. The love and dedication for the country was stronger than any other desire to remain safe and dedicated. Therefore, he asked for his return and his return was granted with extreme joy. However, the entire ritual of letters and correspondence point out precisely the idea that the Egyptian state did not abandon its citizen, regardless of the means through which the exiled people chose this form of exercise.

The piece of writing can also be interpreted as a pure sense of literary work. More precisely, it was a means through which the author could eventually express his regret for the coward attitude he showed when his king was in a possible danger. At the same time, the presentation of his work, the lives of the community in which he lived and the way in which he succeeded in forming a family must be relevant for the actual depiction of the historical background, the environment, and the customs of the time. For instance, the fact that he was given to marry the elder daughter of the ruler of the land he had chosen as his next home, Amunenshi, represented indeed an appreciation of his qualities and virtues as an Egyptian. Therefore, it can be said that the piece of writing is also an important source of history of the Near East.

Another important perspective of the story is the historical one which offers a view on the current situation of the time in Egypt. Therefore, the story focuses on the way in which king Sesostris was involved in political actions and maneuvers that would determine Sinuhe to flee Egypt (the story of Sinuhe, n.d.). However, the entire tale has certain shortcomings. It cannot be fully seen as a historical depiction because the placement in time of the story is relative, "year 30, third month of the inundation, day 7" (the Story of Sinuhe, n.d.). Even so, this identification of the time period is relevant for the way in which time was perceived in the region and the elements taken into account to indentify the temporal placement. At the same time, there is little information about the actual reasons for which Sinuhe left Egypt. One of the explications for this shortage of information may be the fact that it addressed an audience which was well aware of the events that had actually taken place and the information provided by Sinuhe was sufficient for his purpose. In any case, for the posterity, these may prove to be ambiguous.