Tale of Sanehat

This is the tale of an Egyptian palace official called Sanehat. At the death of the old king, he fears strife and flees Egypt to build a new life in exile under a ruler in Syria. At the height of his powers he is challenged to a duel by a Syrian champion: Sanehat kills his opponent in the duel, and begins a period of peace. At the approach of old age, he feels driven to return home to end his days, and be buried, as an Egyptian. The reigning king of Egypt invites him back, and he returns to the palace he had left years earlier. He has learned what it means to be an Egyptian, and he has become an Egyptian again - but can he, or his audience, really be the same after this voyage of self-discovery?

Background information for Middle Kingdom literary compositions
Sources: principal sources
Sources in the Petrie Museum
Other sources
Transliteration from Egyptian script into Latin-based alphabet / Translation into English
Notes on specific points
Bibliography