The story of Sinuhe.
- The Tale of Sinuhe
- Berlin Papyrus 10499
- Refers to a man who fled his duties in Egypt and became a Bedouin in an Asiatic tribe.
- Sinuhe was an assistant to King Amenemhat I who was the first king of the 12th Dynasty in Egypt (1991 – 1962 BCE).
- The tale begins with the death of Amenemhat and the news travels to his son Senusert I who is fighting to the East. Word of his death reaches the son and Sinuhe.
- Sinhue panics and is scared to return home as he is unaware of how the King died.
- He then flees to the east to go into exile.During the early years of Sinuhe’s exile, he runs into a man who is a leader of an Asiatic tribe called the Renetu.
- He is taken in and Sinuhe marries the leader’s eldest daughter and becomes a leader of his own tribe within the Renetu. After being chosen as a commander of the military, he completed the tasks set before him by the leader. These included battles, taking livestock, and taking prisoners. Sinuhe had multiple children and raised them into adulthood. As he aged he began to long to go back home to Egypt.
- Sinuhe returns to Egypt and walks through the capital and meets with the king. The king was pleased to see him and gave him a place to sleep and to clean up. As a Bedouin, Sinuhe had tattered clothes, long hair, and a beard. This look was not acceptable in Egypt as royalty and the upper elites were clean shaven men. The king forgave Sinuhe for fleeing his post and gave him the opportunity to become a part of the Egyptian elite. Sinuhe lives out his life in Egypt and is buried in a tomb for the elite class.
