Sinuhe: A Fugitive from AncientEgypt

Abstract

The Tale of Sinuhe was written in the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (c. 1975–1640 bce ). It is the tale of an Egyptian courtier who, in a moment of abject terror during a political crisis, deserts his Egyptian lord, and abandons Egyptian culture and Egypt itself. He travels into Syria‐Palestine, and builds a new life for himself as a tribal leader among foreign peoples, adopting local culture. The vividly told tale is an exciting story of adventure in foreign climes, but it is also a profound reflection on what it means to be an Egyptian, and an examination of the complex (and often incomprehensible) motivations that drive human action. The ancient Egyptians considered this tale to be one of the “classic” literary works of their culture, and read it over a period of at least 750 years.