Articule - Ethnic Identity in Ancient Egypt - Booth Charlotte

8/13/2019 Articule - Ethnic Identity in Ancient Egypt - Booth Charlotte

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EthnicIdentityinAncientEgyptCharlotteBoothMA

Thisunreferencedarticlehasbeenpresentedat theEgyptianCulturalBureauand

formspartoftheresearch formyPhD thesis.Theresearch is incompleteand Iam

stillworking

on

it

but

thought

it

may

be

interesting

for

some

people

to

be

able

to

readaboutthetheoreticalaspectsofEgyptology.

IntroductionThe subjectofethnicityandpersonal identity isoftenoverlooked in favourof the

juicier topics like religion, art and battles. However the ethnic identity of the

ancientEgyptianpeople is in facta fundamentalaspectofunderstandingwho the

Egyptians were and how their minds worked. This study investigates how the

Egyptiansviewedthemselvesandasksquestionssuchas;

1. WhatitwastobeEgyptian?2. HowtheEgyptiansclassifiedthemselvesandothers?

Personal identity is something thatweall take forgrantedand rarely ifever truly

examine in any depth. Most individuals feel they fall into a single category of

classificationsuchasbeingBritish,beingEgyptian,beingFrenchandsoonbut

whatisitthatclassifiesusintooneofthesecategories?

Usingmyselfasanexample,whatmakesmeBritish?

1. Is itbecause Iwasborn inBritain?Straightawayyouwouldthinkyesbutthis isNationalityand it ispossible forsomeone tobeBritishandyetborn

abroad.

2. Is itbecause I speakEnglish?Yesagainbut thenagainEnglish isalso thefirstlanguageoftheUSA,AustraliaandNewZealand.3. IsitbecauseIhaveanEnglishname?Yesbutthenagain,thenameCharlotte

derives from theFrenchalthough IhavenoFrenchrelatives,andBritonsof

otherethnicbackgroundsmaintaintheirculturalnamesbutareasBritishasI

am.

4. Isitbecauseofmyappearancewithfairhairandblueeyes?ThismayidentifymeasBritishbuttherearemanyBritonsofdifferentcoloursandappearances

sothiscanneverbeagoodindication.

5. Is itbecauseofmyculturemyreligious,social,andbehaviouraltraitsthatmake

me

British?

Again

yes

but

what

of

those

who

settle

in

Britain

who

adopt

thelanguage,cultureandbeliefsyetmaintaintheirforeignnationality?

PerhapsbeingBritishisacombinationofalloftheseornone.Selfidentityisnotsuch

aneasyquestiontoanswerasitappearsevenwhentryingtoapplyittoourselves

now imagine the difficulty when trying to apply this to individuals from ancient

Egypt. Inmodern timeswe have differentmethods of identifying such things as

nationality, likepassportsandbirthcertificates,whereasinancientEgypttherewas

nothingof thekind. In Egypt theyknew theethnicgroupsofeachotherenabling

themtoidentifypeopleasEgyptian,NubianorAsiaticforexample.Butwhatcriteria

were they using and is it possible for us to identify this criteria and apply it for

ourselvestotheirsociety?


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All of the evidencewe have regarding ethnicity in ancient Egypt comes from the

HellenisticperiodwhenitwasessentialtoidentifytheGreeksfromtheEgyptiansfor

taxation purposes. However in pharaonic Egypt this evidence is not common,

perhapsbecause identificationofethnicitywasnotconsideredas importantduring

this period. It is rare to find apharaonic text that refers to thenarrator asbeing

Egyptian.Normally

it

is

taken

as

red

that

the

narrator

or

scribe

is

an

Egyptian

and

thereforeitisonlynecessarytoidentifynonEgyptians.

Even inart theEgyptiansarepresented inanautonomous fashionand the

nonEgyptians in suchawayas to really standout from the crowd.TheEgyptians

representedthemselvesinartinthesamewayfromtheOldKingdomthroughtothe

endof thepharaonicperiod.Menwerepresentedwith redbrown skin,andblack

hair.Egyptianwomenareshownwithpalerskin,oftenyellow,alsowithblackhair.

BothEgyptianmenandwomenareprimarilyshownwearingpurewhite linen,with

the only colour added with the use of sashes, large coloured collars, and

headdresses.

NonEgyptians

on

the

other

hand

are

shown

in

brighter

costumes,

making

themstandoutfromthecrowdsofEgyptiansintheartwork.Nubiansweregenerally

portrayedinartwithdarkerskinthantheEgyptians,rangingfromreddishbrownto

black.Theyhaveshortblackcurlyhair,which laterdeveloped intotheNubianwig

favouredintheNewKingdomespeciallyinthecourtatAmarna.Theirclothesconsist

ofelaboratekiltsmadeofexoticanimalskins,suchaspantherorgiraffe.Theyoften

haveostrichplumes in theirhairandwear largegoldearrings.Thesecostumesas

well as identifying them as non Egyptian also reflect the produce of the Nubian

regionofwhichtheEgyptianswereparticularlyfond.

Asiaticswasaterm theEgyptiansusedtorefer topeople fromawidearea

includingthe

Levant,

Syria

and

Mesopotamia.

From

the

twenty

fifth

dynasty

this

termmayalsohave includedJewsalthoughtheywerenotknown inEgyptuntilthe

Persianperiod(after525BC)whentherewasagarrisonofJewishtroopsresidingand

worshipping at Elephantine. An archive has survived from this site giving a very

detailedoutlineofthelifeofthepeoplehere.

As the term covers such a wide area each specific group is identified

differentlyintheartwork.GenericAsiaticswereshownwithpaleskin,oftenyellow,

witheitherredorblackhair,ofteninamushroomhairstyle.Theyareoftendepicted

wearing brightly coloured clothes and cloaks, and the women are often shown

wearinglittlebootiessomethingunknowninEgyptianfashion.

Onesuch

group

are

the

Syrians

who

were

shown

with

fair

skin

(white

or

yellow), large beaky noses, long black hair, which brushed the shoulders, often

adornedwith coloured head bands and full black beards. Their clothes are either

madeofcolourful,patternedwoolwith fringes,and fullcloaks,ora threequarter

lengthkiltwitharedtrim.Oneof thesekiltswasactually found inTutankhamuns

tomb.

Anothergroupclassifiedunder the Asiaticumbrellawere theLibyanswho

werefurthersubdivided intothreetribes(theTjehenu,MeshweshandLibu).Libya

wasnotactuallyacountryatthetimebutratheranamewhichcoveredtheBedouin

tribes of the Western Desert. Each of these main tribes were displayed with

distinguishing

characteristics.

All

of

the

tribes

are

shown

with

fair

(yellow)

skin

and

pointedbeards,and insome instancesareshownwithfairhair(blondeorred)and

blueeyes.Theygenerallyhaveaquilinenosesandslopingforeheads.


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The Libu however are the most easily distinguished group of the Libyan

tribes.Theyhaveshorthaironlyreachingthenapeoftheneck,withalongsidelock

andfringe.Theseside locksaresometimeselaboratelyplaitedanddecorated.They

alsohavegeometrictattoosontheirforearmsandwearlongopendecoratedcloaks

andkilts.

EventhosenationalitiesthatwerenotcommonlyseeninEgyptwerepresentedina

verydistinctivefashionintheartwork. OnesuchgroupwerethosefromPunt.Punt

was referred to in the Egyptian language as the Gods Land in reference to the

producethatwasavailablethere. Itwaspossibletogetanythingofvalue fromthe

Puntites including,wood, animals, incense, gum, and ivory. People from Punt are

shownwithreddishbrownskinanddarkhair inthemannerofEgyptians,although

theyareshownwearingunusualkiltswithacentraltasselandaredtrim.

Anothergroupofpeoplewho theEgyptians tradedwithwere theCretans,

andalthough

not

common

in

art

are

shown

from

time

to

time.

They

are

often

shown

carrying the produce from their country in the formofjewellery, gold, silver and

lapisvessels,andjarsofoil.Theyarepresentedashaving similarcolouring to the

Egyptiansagainwithredbrownskinanddarkhair,althoughtheirhairiswaistlength

andhangsinlongcurledtendrils.TheirkiltsarethesameshapeasthePuntitesbut

highly decorated in coloured patterns. They are also shown wearing calflength

sandals,ratherliketheAsiaticwomen,somethingnotworninEgypt.

Although therearenumerouscharacteristicsused topresentnonEgyptians

inartsothattheyareeasilydistinguishablefromeachothertherearenormallyonly

aboutthree

scenarios

which

are

used

in

which

they

are

participating.

The

most

common,especiallyintheNewKingdomwerethetributescenes.Onaregularbasis

perhapsmore than annually, foreigndignitarieswereexpected tobring tribute to

theEgyptiankingintheformofproducelocaltotheircountry.

Foreigners were essential to the Egyptian economy, and two important

economical terms have been discovered that describe these tributary offerings.

Thesewere inwandb3kw(t). Inwweregiftsor tribute thatwentdirectly into the

kingsprivypurseandb3kw(t)wastributethatwentdirectlytothetempleandwas

thenredistributedtopayformilitarycampaignsorwages.

Inwwaspaidonanannualbasisbyrulersofvariousplaces (conqueredand

nonconquered

foreigners,

and

Egyptians),

directly

to

the

king.

Although

it

did

not

reflect Egyptian domination, the king did not view it as a transaction between

equals.Therewererulesastowhatcountedasinwandwhoqualifiedtogiveit,and

hadnoconnectionwithtraderelationships.

The economic income known as b3kw(t),was different andwas delivered

directlytothetemple,ratherthanthroughthekingsprivypurse.B3kw(t)couldbe

donated to a particular temple, temple department, deity, or for a particular

purpose.Once it reached the temple itwas redistributed to pay themilitary and

other rations for thecommonpeople.The temples couldalsouse this income for

templerepairs,orforrawmaterialforstatues.

Although

b3kw(t)

tribute

does

not

require

that

the

Egyptians

have

conquered

the area, the redistributive system required an Egyptian temple to organise local

distribution.ThiskindofstructureappearstohavebeenpresentthroughoutNubia,


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Byblos,and inSouthernSinai intheeighteenthdynasty. In theRammessideperiod

thissystemextendedtoPalestine.Thisthereforesuggeststhattherewasaconstant

Egyptian presence in these regions both religious ormilitary.Many tombs in the

Theban necropolis depict such scenes where there are rows of foreign leaders

paradingbeforethekingortombownertheirarmsladenwithgoods.

Another common representation is thatof theking smitinghisenemies to

showhisdominationoverthebarbariccountriesoutsideoftheboundariesofEgypt.

Therearetwotypesofsmitingscenesthemosttraditionalbeingthekinggripping

theenemybythehairashepreparestoclubhimwithhismaceraisedoverhishead.

Theotheristhekingsuppressingtheenemyinbattle,byrunningoverthemwithhis

chariot,orphysicallycapturingtheminbattle.

Theboundcaptivemotiveisanothercommonrepresentationagainshowing

thekingsdominationoverforeigners,symbolicofdominationoverchaos.Thebound

captivehasmany formseitherasaparadeofprisoners captured inbattle,with

theirarms

tethered

in

imaginative

ways,

as

bound

individuals

beneath

the

feet

of

the

kingonfootstools,andsandals,orasaboundoval withtheovalrepresentativeof

theenclosurewallofatown,withthenameofthetownwithinit.Aboundindividual

formsthetopoftheovalshowingthatthetownhasbeencapturedandisunderthe

controloftheEgyptianking.

ThisdominationbytheEgyptiankingofnonEgyptiansisalsoreflectedinthe

language used to describe them in the official texts. Themost telling linguistical

termsarethoseusedtodescribetheEgyptians.TheyweredescribedasrmTsimply

translated as people whereas there were distinctive terms for those of non

Egyptianorigins.

This inferiority ismade clear in the New Kingdom Instruction of Aniwho

comparesforeignerstoanimals;

OneteachestheNubiantospeakEgyptian,

TheSyrianandotherstrangerstoo.

SayIshalldolikeallbeasts

Listenandlearnwhattheydo

This indicates that foreignerswere not considered to be humanor Egyptian but

somethingless.

In addition to such ablanket descriptionofnonEgyptians therewere also

morespecific

descriptions

of

the

individual

ethnic

groups.

In

the

Middle

Kingdom

kingSenusretdescribes theNubiansasCravenWretchesand inmost traditional

texts from that date onwards they were presented as cowards and wretched

helpingtodefinetheEgyptiansgoodqualitiesofbraveryandsuperiority.

IntraditionaltextsAsiaticsarepresentedasstrangecreatureswhoroamthe

land; a land hostile and barbaric to the Egyptian mind. The Middle Kingdom

InstructionofKingMerikarelamentstheirwanderingBedouinnature;

LothemiserableAsiatic,

Heiswretchedbecauseoftheplacehesin

Shortofwater,bareofwood

Its

paths

are

many

and

painful

because

of

mountains

Hedoesnotdwellinoneplace

Foodpropelshislegs


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HefightssincethetimeofHorus

Notconquering,notbeingconquered

Hedoesnotannouncethedayofcombat

Likeathiefwhodartsaboutagroup.

WhereasMerikare

here

seems

to

have

acertain

amount

of

sympathy

for

the

Asiatic lifestyle in comparison to the civilised lifestyle of the Egyptians the First

Intermediate Period Prophecy of Neferti accuses the wandering Asiatic tribes of

beingopportunistswhotakeadvantageoftheleastweakness;

AstrangebirdwillbreedintheDeltaMarsh

havingmadeitsnestbesidethepeople

Thepeoplelettingitapproachbydefault

Thenperishthosedelightfulthings

Thefishpondsfulloffisheaters

Teemingwithfishandfowl

Allhappiness

has

vanished

Thelandisboweddownindistress

Owingtothosefeeders

Asiaticswhoroamtheland

FoeshaverisenintheEast

AsiaticshavecomedownintoEgypt

The Libyans were viewed in a very different manner to the Asiatics. They were

greatlyfearedbytheEgyptiansandrecordsshowthat iftheywereevenspotted in

theWesternDesert those living in the villageofDeirelMedinawenton strikeas

theydidnotwanttoleavethesafetyofthevillage.Althoughtheywerefeared,the

Libyanswere

still

presented

in

texts

as

being

cowards

who

were

in

fact

afraid

of

the

Egyptians;

Wehaveheard itsaidofEgyptfromthetimeofourfathersfather: She is

onewhobreaksourback.Wehavebeggedourowndeathbyourownchoice.

Ourveryownlegshavecarriedustothefire

ThisimagehoweveristotallybeliedbythebloodybattlesofMerenptahandRamses

III,andtheLibyans latercontroloverEgypt;showingtheywerenotthecowardsof

thetextsbutrathercommendableadversaries.

Although therewere numerous other races encountered by the Egyptians

(including Cretans, Puntites, Persian, Carians and even Indians in the Ptolemaic

period),the

races

discussed

so

far

were

considered

the

main

threats

to

the

Egyptian borders and from an early period the king was depicted overpowering

them.Otherswere either viewed as too far away to cause a threatorwerejust

associatedwithtradeandtribute.

Although contactwas sometimes limited between the Egyptians andother

statestheystillreferredtotheminaderogatoryfashion.TheEgyptians,forexample,

believethepeopleofPuntknownothingofmankind(mankindbeingtheEgyptians)

showingtheirignoranceofcivilisation.

CountriesoutsideoftheEgyptianborderswerepresentedintextsandofficial

imagesasbeingchaoticandinhabitedbybarbarianswhereasEgyptwasgovernedby

the

rule

of

Maat,

and

therefore

was

considered

righteous

to

subjugate

foreign

countriesasawayofmaintainingorderoverchaos.


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WhatitistobeEgyptianFrom these images,both literaryandartistically, it isclear to seewhat the

officialopinionofnonEgyptianswasbutitisalsopossibletoidentifywhatitwasto

be Egyptian.Aswe heard in reference to Punt being ignorant ofMankind, or

Egyptiansandtheirwayofflifeinstantlymadeyouabarbarianlivingoutsideofthe

civilisedworld

so

from

an

Egyptian

viewpoint

to

be

Egyptian

was

to

be

superior.

ThereforeweneedtolookatthedescriptionsofwhatiswrongwithnonEgyptians

todiscoverwhatisrightwiththeEgyptians.

In theMiddleKingdomstoryofSinuhe,wecanseebyhisactionswhenhe

returnstoEgyptwhataspectoftheculturesettheAsiaticsapartfromtheEgyptians;

Yearswereremovedfrommybody.Iwasshaved,myhairwascombed.Thus

wasmysqualorreturnedtotheforeignland,mydresstothe sand

farers. Iwasclothed infine linen; Iwasanointedwithfineoil. Islept

onabed

The firsthalfof thisparagraph indicates thatwhilsthe livedamongst theAsiatics,

eventhough

he

was

atribal

chief

and

married

into

awealthy

family

he

lived

in

squalor.Thesecondhalfofthenarrativedescribesthe luxuriesconsiderednormal

foranEgyptianshowingadistinctdifferencebetweenthetwocultures;consistingof

washing,andbeingcleanshavenandbeingadornedincleanlinen.

As in the paragraph from the Instruction of king Merikara the Bedouin

lifestyle of the Asiatics is commented on in Sinuhe by hisjoy at the prospect of

sleepinginabed,indicatingthattheBedouinsdidnot.

Examiningmoreofthe InstructionofMerikarawecan learna littlemoreof

thecultureoftheEgyptiansandhowitdiffersfromthatoftheAsiatics.

HestatestheAsiaticiswretchedbecause;

Short of water, bare of wood whereas the Egyptians had water and wood in

abundanceduetotheNileandthesubsidiarycanalsandanywoodtheyneedednot

availableinEgyptwouldbeimported.

Itspathsaremanyandpainful becauseofmountains the landscapeof theNile

Valley on the other hand is relatively flat, and just surrounded by mountains

separatingthedesertfromthefertileland.

TheAsiatic does not dwell in oneplace Foodpropels his legs whereas the

Egyptianis

settled

within

acommunity

and

there

is

food

abundant.

HefightssincethetimeofHorus,Notconquering,notbeingconqueredalthoughof

an aggressive nature, the Asiatics are neither the victors or the victims butjust

fighting tomaintain their lifestyle fighting simply to survivewhereaswhen the

Egyptiansfightthereispurposetoiteithertodefendortoconquer.

AnothermainpointofdifferencebetweenEgyptiansandnonEgyptians is religion.

TheHyksos rulers of Egypt in the second intermediate periodwere described by

Hatshepsut in the SpeosArtemdios inscription as ignorant of Re indicating their

barbaric

status.

If

they

had

knowledge

of

Re

this

would

be

seen

as

a

saving

grace

but

tolivewithouttheEgyptiangodswastolivewithoutorderintheirlives.


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These images (textual and artistic) are based on the official representations of

foreigners and Egyptians which are primarily used as proEgyptian propaganda

presentingtheEgyptiansassuperiortotherestoftheknownworldandisinfactno

reflectionontherealpopulationdynamicsofEgypt.Evidenceshowsthattherewere

anumberofforeignersactuallylivinginEgyptregardlessoftheofficialopinionon

nonEgyptians.

A group of nonEgyptians living in Egypt from the Old Kingdom onwards,

weretheMedjayNubians.BythebeginningofXVIIIdynastytheyweremercenaries

inthearmyandbythereignofThutmosisIIIandAmenhotepIItheMedjayNubians

policed the ThebanWestern Desert. In theNew Kingdom theirmainjobwas to

patroltheValleyoftheKingsandpreventtombrobberiesfromoccurring.Outof35

Chiefsof theMedjayof the tomb thatwehave recordsofonlya fewhavenon

Egyptian names but is believed that most of the Medjay Nubians changed their

namestoEgyptianonesastheybecamemoreacculturated intosociety.Bytheend

of the New kingdom the term Medjay no longer meant Nubian but changed to

simplymean

police

force,

as

there

were

so

many

Nubians

in

the

occupation

for

there

tobeashiftinlanguageinterpretation.

AnothercommonroleforforeignerswithintheEgyptianpopulationwasthat

ofsoldierandthere isasplendidscene in theeighteenthdynastytombofTjanuny

(TT74)which shows a group of fiveNubianmercenaries from the Egyptian army.

Tjanunywas the Royal Scribe, and Commander of Soldiers during the reign of

Thutmosis IV. They are shown in the process ofmarching and four of them are

brandishingsticks intheirrighthands.The fifthmercenary isholdingastandardof

theirregimentwhichdepictstwomenwrestling.Themercenariesarealldepictedin

a reddish brown colour typical of representations of Egyptians. To differentiate

betweenthe

mercenaries

they

are

shown

in

alternate

shades

of

darker

reddish

brownanda lightershade, so thereareno limbsof thesamecolournext toeach

other.Theyarenotdifferentiatedhowever, fromthesurroundingEgyptianmilitary

bycolour,onlybytheirdistinguishingcharacteristics.

Theirprotrudingstomachscouldbeanindicationoftheirstatusshowingthey

were leadingasettledandcomfortable life.Theyareallwearingshortwhite linen

kilts with a net overskirt with a leather patch over the posterior which acts as

limitedprotection.Theyalsohavethecuriouscatstailsattachedtotheirkneesand

also to thewaistbandof their kilts. They allhave long, hair characteristicof their

statusassoldiers.

AnotherNubian

military

group

were

the

Aaw

foreign

speakers,

of

which

thename indicates language isaclearmarkerofanonEgyptian.Thisgroupwere

settledsouthernmercenariesemployed in thearmy.ANubiancemeteryhasbeen

discovered at Gebelein. This First Intermediate Period community of Nubian

mercenarieslivedandwereburiedalongsidetheEgyptianpopulation,andregardless

of theirNubianorigins theychose tobeburied incompletelyEgyptian fashion. In

thesestelae theNubianmercenariesareshownasNubianwithdarkerskin,bushy

hair,whitekiltswithelaborate sashes,distinctive to thisgroupofNubiansoldiers.

Theirwives,alsorepresentedonthestelaearegenerallyallshownasEgyptian,with

yellowskinandlonglinendressesandsuggeststhattheymarriedlocalwomen.

Due

to

the

close

proximity

of

Gebelein

to

Nubia

the

Nubians

were

probably

not so inclined to present themselves as Egyptians as the Nubian groups living

furthernorthdid.


8/11

AnotherNubianwho isevident in thearchaeological recordwhoalsoadopted the

EgyptianreligionandburialpracticeswastheroyalfanbearerMaiherperi.

Althoughonlyafanbearerhewasactuallyinahighpositionandwasgreatly

reveredbythekingheworkedfor,ashewasgivenaburialintheValleyoftheKings

inthe

eighteenth

dynasty

during

the

reign

of

either

Amenhotep

IIor

Thutmosis

IV.

Thefanbearerwasintheclosecompanyofthekingatalltimesandheaccompanied

himinpublic.Itisthoughtthathemayhaveactedasapersonalbodyguardasfan

bearersweresometimesarmedwithaxesforthesepublicappearances.

There isnodoubt thatMaiherperiwas amilitary trainedmanashis tomb

containedtwoquiverswith50arrowseachmadeof leatherembossedwithAsiatic

designs as well as wrist guards and in fact his name translates as "lion of the

battlefield."Hewasalsooneof theearliestholdersof the title fanbearer to the

king"and itwasa titleoftenheldby theViceroyofKushhimself.Maiherperiwas

called the "childof thenursery,"normallyused todesignatea foreignprincewho

hadbeen

raised

from

an

early

age

in

Egypt.

It

could

be

suggested

that

Maiherperi

was an exampleof a childof aNubian vassal ruler being brought to Egypt to be

raised at court and then returned to their country remaining loyal to Egypt.

Maiherperihadthereforebeenraised intheroyalcourtwiththeroyalprinces,and

wouldhavebeenachildhoodfriendofthekingwhomheservedunder.Hewasalso

buriedwithacopyof theBookof theDeadwherehe is representedasaNubian

wearingEgyptianclothes.

NotalloftheforeignerslivinginEgyptwereNubianalthoughtheyweremore

common in the south than thenorth. In thenorth, specifically in theDelta region

therewere largepocketsonAsiatics.Althoughmoreprominent in thenorth they

werealso

living

at

Deir

el

Medina

in

the

south.

AlthoughtheEgyptiansgreatlyfearedtheLibyansandthereareanumberof

textsreportinginactivityoftheworkmen,duetotheMeshwesharrivingorbeing

seen in the area, there is no surviving record of any aggressive activity by the

Meshwesh that instigated this fear. Despite this therewere a number of people

living in Deir el Medina with Libyan names, from different periods of the New

Kingdom.OneoftheLibyannameswasknr/lwhichwascommonthroughoutEgypt

andtherewerethirteenpeopleinthevillagewiththename.OneoftheLibyansfrom

DeirelMedinarosetothepositionofChiefWorkman.HewasnamedDidi,andhe

was married to Taweret, who was probably Egyptian and they had two sons

Amennakhtand

Penduau

which

are

both

Egyptian

names.

Penduau

however

had

ason called Knr, and indicates his Libyanorigins. Tomb and funerary goods ofDidi

identifyhimasaLibyan.

IntermarriagesbetweenEgyptiansandLibyansseemtohavebeencommon.

AndevenHerihor,theViceroyofNubiaunderRamsesXIalthoughofEgyptianorigin

mayhavebeenmarried toaLibyanwoman.HiswifeNedjmet,althoughhavingan

Egyptianname,wasprobablyLibyanasfiveoftheirsonshaveLibyannames.

TherewerealsoanumberofCanaanites living inEgypt,especially in the

Deltaregion,althoughthere isevenevidenceofthematDeirelMedina.Herethey

tendedtoholdmenialpositionsbutinthewidercontextofThebestheyseemedto

hold

more

powerful

positions.

For

example

a

Canaanite,

Zabku,

originally

was

a

chapel scribe who rose to Scribe of the vizier. From the 22 masculine and 10

feminine names of Canaanite origin at Deir el Medina 9 of the women were


9/11

housewivesmarriedtoEgyptianworkmenandthe10thwasaservantforoneofthe

gangs. 1manwas a necropolis guard, 2menwere gardeners, and the restwere

workmen;soallwerelowleveljobs.

OneAsiatichoweverrisingtoapositionofpowerandstatuswasKerem.He

wasanewcomertoEgyptashewasgiventheEgyptiannameGeregwasetwhich

meanssettled

in

Thebes.

He

held

the

position

of

doorkeeper

at

the

chapel

of

HathorintheTempleofThutmosisIIIatThebes.Thistitledemonstratedloyaltytoa

religiouscult,aswellasawellpaidposition.Keremalsoheldthetitleofscribeand

isshownholdingascribalpaletteindicatinghewasliterateintheEgyptianlanguage

aswellashisnativeAsiatictongue.Thisalsosuggestshereceivedformalteachingof

hisscribalskillsindicatingitwasnotlimitedtoEgyptians.

TherewerealsoanumberofSyrians livingwithinEgyptbothasmerchants

andinthearmy.InfactthereweresomanySyrianmerchantsinEgyptthattheword

forhaggle intheEgyptian languagewastodobusiness intheSyriantongueand

there were in fact a large number of Asiatic words adopted into the Egyptian

language.

In the army therewere anumberof regiments comprisingof thrw a term

which referred to Sea Peoples, Syrians and Hittites. Artistic representations also

indicate thereweremixed troopsofEgyptiansand foreigners,meaning they lived

andtrainedtogetherwhichaidedtheforeignersintegrationintosociety.Syriansare

recordedasbeinginbothmixedtroopsandthosemadeentirelyofforeigners.

One stelabelonging toaSyrianmercenary showshimwithaspearupright

behindhimand indicates thathewas in the infantry,butalso thathewasable to

amassenoughwealth toproduceastela, toownametalstraw,andaservant.He

alsomarried an Egyptianwoman.Althoughmostof the inscription ismissing, his

wifesname

irbw3

could

be

Egyptian,

and

she

is

also

shown

using

Egyptian

artistic

characteristics.ThemercenaryontheotherhandrepresentshimselfasaSyrianand

callshimselftheSyrianwarrior.

SyriansatDeirelMedinahoweverallbelongedtothelowerlevelsofsociety.

TheSyrianwomenwereallhousewives,orweremarried toworkmen. Itcouldbe

suggested that those of Syrian origin or ancestry were not given the same

opportunitiesastheEgyptianinhabitantsofDeirelMedina,oritcouldsimplybethat

asmost positionswere passed down from father to son, and therefore any new

families in thevillage,had to startwith the lowerpositionsuntil theyeitherwere

promotedormarriedintoafamilywithahigherposition.

Itis

also

recorded

that

certain

household

positions

were

filled

with

Syrians.

ForexampleyoungmenfromKerke(nearKadesh inSyria)werehighlyfavouredas

butlersandEgyptiankingspreferred foreignbutlersas theyhadnoconnectionsof

theirownwithinEgypt,andthereforeweredependentonthekingandwasawayof

ensuringloyalty.

In the rest of the Theban area, Syrians held various powerful positions

including scribes of the vizier, priests, and palace officials. Syrian scribes were

common in theNewKingdomtreasury,andaSyriancalledBenanathbecamethe

ChiefPhysicianandworkedintheperankh.ThisindicatesthatSyriansdidhavethe

sameopportunitiesastheEgyptians,andwereabletogainpositionsofpowerand

wealth

if

their

abilities

enabled

them

to

do

the

job,

and

firmly

suggests

that

opportunitieswerebasedonabilitynotnationality.


10/11

Although there are numerous foreigners present and identifiable in the

archaeologicalrecordaslivinginEgyptthereareprobablyalargernumberwhichare

nolongeridentifiableastheywere acculturatedintotheEgyptiancommunity.There

was a certain process of acculturation for those entering Egypt, regardless of

whethertheycameasPrisonersofWarorvoluntarily.The firstpartoftheprocess

wasto

adopt

the

Egyptian

language,

then

the

religion

and

burial

practices

and

the

finalpartoftheprocesswastochangetheirnametoanEgyptianone.

Theofficialprocessofacculturationhasnotsurvivedandwecanonlymake

inferencesabout itsexistence.Therearehowever indications thatcanhelpusput

this process together. InscriptionsofRamses III atMedinetHabuexplain the first

partoftheprocessinregardstoPrisonersofWar;

Theywereplacedinstrongholdsofthemightyking,thattheymighthearthe

talkof thepeoplefollowing theking.Hesuppressed their language,so they

didnotgobacktoit.

ThisindicatesthatoneofthemainconcernswhenEgyptianisingaforeignerwasthe

language.In

order

for

them

to

be

useful

to

and

belong

in

the

society;

whether

as

a

servant or soldier they need to understand Egyptian. This clearly involved an

intensive coursewhere theywere not permitted to use their own language. The

Egyptiantextsoftenrefertoforeigntonguesas iaAwbabblingorbraying inthe

samemannerasdonkeys.

Someof the foreignersenteringEgypt, likeKeremwouldhavealso learn to

read Egyptian too enabling them a scribal career.Whilst theywere learning the

language the immigrants would also be learning the culture of the Egyptians,

primarilyfromlivingwithinthecommunity,eitherinthemilitarybarracksorvillages.

This integration within the community enabled them to inter marry with native

Egyptiansand

this

was

perfectly

acceptable

within

the

community.

Thewaytotellanacculturatedforeigneristhroughinvestigatingthematerial

cultureinvolved intheir lifestyle,andthefirstthingstodisappearweretheirnative

pottery, jewellery and funerary assemblages. Therefore a semiacculturated

foreignermaywearEgyptianclothes,andfashionablewigsbutmaystillbeadorned

withtheirnativejewelleryandbeusingnativecookingpotsinthehome.

The change in language, culturalpractices and religious beliefsmay take a

little longerbutareunidentifiable from thearchaeologicalrecord.Thismeans that

thearchaeologicalrecordmayshowanumberofforeignartefactssuchasjewellery

and pottery but will not reflect the language, or beliefs of the individual. This

providesabiased

view

of

the

number

of

foreigners

in

Egypt.

There

are

however

afewexamplesofhybridforeigners;thosewhoareintheprocessofacculturationbut

havenotquitereachedtotalEgyptianisation.Thisgroupofindividualsareinessence

intheirown littleethnicgroup,whichcouldbegiventheepithetofpostNubianor

exNubian forexample.An example comes from the tombofHuy, theViceroyof

Nubia under Tutankhamun, which shows Egyptianised Nubian royalty wearing

EgyptiantunicsandwigsbutlotsofNubiangoldjewelleryandcatstailshangingfrom

theirarms.

OnceaforeignerhasbecometotallyEgyptianiseditisimpossibletotellthem

apart from the true Egyptians. Therefore if it impossible to tell thenonEgyptians

from

the

Egyptians

then

surely

they

are

Egyptian.

The

final

part

of

the

acculturisation

processwastoadoptanEgyptiannameandoncethishasbeendonetheyaretotally

unidentifiable fromotherEgyptians. It isoftenonlywhen texts identifynationality,


11/11

(e.g. Asiatic born in Egypt, or the Nubian N), that it is possible to classify these

foreignindividuals.

WhenthesetitlesarenotusedandthenamesareEgyptianthentheforeign

origins are lost. Ithas alsobeen suggested that theseepithets themselvesdonot

necessarilymeananythinginreferencetotheculturalpractices,beliefs,orbehaviour

ofthe

individual

and

may

be

simply

amark

of

familial

connections

as

we

saw

with

theViceroy ofNubiaHerihor,who children had Libyan names butwere raised in

EgyptasEgyptians.

During the earlyRamessideperiod atDeirelMedina, anumberof foreign

individuals are identified through foreign names, but the families slowly become

moreEgyptianisedandbythetwentiethdynastythefamiliesstopusingtheirnative

namesandadoptEgyptianonesmeaningthetrailoftheirfamilytreeandoriginsare

masked.

So it isclear fromthisabbreviatedstudyonethnic identity inancientEgypt

that it is a complicated subject. Therefore to answer the questions posed at the

beginningof

the

talk

we

need

to

look

at

the

definition

of

an

Egyptian.

The

Egyptians

referred to themselves as people and classified other nations barbarianism

according to theirdifferences therefore if someone babbled rather than spoke

the Egyptian language, lived in ignorance of Ra or did not follow the Egyptian

religion,andwereidentifiablebytheirunusualcostumestheywereconsideredtobe

nonEgyptiansandwerecategorisedassuch.

However ifyouspokeEgyptian, followedEgyptian fashionsandcultureand

adoptedthereligiousbeliefsandburialpracticesoftheEgyptiansthenyouwouldbe

classifiedasrmTaperson,oranEgyptian.Asanumberofforeigners,whochanged

theirnames tonativeEgyptiannamesaretotally indistinguishable fromtherestof

theEgyptian

population

then

they

must

also

have

been

considered

Egyptian

by

the

Egyptian communityentitling them to the sameopportunities,and status as an

Egyptianbornindividual.

Thereforethisindicatesthatratherthanbeingxenophobicasthepropaganda

texts would suggest the Egyptians were in fact very accepting to any foreign

immigrantsproviding theywereprepared tobecome Egyptian.Assimilationwas

not instantaneous, and the programme of integration would have been

encouraged. Problems between native Egyptians and foreign cultures within the

community only occurred when a group maintained their ethnic identity and

separateness from Egyptian society. So for example the Jewish community on

Elephantinesacrificed

lambs

which

offended

the

Egyptan

Khnumn

worshippers

there

andin410BCEgyptianpriestsdemandedthatthetempleofYahwehbedestroyed.

Despitethisincident,Persianconquerors,GreeksandotherJewsallshowedsignsof

Egyptianisation,mainlyduetowidespreadintermarriagebythistime.

The willingness of the Egyptians to accept anyone into their society is

reflected by the adoption of foreign terminology into the Egyptian language. For

example theMedjayNubianswere so common in themilitary that the term soon

cametomeanpoliceforcewithnoethnicconnotationsandthewordforhaggling

was todobusiness in theSyriantongueas theSyrians inEgyptwereoften in the

roles ofmerchants. This easy acceptance into societyof anyonewilling to accept

Egypt

as

their

home

and

to

adopt

their

customs

as

their

own

is

something

that

sets

Egypt apart fromothernations andmakes ancient Egyptoneof theearliest truly

multiculturalsociety.

Documents

Articule - Ethnic Identity in Ancient Egypt - Booth Charlotte