Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0011
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Unless new related documents come to light, the reason P. Louvre E 7850 was deposited in the archive will remain a mystery. Many other questions also remain unanswered. If the god's father Djekhy, ...
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Unless new related documents come to light, the reason P. Louvre E 7850 was deposited in the archive will remain a mystery. Many other questions also remain unanswered. If the god's father Djekhy, the addressee, was indeed the son of Iturech, what happened to his father? Why does the archive of Djekhy & Son end with this letter in 533 BCE? Is there any connection with the Persian invasion of 525 BCE? In 526 BCE the forty-four year reign of Amasis had ended.Less
Unless new related documents come to light, the reason P. Louvre E 7850 was deposited in the archive will remain a mystery. Many other questions also remain unanswered. If the god's father Djekhy, the addressee, was indeed the son of Iturech, what happened to his father? Why does the archive of Djekhy & Son end with this letter in 533 BCE? Is there any connection with the Persian invasion of 525 BCE? In 526 BCE the forty-four year reign of Amasis had ended.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The papyri from the archive of Djekhy & Son proper were all written during the reign of Pharaoh Amasis. Between 570 and 534 BCE the documentary evidence is so complete that we can follow Djekhy & Son ...
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The papyri from the archive of Djekhy & Son proper were all written during the reign of Pharaoh Amasis. Between 570 and 534 BCE the documentary evidence is so complete that we can follow Djekhy & Son almost from year to year.Many papyri from the original Eisenlohr collection have been published in isolation since their acquisition by the Louvre in 1885. Until recently, however, the archive has largely been studied in fragments; nobody knew what it would yield if looked at as a whole.Less
The papyri from the archive of Djekhy & Son proper were all written during the reign of Pharaoh Amasis. Between 570 and 534 BCE the documentary evidence is so complete that we can follow Djekhy & Son almost from year to year.Many papyri from the original Eisenlohr collection have been published in isolation since their acquisition by the Louvre in 1885. Until recently, however, the archive has largely been studied in fragments; nobody knew what it would yield if looked at as a whole.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Water was essential in these funerary cults. In the Old Kingdom (2575–2134 BCE) people passing the tombs in the necropolis were called upon by the deceased themselves: “You, who are still living on ...
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Water was essential in these funerary cults. In the Old Kingdom (2575–2134 BCE) people passing the tombs in the necropolis were called upon by the deceased themselves: “You, who are still living on earth and are passing this grave, pour some water for me!” The choachyte (‘water-pourer’) Djekhy son of Tesmontu was part of an ancient Egyptian tradition. The importance of water in Egypt was well known. A low Nile meant starvation. When Djekhy brought his libations—and no doubt beer, bread, and other foodstuffs as well—to the dead in the Theban necropolis this tradition had already spanned thousands of years.Less
Water was essential in these funerary cults. In the Old Kingdom (2575–2134 BCE) people passing the tombs in the necropolis were called upon by the deceased themselves: “You, who are still living on earth and are passing this grave, pour some water for me!” The choachyte (‘water-pourer’) Djekhy son of Tesmontu was part of an ancient Egyptian tradition. The importance of water in Egypt was well known. A low Nile meant starvation. When Djekhy brought his libations—and no doubt beer, bread, and other foodstuffs as well—to the dead in the Theban necropolis this tradition had already spanned thousands of years.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Apart from the early papyri written between c. 675 and 572 BCE, the archive of Djekhy & Son also contains other documents seemingly unconnected with either Djekhy or Iturech. They cannot have ended ...
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Apart from the early papyri written between c. 675 and 572 BCE, the archive of Djekhy & Son also contains other documents seemingly unconnected with either Djekhy or Iturech. They cannot have ended up in the archive by chance. Many are closely linked in various ways, dealing with agricultural enterprises sometimes involving choachytes; like the papers of Djekhy & Son, they were written in the middle of the sixth century; and they all come from Thebes.Less
Apart from the early papyri written between c. 675 and 572 BCE, the archive of Djekhy & Son also contains other documents seemingly unconnected with either Djekhy or Iturech. They cannot have ended up in the archive by chance. Many are closely linked in various ways, dealing with agricultural enterprises sometimes involving choachytes; like the papers of Djekhy & Son, they were written in the middle of the sixth century; and they all come from Thebes.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Djekhy's son Iturech had taken over Djekhy & Son and had become the new owner of the archive. On the basis of what we know from other sources, it is likely that Iturech was regularly involved in the ...
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Djekhy's son Iturech had taken over Djekhy & Son and had become the new owner of the archive. On the basis of what we know from other sources, it is likely that Iturech was regularly involved in the family business from his tenth birthday onward. Documents like P. Louvre E 7861 and 7848—both dealing with Djekhy's business quarrels—would have been useful tools for Djekhy to teach his son how to navigate the ancient Egyptian business world.We know from their business dealings that both men were skilled at accounting. We do not know, however, whether either Djekhy or Iturech could write. Literacy rates were very low in ancient Egypt.Less
Djekhy's son Iturech had taken over Djekhy & Son and had become the new owner of the archive. On the basis of what we know from other sources, it is likely that Iturech was regularly involved in the family business from his tenth birthday onward. Documents like P. Louvre E 7861 and 7848—both dealing with Djekhy's business quarrels—would have been useful tools for Djekhy to teach his son how to navigate the ancient Egyptian business world.We know from their business dealings that both men were skilled at accounting. We do not know, however, whether either Djekhy or Iturech could write. Literacy rates were very low in ancient Egypt.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0007
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The Theban choachytes were all members of a local association. P. Louvre E 7840 is the oldest evidence that such associations existed. There also exist later demotic papyri dealing with similar ...
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The Theban choachytes were all members of a local association. P. Louvre E 7840 is the oldest evidence that such associations existed. There also exist later demotic papyri dealing with similar clubs, among which one of the most famous is P. Berlin 3115, written between 109 and 106BCE to record important decisions made by the Theban choachytes in the second century BCE.Less
The Theban choachytes were all members of a local association. P. Louvre E 7840 is the oldest evidence that such associations existed. There also exist later demotic papyri dealing with similar clubs, among which one of the most famous is P. Berlin 3115, written between 109 and 106BCE to record important decisions made by the Theban choachytes in the second century BCE.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0009
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The cattle keeper of the Domain of Montu Petemontu son of Pawakhamun was a preferred supplier of Djekhy & Son. He is known from an earlier visit to the scribes of the Domain of Amun in the district ...
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The cattle keeper of the Domain of Montu Petemontu son of Pawakhamun was a preferred supplier of Djekhy & Son. He is known from an earlier visit to the scribes of the Domain of Amun in the district of Coptos in May 536 BCE. He was there to pay the harvest tax for the 537–536 season, together with his own brother and the owner of the land, the choachyte Iturech son of Djekhy.Less
The cattle keeper of the Domain of Montu Petemontu son of Pawakhamun was a preferred supplier of Djekhy & Son. He is known from an earlier visit to the scribes of the Domain of Amun in the district of Coptos in May 536 BCE. He was there to pay the harvest tax for the 537–536 season, together with his own brother and the owner of the land, the choachyte Iturech son of Djekhy.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Djekhy & Son, two businessmen living 2500 years ago in the densely populated neighborhoods built around the great temple of Amun at Karnak, worked as funerary service providers in the necropolis on ...
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Djekhy & Son, two businessmen living 2500 years ago in the densely populated neighborhoods built around the great temple of Amun at Karnak, worked as funerary service providers in the necropolis on the western bank of the Nile. They were also successful agricultural entrepreneurs, cultivating flax and grain. In 1885, the German Egyptologist August Eisenlohr acquired a unique collection of papyri that turned out to be Djekhy's archive of mainly legal documents. Using this rich trove of evidence, augmented by many other sources, the author has painted a vivid picture of life in ancient Egypt between 570 and 534 BCE, during the little-known Saite period. Approaching the subject from both business and personal aspects, he gives us a fresh look at some facets of ancient Egypt that have mostly been hidden from view-such as putting up one's children as security for a loan.Less
Djekhy & Son, two businessmen living 2500 years ago in the densely populated neighborhoods built around the great temple of Amun at Karnak, worked as funerary service providers in the necropolis on the western bank of the Nile. They were also successful agricultural entrepreneurs, cultivating flax and grain. In 1885, the German Egyptologist August Eisenlohr acquired a unique collection of papyri that turned out to be Djekhy's archive of mainly legal documents. Using this rich trove of evidence, augmented by many other sources, the author has painted a vivid picture of life in ancient Egypt between 570 and 534 BCE, during the little-known Saite period. Approaching the subject from both business and personal aspects, he gives us a fresh look at some facets of ancient Egypt that have mostly been hidden from view-such as putting up one's children as security for a loan.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Djekhy and his son Iturech were funerary priests who were paid to bring offerings to the dead. Today we would call them funerary service providers. They appear to have been prominent figures in the ...
More
Djekhy and his son Iturech were funerary priests who were paid to bring offerings to the dead. Today we would call them funerary service providers. They appear to have been prominent figures in the Theban choachytes' scene of the sixth century BCE. The personal and business archive of Djekhy & Son was found as part of a cache of documents related to the Theban choachytes, the earliest of which date as far back as 675 BCE, generations before Djekhy's time.Less
Djekhy and his son Iturech were funerary priests who were paid to bring offerings to the dead. Today we would call them funerary service providers. They appear to have been prominent figures in the Theban choachytes' scene of the sixth century BCE. The personal and business archive of Djekhy & Son was found as part of a cache of documents related to the Theban choachytes, the earliest of which date as far back as 675 BCE, generations before Djekhy's time.
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164774
- eISBN:
- 9781617971259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164774.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Papyrus BM EA 10113 was sold in March 1837 during an auction of the collection of Giovanni d'Athanasi by LeighSotheby. This papyrus was only kept in the archive of Djekhy & Son for the short duration ...
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Papyrus BM EA 10113 was sold in March 1837 during an auction of the collection of Giovanni d'Athanasi by LeighSotheby. This papyrus was only kept in the archive of Djekhy & Son for the short duration of the loan. After the loan was repaid, it would be returned to the debtor as proof of payment.Less
Papyrus BM EA 10113 was sold in March 1837 during an auction of the collection of Giovanni d'Athanasi by LeighSotheby. This papyrus was only kept in the archive of Djekhy & Son for the short duration of the loan. After the loan was repaid, it would be returned to the debtor as proof of payment.