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Judicial Papyrus of Turin
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Judicial Papyrus of Turin
The Judicial Papyrus of Turin (also Turin legal papyrus) is a 12th-century BCE ancient Egyptian record of the trials held against conspirators plotting to assassinate Ramesses III in what is referred to as the "Harem conspiracy". The papyrus contains mostly summaries of the accusations, convictions and punishments meted out.
The Judicial Papyrus is the largest and most complete of a series of documents that refer to the conspiracy. The others, Papyrus Rollin, Papyrus Varzy, Papyrus Lee, Papyrus Rifaud I and II, may once have been part of the same document as the portion in Turin. The text seems to have been separated by a thief who carefully cut the document, making sure to not do much damage to the text itself. The Rollin and Lee papyri provide further details of the case, highlighting the condensed nature of the Judicial Papyrus. The document contains the entire list of those who participated in the conspiracy, as well as their verdict and punishment they received.
The reign of Ramesses III was characterized by external conflict and internal decline, which seem to have weakened the position of the pharaoh, surrounded by servants and officials of foreign descent. Symptomatic for the state of the country was the apparent incapability of the bureaucracy to supply the workers at Deir el-Medina which brought about the first recorded strike in history in the 29th year of Ramesses' reign. In this atmosphere of uncertainty, Queen Tiye wanted to substitute her own son Pentawer for Ramesses' designated heir, the future Ramesses IV, a son of another wife, Tyti and she had no problems finding influential people who would assist her.
Tiye enlisted the help of Pebekkamen, a pantry chief; Mastesuria, a butler; Panhayboni, a cattle overseer; Panouk, overseer of the harem; and Pendua, a clerk of the harem. This group was responsible for attempting to raise a rebellion against the king, with Pebekkamen disseminating the call to action:
...he had begun to bring out their word to their mothers and their brothers who were there, saying: 'Stir up the people! Incite enmity in order to make rebellion against their lord!'
During the Beautiful Festival of the Valley the plotters assassinated Ramesses III, but failed to place Pentawer on the throne. The conspirators were arrested and put on trial.
The papyrus is not a detailed record of court proceedings, but rather a list of the defendants, who were often referred to by a pseudonym such as Mesedsure, meaning "Re hates him", the crimes they were accused of and their sentences.
It was once thought that Ramesses III survived the initial attack, only to die some time later. This is due in part to the Judicial Papyrus of Turin, which preserves a record of the trials of the conspirators, being carried out under his name. The document opens with:
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Judicial Papyrus of Turin
The Judicial Papyrus of Turin (also Turin legal papyrus) is a 12th-century BCE ancient Egyptian record of the trials held against conspirators plotting to assassinate Ramesses III in what is referred to as the "Harem conspiracy". The papyrus contains mostly summaries of the accusations, convictions and punishments meted out.
The Judicial Papyrus is the largest and most complete of a series of documents that refer to the conspiracy. The others, Papyrus Rollin, Papyrus Varzy, Papyrus Lee, Papyrus Rifaud I and II, may once have been part of the same document as the portion in Turin. The text seems to have been separated by a thief who carefully cut the document, making sure to not do much damage to the text itself. The Rollin and Lee papyri provide further details of the case, highlighting the condensed nature of the Judicial Papyrus. The document contains the entire list of those who participated in the conspiracy, as well as their verdict and punishment they received.
The reign of Ramesses III was characterized by external conflict and internal decline, which seem to have weakened the position of the pharaoh, surrounded by servants and officials of foreign descent. Symptomatic for the state of the country was the apparent incapability of the bureaucracy to supply the workers at Deir el-Medina which brought about the first recorded strike in history in the 29th year of Ramesses' reign. In this atmosphere of uncertainty, Queen Tiye wanted to substitute her own son Pentawer for Ramesses' designated heir, the future Ramesses IV, a son of another wife, Tyti and she had no problems finding influential people who would assist her.
Tiye enlisted the help of Pebekkamen, a pantry chief; Mastesuria, a butler; Panhayboni, a cattle overseer; Panouk, overseer of the harem; and Pendua, a clerk of the harem. This group was responsible for attempting to raise a rebellion against the king, with Pebekkamen disseminating the call to action:
...he had begun to bring out their word to their mothers and their brothers who were there, saying: 'Stir up the people! Incite enmity in order to make rebellion against their lord!'
During the Beautiful Festival of the Valley the plotters assassinated Ramesses III, but failed to place Pentawer on the throne. The conspirators were arrested and put on trial.
The papyrus is not a detailed record of court proceedings, but rather a list of the defendants, who were often referred to by a pseudonym such as Mesedsure, meaning "Re hates him", the crimes they were accused of and their sentences.
It was once thought that Ramesses III survived the initial attack, only to die some time later. This is due in part to the Judicial Papyrus of Turin, which preserves a record of the trials of the conspirators, being carried out under his name. The document opens with:
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