by Larry Lounsbury

Created on: September 15, 2010

An Old Kingdom Autobiography

     From a gravestone to the tomb of an ancient Pharaoh, an Egyptian Autobiography was written to convey the persona of that person. In ancient Egypt a man’s epitaph was his legacy; and in Weni the Elder’s Autobiography, one discovers that writing evolves into a major literary genre.

     There are four types of Egyptian autobiographies. The first is the historical autobiography which would record episodes from the life of an official including his success. The second was called the reflective autobiography most common in the old Kingdom. It promoted the ethical rules of the elite through the protagonist ability to fulfill his social and moral to the lower classes. Notice in the following sentences from Weni the Elder, “because of my rectitude, so that no one attacked his fellow, so that no one seized a loaf or sandals from a traveler, so that no one took a cloth from any town, so that no one took a goat from anyone,”( Lichtheim, 12).

     The third form of Egyptian autobiography is confessional autobiography in which the man’s change of life was hypostasized  through the intervention of the King or gods.The confessions appear to be closer to hymns than traditional autobiographies. Finally the fourth type of autobiography was called encomiastic autobiography. It used short sentences making themes and motives flexible, thus highlighting a new self-initiative free from the total dependence of the king. Thus social status and professional success became common themes. (Redford, volume 2, p. 186).       

     During the time of Weni the Elder, the 6th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom (ca. 2407-2260 BCE), the glory of a self made man centered on his service to his king.  "The quest for immortality had a magical as well as a moral side. Statues, food offerings, and other rituals would magically ensure revivification and eternal life. But a good character, a life lived in harmony with the divine order (maat) was equally essential." (Lichtheim,  p.4.). The story of Weni’s service added with the physical properties as an artifact; can bring to light some unique questions and answers in the Study of Egyptian Archaeology. It has been determined by studies of ancient Tombs and Temples that the location of these sites was as important as their writings. Thus, in an article of New Scientist

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