Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Ramses III and the Harem Conspiracy: Papyrus Lee

The second document dealing with the harem conspiracy under Ramses III is Papyrus Lee. The top of the papyrus is missing and so I will start with where the narrative picks up:

Column 1
] any [. . .] of the place where I am to any man on earth. When Penhuybin was the cattle chief and told him: Give me a scroll that will grant me fear and dread. He gave him a scroll of the collection of Ramses III, the great god, his master. It came to pass that a procession attracted  the people, and he reached the side of harem and this other deep sanctuary. It came to pass that he made wax figurines in order to have them taken inside by the agent Itaram for repelling one of the staff and overpowering the rest to steal some of the words inside and take others out. When he was interrogated about them, the truth of every crime and every evil that his heart had invented was discovered. Every one of them was true. He accomplished them all with the other great enemies. Every god and goddess abominated them all. The great capital punishments which the gods pronounced on him were done to him.
 Column 2
] of them. The truth of every crime and every evil that his heart had invented was discovered. [...] was true. [...] other great enemies. Every god and goddess abominated them all. Capital felonies and great abominations of [...] capital felonies that he had committed, he killed himself. When the officials assigned to him learned that he had killed himself [...] Re like him, which the hieroglyphic scrolls say to do.
 Unfortunately, this document is fragmentary and so we do not know the names or even the dysphemisms of the individuals involved in the conspiracy. Most of the action seems to have taken place during a public festival when most of the people were distracted elsewhere and few were left to guard the facilities.