Retjenu – Wikipedia

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Ancient Egyptian name for Canaan and Syria

Retjenu (rṯnw; Reṯenu, Retenu), was an ancient Egyptian name for Canaan and Syria. It covered the region from the Negev Desert north to the Orontes River. The borders of Retjenu shifted with time, but it generally consisted of three regions.[dubious ] The southernmost was Djahy, which had about the same boundaries as Canaan.[2]Lebanon proper was located in the middle, between the Mediterranean and the Orontes River[dubious ].[2] North of Lebanon was designated Amurru, the land of the Amorites.[2]

Occurrences of the term[edit]

Overall, numerous mentions of the Retjenu appear in Egyptian inscriptions.[3]

12th Dynasty[edit]

The earliest attestation of the name occurs in the Sebek-khu Stele, dated to the reign of Senusret III (reign: 1878–1839 BCE), recording the earliest known Egyptian military campaign in the Levant and their victory over the Retjenu: “His Majesty proceeded northward to overthrow the Asiatics. His Majesty reached a foreign country of which the name was Sekmem (…) Then Sekmem fell, together with the wretched Retenu”, where Sekmem (s-k-m-m) is thought to be Shechem.[4][5][6]

Scarabs with the name “Retjenu” have been found in Avaris, also dating to the 12th Dynasty (1991-1802 BCE).[7]

The name also occurs in the Tale of Sinuhe (written during the early 12th Dynasty), inscribed on a piece of limestone[dubious ] in the 14th century BCE.[citation needed]

17th Dynasty[edit]

Kamose, the last king of the Theban 17th Dynasty (c. 1580–1550 BCE), refers to Apepi, the Hyksos pharaoh, as a “Chieftain of Retjenu” in a stela that implies a Canaanite background for this Hyksos king.[8]

18th Dynasty[edit]

The Retjenu people are depicted in the 18th Dynasty tomb of Rekhmire (TT100).

Syrians bringing presents to Tuthmosis III (18th Dynasty), in the tomb of Rekhmire, circa 1450 BCE (actual painting and interpretational drawing). They are labeled “Chiefs of Retjenu”.[9][10]

Depictions in Egyptian reliefs[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Faulkner, Ramond O. Middle Egyptian. p. 154. Griffith Institute, Oxford, 1962.
  2. ^ a b c Steindorff, George. When Egypt Ruled the East. p. 47. University of Chicago Press, 1942.
  3. ^ Parkinson, R. B. (2009). Reading Ancient Egyptian Poetry: Among Other Histories. John Wiley & Sons. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-4051-2547-5.
  4. ^ Pritchard, James B. (2016). Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament with Supplement. Princeton University Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-1-4008-8276-2.
  5. ^ Manchester Museum: 3306 Stela, Object, Registered, Africa, Egypt, Upper Egypt, Abydos
  6. ^ The Land of the Bible: A Historical Geography, Yohanan Aharoni
  7. ^ Martin, Geoffrey T. (1998). “The Toponym Retjenu on a Scarab from Tell el-Dabʿa”. Ägypten und Levante / Egypt and the Levant. 8: 109–112. ISSN 1015-5104. JSTOR 23786957.
  8. ^ Ryholt, K. S. B.; Bülow-Jacobsen, Adam (1997). The Political Situation in Egypt During the Second Intermediate Period, C. 1800-1550 B.C. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 131. ISBN 978-87-7289-421-8.
  9. ^ “The foreigners of the fourth register, with long hairstyles and calf-length fringed robes, are labeled Chiefs of Retjenu, the ancient name tor the Syrian region. Like the Nubians, they come with animals, in this case horses, an elephant, and a bear; they also offer weapons and vessels most likely filled with precious substance.” in Hawass, Zahi A.; Vannini, Sandro (2009). The lost tombs of Thebes: life in paradise. Thames & Hudson. p. 120. ISBN 9780500051597.
  10. ^ Zakrzewski, Sonia; Shortland, Andrew; Rowland, Joanne (2015). Science in the Study of Ancient Egypt. Routledge. p. 268. ISBN 978-1-317-39195-1.
  11. ^ “Tomb-painting British Museum”. The British Museum.