Between literature and history: receptions of poetry in ancient Egypt

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores literary reception in ancient Egypt, focusing on the enigmatic poem The Teaching of Amenemhat, ca. 1550–500 BCE. Combining material philology, textual criticism, and reception theory, the article investigates how the poem’s readers interpreted it by examining the contexts in which manuscripts were read, the textual interventions copyists made, and the cultural currents that shaped readers’ expectations. The article introduces Amenemhat, before discussing several individual readers and their encounters with the poem. Next, based on textual analysis of the surviving manuscripts, the article identifies interpretive trends occurring over time. The article then contextualizes the poem’s reception within scribal culture. A final section discusses the innovative reception of Amenemhat by the Nubian king Taharqo. The article aims to bridge the gap between Egyptology and literary studies by using ancient Egyptian literature to explore new approaches to reception history and by introducing this understudied poem to a wider audience.