Tj-n}-y and kft(j)w in the Annals of Thutmose III: a reassessment of Urk. IV 733:4–7

Abstract

Urk. IV 733:4–7 is a brief but very intriguing passage from the Annals of Thutmose III. The passage describes a delivery of items from the land of tj-nꜢ-y, and provides the earliest known attestation of this (probably) Aegean toponym, while also providing the only surviving attestation of kft(j)w in the Annals, in reference to one of the items being delivered. Not surprisingly, this passage has often been mentioned in works and studies focusing on Egypt-Aegean interactions. However, the actual Egyptian wording of the passage has never been analysed or discussed in a detailed and systematic way, and as a result, the available translations usually reflect a rather superficial and somewhat approximate understanding of the text itself. The present article seeks to address this gap by providing a thorough reassessment of the text from both a linguistic and a sociocultural perspective. A framework for disambiguating translations and presenting multiple parallel interpretations will also be briefly introduced at the end.