The Taking of Joppa

The conquest of Joppa is an incomplete surviving work of ancient Egyptian literature from the New Kingdom. The text describes the non-combat capture of the city of Joppa ( Jaffa today ). Djehuti by the Egyptian General during the reign of Thutmose III

Tradition

The story is only available on the back of the Papyrus Harris 500 along with the story of the enchanted prince. The papyrus dates from the beginning of the 19th Dynasty from the reign of Seti I. or Ramses II. It is written in hieratic script and get only very fragmentary. The beginning is lost completely, the text still obtained has many gaps.

Content

The beginning of the story is missing, but can be reconstructed from the following part: General Djehuti stands with his army before Joppa, and has a list considered to occupy the city without a fight. Djehuti pretends to want to surrender and therefore sends an invitation to the Prince of Joppa to get into the Egyptian camp. This appears with a retinue of 120 horsemen. The latter are supplied by the Egyptian army; The prince, however, goes to Djehutis tent to drink with him.

This is where the preserved part of the story: Djehuti revealed to the prince his supposed intention to surrender. At the same time it is reported that the large lobe of the king Tuthmosis had arrived. The Prince of Joppa really want to see this club and Djehuti provides for one (or his, the passage in question is unclear) woman. Djehuti can bring bring the club, but instead of just showing them to the prince, he hits him so unconscious and ties him up.

Now Djehutis List is used: it can bring about 200 baskets bring, where to hide 200 soldiers. An additional 500 soldiers to act as carrier. The charioteer of Prince is said Djehuti now would be a prisoner of Joppa, the baskets contained the first tribute delivery. Then the gates are opened and the baskets carried into. Then emerge from the hidden soldiers of the baskets and the entire city 's population is captured. The story ends reported by this victory with a letter in which Djehuti his king.

Historical Background

Although the events of this story described are fictitious, they still play in front of a real historical background. Thutmose III. led between his 22nd and 42nd year of reign total of 16 campaigns in the Near East. The taking of Joppa likely fall into one of the first campaigns. At General Djehuti is a real person. It has been well documented by archaeological finds, such as a gold cup which he. Thutmosis III got for his services and now in the Louvre. His grave was found in 1824 in Saqqara.

Influence on later works

The List of Applied Djehuti, tucked into the enemy camp to reach is worldwide in numerous literary works before, but up here for the first time. The most common examples of a later period are the Trojan Horse in Homer's Iliad, the traditional Plutarch first meeting between Cleopatra VII and Julius Caesar, as well as the story of Ali Baba. Emma Brunner- Traut here suggested at least a partial influence of the Egyptian literature.