Violent boasting 4000 years ago

The rock tomb of Anchtifi of Hefat with a total of 30 pillars from the late 3rd millennium BC. BC is located south of the Egyptian city of Luxor. © Liverpool Mission to Mo’alla/Bill Manley

"I am a hero without equal!..." Even thousands of years ago, political egomaniacs apparently presented themselves boastfully: A German Egyptologist reports on a regional ruler from the so-called first intermediate period of the Empire on the Nile, who praised himself in an astonishingly extreme way in inscriptions on his tomb let. He presented himself as a matchless man-guy and almost divinely sent Messiah in the unstable era after the fall of the Old Kingdom. This type of self-portrayal is unique in the Egyptian textual universe, the expert writes in his publication on Hefat's Anchtifi.

As is well known, numerous tombs are among the many impressive testimonies of the long ancient Egyptian cultural history. In inscriptions on walls and pillars, the deceased are often depicted in brilliant light. But even against this backdrop, one grave stands out, located about 30 kilometers south of the former city of Thebes. The complex with 30 pillars was dedicated to a man who died at the end of the third millennium BC. - in the era of the so-called first intermediate period, which was marked by civil war.

An autocrat in the meantime

Ankhtifi of Hefat was not a pharaoh, but from today's perspective more like a regional "warlord": After the centrally governed Old Kingdom had collapsed, he had gained control of a section of Egypt through mercenaries from Nubia. "These warriors were an important power base for Anchtifi," explains Egyptologist Ludwig Morenz from the University of Bonn. Ever since he was a student, he has been concerned with Anchtifi's unusual personality. From 2002 to 2004, Morenz was also involved in excavations for a British field study on the Anchtifis tomb complex and examined and deciphered inscriptions on the pillars in detail.

In his publication "Anchtifi von Hefat: Manns-Kerl und Messias?" Morenz now clarifies the extreme peculiarity and radical nature of the inscriptions in the tomb of the unusual Egyptian. Compared to other texts, the type of self-presentation seems almost disturbing – Morenz calls it “unique”. As he reports, the inscriptions on the pillars are autobiographical and mythical. "As a regional ruler, he presented himself as the savior and messiah in the collapsing empire of ancient Egypt," says Morenz. At a time when the former pharaonic central state was increasingly dividing into regional powers, Anchtifi staged himself as a “strong guy” and “darling of the gods”. With these attributions, he wanted to make an impression in his region and stand for a new beginning, explains Morenz.

Manns-guy and Messiah

A crocodile is depicted at the bottom of the red arrow. The hieroglyph "crocodile tail" can be seen at the top of the arrow. © Liverpool Mission to Mo'alla/Bill Manley

Astonishingly cocky formulations were used: the pillars read, among other things: “I am a hero without equal” and Anchtifi also drummed his chest by superficially emphasizing masculinity. "I am a man's fellow: there will be no other," reads the translation of an inscription. To express the special feature, a new symbol was even introduced on the column inscriptions, reports Morenz: the hieroglyph "crocodile tail". "It stands for potential for destruction," explains the Egyptologist.

Anchtifi also raises an almost messianic claim: "I am the beginning of man and the end of man," he had carved into a pillar. In doing so, Anchtifi skillfully drew close to the gods Horus and Hemen. There is a lot to suggest that the provocative text passages are not verbal slips, says Morenz. Rather, they are coherently formulated and follow the divine plan to position themselves as liberators, interprets the Egyptologist.

“First of all, the self-portrayal on the seven pillars of the rock grave alone seems like boastful boasting,” reports Morenz. "But the novel role of his messianic over-masculinity was probably actually conceived for Anchtifi," says the scientist. "From my point of view, there is much to suggest that this radicalism is not just about 'big talk', but that Anchtifi actually saw himself as a savior and redeemer," says Morenz.

After his intensive occupation with the boastful Egyptian, the Egyptologist concludes that the image of an unpleasant power man and egomaniac has conveyed itself to him. As is well known, this type still exists more than 4000 years after Anchtifi: “Our new autocrats come to mind,” says Morenz.

Source: University of Bonn, Specialist publication: Ludwig D. Morenz: Anchtifi von Hefat: Manns-Kerl and Messiah?, Bonn Egyptological Contributions, Volume 12, EB-Verlag Berlin

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