THE GOLENISCHEFF PAPYRUS. 



In that important and interesting document, named after its pur- 

 chaser and first publisher the Golenischeff Papyrus^ discovered in 

 1891 at Khibeh in upper Egypt, mention is made of the town of 

 Dor. Hrihor, the High Priest of Amon, although not called King, 

 seems to be in control at Thebes at the time (c. 1100 B. C.)^ the 

 events narrated in this document occurred; while Nesubenebded 

 (Smendes), afterward the first king of the 21st dynasty, rules the 

 Delta from his seat at Tanis. In response to an oracle, Hrihor 

 despatches an ofiicial named Wenamon to Byblos to procure cedar 

 from Lebanon for the construction of a new sacred barge for 

 Amon. In addition to a meager supply of money and presents the 

 messenger is given an image of the God, called " Amon-of-the- 

 Way ", which is to serve as a passport with the kings on his 

 journey. Having encountered extraordinary difficulties in the ful- 

 fillment of his task, Wenamon upon his return makes out a long 

 report of the mishaps that had interfered with the success of his 

 mission. The Golenischeff Papyrus contains AVenamon's authentic 

 report. 



As first issued by Golenischeff the Papyrus seemed to indicate 

 that the greater part of Wenamon's transactions, including the pur- 

 chase of timber, took place at Dor\ According to the improved 

 arrangement of the Papyrus fragments by Erman'', however, the 

 major part of this story has Byblos as its scene of action. 



On the loth day of the 11th month, in the 5th year (probably of 

 Ramses XII) Wenamon left Thebes. At Tanis he was kindl}^ 



■ Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, vol. IV, pp. 274 ff. ; Hist, of Egypt, 

 pp. 513 ff.; W. M. MiiUer, Asien. und Eur., pp. 388 f.: Mit. Vorderasiat. 

 Ges. (1900), pp. 30 ff.; Maspero, Struggle of the Nations, p. 470 (note). 



" Breasted gives the date as the " fifth year of the last of the Ramessids 

 (= Ramses XII, 1118-1090 B.C.), when he is but the shadow of a king"; 

 Miiller dates Hri-hor "nicht sptiter als 1050, wahrscheinlich etwas friiher". 



2 On the basis of this incorrect arrangement Guthe in 1908 (Palastina, pp. 

 74 f.) argues that in Wenamon's time the neighborhood of Dor was thickly 

 wooded. Inasmuch as Erman had rearranged the fragments of the 

 Papyrus in 1900 Guthe need not have made this error. 



•* In Zeit. fur Agypt. Sprache (1900) no. 38, pp. 1 ff. ; Breasted, Miiller and 

 other scholars follow Erman"s improvement in the order of fragments. 



