The Tale of Sinuhe

E236610

The Tale of Sinuhe is an ancient Egyptian narrative poem from the Middle Kingdom that follows a court official’s exile and eventual return, and is considered one of the earliest masterpieces of world literature.

All labels observed (5)

Label Occurrences
The Tale of Sinuhe canonical 4
Sinuhe 1
Story of Sinuhe 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Middle Kingdom Egyptian text
ancient Egyptian literary work
narrative poem
world literature classic
approximateDateOfComposition circa 20th century BCE
early 12th Dynasty
approximateLength about 600–700 lines in Egyptian
associatedRuler Amenemhat I
Senusret I
characterTypeOfSinuhe courtier
royal official
containsElement royal letters from Senusret I to Sinuhe
countryOfOrigin Ancient Egypt
linked to: Pharaonic Egypt
culturalContext royal ideology of the Middle Kingdom
didacticFunction illustrates benefits of loyalty to the pharaoh and Egypt
form poetic prose
verse narrative
genre autobiographical narrative
court tale
exile and return narrative
influenceOn later Egyptian autobiographical inscriptions
modern literary adaptations about exile
literaryPeriod Middle Kingdom of Egypt
literarySignificance considered one of the earliest masterpieces of world literature
one of the most celebrated works of ancient Egyptian literature
mainCharacter Sinuhe
linked to: The Tale of Sinuhe
motif duel with a foreign champion
flight after royal death
proper burial in homeland
royal pardon
narrativePerspective first-person
notableManuscript Berlin Papyrus 3022
Papyrus R (British Museum 10499)
originalLanguage Ancient Egyptian
plotSummary A court official named Sinuhe flees Egypt after hearing of King Amenemhat I’s death, lives in exile in Asia, prospers abroad, and is eventually pardoned and welcomed back to Egypt by Senusret I.
setting Egypt
Syria-Palestine region
linked to: Greater Syria
studiedInDiscipline Egyptology
ancient Near Eastern studies
comparative literature
survivingManuscripts multiple Middle Kingdom papyri and later copies
theme divine providence
exile
homecoming
identity
loyalty to the king
order and chaos (maat vs. isfet)
title The Tale of Sinuhe
writingSystem hieratic script

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Middle Kingdom of Egypt producedWork The Tale of Sinuhe
Ancient Egyptian notableText Story of Sinuhe
linked to: The Tale of Sinuhe
Westcar Papyrus relatedWork Tale of Sinuhe
linked to: The Tale of Sinuhe
The Tale of Sinuhe title The Tale of Sinuhe
The Tale of Sinuhe mainCharacter Sinuhe
linked to: The Tale of Sinuhe
12th Dynasty of Egypt producedWork The Tale of Sinuhe
Middle Egyptian notableText The Story of Sinuhe
linked to: The Tale of Sinuhe