REVIEW ARTICLES

ADMINISTRATIVE TITLES IN NUBIA

IN THE MIDDLE KINGDOM*
RONALDJ. LEPROHON
UNIVERSITY
OFTORONTO
The final publication of Professor F. Hintze's Epigraphic Expedition to Sudanese Nubia, as well
as a number of recent studies on the subject of Nubia, affords an opportunity to pull together all of
the administrative titles from Middle Kingdom Nubia. The catalogue of titles is presented in the following order: the staff from the Inner and Outer Palace along with the various seal-bearers; the major ministries; the officers of the local administration; scribal titles and "middlemen"; the armed
forces; mining and quarrying titles; and the priesthoods.
What is striking about such a list is the wide range of titles met in Middle Kingdom Nubia. Various representatives of the Palace and the royal domains are attested, as well as officials from virtually all the major ministries of the central government, who were sent at one time or another to look
after the Nubian holdings of the crown. In the end, what the list of titles demonstrates is the customary thoroughness of the ancient Egyptians' organizational skills. All facets of a burgeoning empire
can be seen in the titles left by the officials sent to administer the conquered territory.

THIS BOOKIS A FINALPUBLICATION

of the Epigraphic

Expedition to Sudanese Nubia conducted by the German Academy of Sciences, Berlin, under the directorship of Professor F. Hintze. The work began in 1961
with a survey season, followed by three epigraphic
campaigns between 1962 and 1963 in the region
around the Second Cataract, between Faras West (PM
VII, 124), south of Ballana and Qustul, and Sabu, north
of the Third Cataract (PM VII, 174). The campaigns
were of great importance since they resulted in the
discovery of many new graffiti, as well as provided
numerous corrections to previously published ones, notably the RIS and RIK texts.
Preliminary reports were published in Kush 11
(1963): 93-95; 12 (1964): 40-42; and 13 (1965): 1316. However, these preliminaryreports only discussed a
few texts and simply listed the number of inscriptions
copied, without giving much detail, and hence gave little
indication of the scope of the work of Professor Hintze's
team. These final results are now all the more welcome
since they come in the wake of a number of new publications on ancient Nubia, notably K. Zibelius-Chen's

Die dgyptische Expansion nach Nubien: Eine Darlegung

der Grundfaktoren(Wiesbaden, 1988) and B. Gratien's
Prosopographie des nubiens et des egyptiens en Nubie
avant le Nouvel Empire (CRIPEL, supplement no. 3,
1991). More material from the Nubian campaigns is also
being worked on for future publications, e.g., the seal
impressions from Mirgissa currently being studied by
B. Gratien.'
Following an introduction that presents the campaigns and their logistics and a discussion of the
date and the geographical distribution of the texts, the
material is presented topographically, running north to
south. Each text is given a number and supplied with a
date, measurements, previous publication(s) when appropriate, and a present location (e.g., the National
Museum in Khartoum)when the text has been removed
from its original location. The text is given in a hieroglyphic hand (though not a facsimile, as the reader is
referred to the plates), translated, and annotated. For
the latter, an updating of the bibliographical apparatus
might have been useful.
All this new material affords an opportunity to pull
together the administrativetitles found in Middle Kingdom Nubia,2 leading to an investigation of the extent of

* This is a review article of:

Felsinschriften aus dem sudanischen Nubien: Publikationder Nubien-Expedition1961-1963,
1 See her
Teil I: Text;Teil II: Tafeln. By Fritz HINTZE,
WALTER
F. REINEKE,
preliminary report in Nubische Studien, 89-91.
2 The titles in the
U. HINTZE,and A. BURKHARDT.
Berlin: AKADEMIE
VERLAG,1989.
present catalogue are from texts dated to
the Middle Kingdom, while texts from the Second Intermediate
Pp. 205, pls. 272.
423

424

Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993)

the central administration's activities in the area during

that period.
The titles in the catalogue3 will be presented in the
following order: the staff from the Inner and Outer Palace along with the various seal-bearers; the major ministries; the officers of the local administration; scribal
titles and "middlemen"; the armed forces; mining and
quarrying titles; and the priesthoods.
Regarding the catalogue, it should be pointed out
that some titles that would seem obvious to some readers have not been included in the catalogue. Among
those are the ones relating to the royal family-e.g.,
also
mwt-nsw, "queen,"4 or s3-nsw, "prince"5-and
the innumerable honorific epithets that shore up an
official's curriculum vitae, e.g., the ubiquitous rh nsw,
"royal acquaintance." The former are not administratively significant while the latter add nothing to our
knowledge of the administrative workings of the
"Nubian affairs" of the foreign office.
It must also be pointed out that, unlike some
collections of Nubian material, the present catalogue
will not contain the titles met at Elephantine,6 or from
the amethyst quarries of the Wadi el Hudi. While it is
true that a number of examples indicate officials who
Period have been left out of the collection, since the Egyptian
central authorities had by that time largely abandonedthe area.
The author agrees with S. Quirke, Administration, 3, that titles
from the early Middle Kingdom differ from those of the late
Middle Kingdom, and hence should be studied separately.
However, the difficulty of dating many of the graffiti more precisely makes this desideratum impracticable, and to simply assume that the southernmost graffiti are later in date did not
seem to be a viable solution.
3 Since Hintze's book only publishes the graffiti from Nubia,
and not the stelae, statues, seal impressions, and other finds,
the references in the notes will be to the original publications.
When Hintze's epigraphic work offers us a new reading, however, proper reference will be made to his study, followed by
the original publication in a bracket.
4 SCF I, 28, pi. 87 A (= 24-3-514).
5 RIK
122, who is also a hrd n k3p, but whose name has unfortunately disappeared; and, less likely, RILN, no. 4, for
which see also the remarks by H. de Meulenaere in Bi Or 40
(1983): 370.
6 E.g., the corpus of texts from the Aswan area found in
J. de Morgan's Catalogue des monuments et inscriptions de
l'Egypte antique (Vienna, 1894), and stela MFA 13.3967/
20.1222, which was found at Kerma but most probably came
from Elephantine (see JSSEA 12 [1982]: 76). For the same
reason, the material belonging to the famous Djefa-Hapy
found at Kerma (see Franke, Personendaten, dossier 777)
most probably originally came from Asyut and has therefore
been omitted from the catalogue.

left graffiti, or even stelae, at Elephantine either on their

way to or back from Nubia,7 a great many other examples of graffiti left at Elephantine show that such men
either simply lived in the Elephantine region8 or else
left graffiti there during business missions without necessarily going on into Nubia.9 Other officials who left
graffiti both at Elephantine and in the Wadi el Hudi?0
cannot also necessarily be said to have been sent to Nubia as part of the "Nubian bureau" of foreign affairs.
THE PALACE
THE INNER PALACE11

[1] Chamberlain of the (king's) private apartments

(imy-r Chnwty n k3p),12

7
E.g., de Morgan, Catalogue des monuments,25:182, 11:43,
and 38:166, officials also responsible for the texts RIS 3, RIS 9,
and RIK 127 (for which see Franke, Personendaten, dossiers
374, 503, and 115, respectively) left at Semna and Kumma;and
de Morgan, op. cit., 11:43, a man who also left a statuette in
Kerma (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 264). See also stela
Berlin 19500 from Elephantine (= AIB I, 260-61) belonging to
an 3tw n Styw named Ineni who claims to have accomplished
"a multitude of missions, going south into Kush," but whose
name is not found in the records from Nubia itself.
8 Good
examples of this are names found both in the Aswan
graffiti and the shrine of Heqaib at Elephantine: de Morgan,
op. cit., 89:76, 17:79 (as well as 73:45, and 87:44), 89:76 (and
87:42), and 86:33, for which see Franke, Personendaten, dossiers 142, 410, 440, and 451, respectively. The well-known
court official Ankhu from the late Twelfth Dynasty is also an
example of this (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 177). Another example could be the wr mdw Sm' Ameny, whose name
is found on a number of objects, including a stela and some
graffiti from Aswan (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 110).
9 E.g., a Steward of Divine Offerings of Sobek of Shedyet
named Neni (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 329), who left
three graffitiat Aswan as well as a stela at Abydos, possibly during business trips on behalf of the aforementioned temple of
Sobek in the Fayum; the King's Acquaintance Sa-Sobek, also
known from a statue found at Illahun, as well as a stela and a
seal from Abydos (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 547); and
the Scribe of the GreatWorkcampSenbefni, who is also attested
on a seal from Ombos (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 652).
10
E.g., Wadi el Hudi, nos. 14 and 145, and no. 25 (=
Franke, Personendaten, dossiers 270 and 294 respectively);
the latter, in fact, also left a graffito in the Wadi Hammamat
and a number of stelae at Abydos.
11 The
following officials are closely associated with the
royal family; on this, see Quirke, Administration, 117-18.
12 Seal impression from Debeira East (= Martin, Seals,
299a). This official was allowed to circulate in both the inner

LEPROHON:

Administrative Titles in Nubia

[2] Child of the Inner Palace (hrd n k3p),13

[3] Child of the Inner Palace of the private rooms of
the king (hrd n k3p n ipt-nsw),14
[4] Chief hall-keeper of the royal private apartments
(iry-'t wr n k3p),15
[5] Elder of the portal (smsw h3yt).16
High stewards
[6] High steward (imy-r pr wr),17
[7] Deputy high steward (idnw n imy-r pr wr),18
Honorific courtly titles
[8] Noble (iry-pCt),19
[9] Prince/noble/mayor

[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]

425

Sole friend (smr wCty),21

Functionary, keeper of Nekhen (s3b, iry-Nhn),22
Nobleman, dignitary (sr),23
Privy councillor (hry sst).24

Minor palace employees

[14] Attendant of the royal favourite (Cnht nt tpnsw),25
[15] Magnate of censing in the palace (wr idt m prnsw),26
[16] Controller of every kilt (hrp sndyt nbt),27
[17] Royal linen keeper (ssry nsw),28
[18] Royal sandal-maker (tbw nsw).29

(hty-C),20
THE OUTER PALACE

and outer sections of the palace; see Quirke, Administration,

103f. and 117f.
13 RIK 122; this official is also a "prince" (s3-nsw). For this
title, see Quirke, Administration, 39f., and the references in
Hintze, Felsinschriften, 118, no. 422.
14 Seal impressions from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 207,
1635).
15 Razor from Kerma
(= Reisner, Kerma, 528, fig. 345:60).
16 Seal impression from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 314);
statuette from Kerma (= Reisner, Kerma, 528, fig. 345:59; for
this official, see also Franke, Personendaten, dossier 264). For
this title, see D. Meeks, State and Temple Economy II, OLA 6
(Louvain, 1979), 648, n. 195. The translation "elder" for smsw
must not lead us to believe that these officials were elderly or
retired; see Quirke, Administration, 72, 92, 117. The title
could also have judicial connotations; see infra, no. [94].
17 Seal impressions from Mirgissa Q 251 (= Gratien, Nubische Studien, 91; this official is also a chamberlain, no. [47]);
Q 333 (= ib.; this man is also a royal seal-bearer, no. [53]);
and from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1390); Semna Despatch
no. 6; scarab from Semna (= Martin, Seals, 384; this man is
also a royal seal-bearer, no. [53]). There is perhaps another
example, RILN, no. 74, for which see Zaba, RILN, 114.
18 Seal
impression from Kuban (= Martin, Seals, 71).
19 Stela from Semna (= CAA Boston MFA 2: Stelae I
[Mainz, 1985], 153-55); inscription from the western Nubian
desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 71, no. 6); RILN, no.
10; stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 51, no. 8); Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 451 (= RIK 87; for this man, see also nos.
[9], [101], [136], [143], and [166]).
20 RILN, no. 10; stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 51, no.
8); seal impressions from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 1109,
1624); stela from Semna (see the preceding note); RIK 87 (see
the preceding note); Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 454 (= RIK
84). However, this title can also be rendered as "mayor"in the
Middle Kingdom; see Fischer Supplement, 66; and infra, no.
[99]. The last two titles are often found together, e.g., RILN
nos. 10, 73, and 74 (for the latter, see Franke, Personendaten,
dossier 146); and RIK 87.

[19] Hall-keeper of the palace (iry-ct Ch).30

21
Inscription from the western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 71, no. 6); the title smr, "friend"is also
found alone (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 400 [= RIS 12]), in
an autobiographicalstatement.
22 Seal impression from Mirgissa Q 364 (= Gratien, Nubische Studien, 91); stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 51, no.
8, although written without the s3b designation); RIK 112,
RIK 115, RIK 116, stela BM 1290, and Semna Despatch no. 6
(= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 526); Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 421 (= RIK 121; this man is the son of a shd
smsw); stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 240; Franke, Personendaten, dossier 562); scarab from Ukma West (= Andreu,
Ukma Ouest, 233, no. 131/13). For this official in Nubia, see
D. Franke, SAK 11 (1984): 216-17; Quirke, Administration,
193. This title can also have a judicial function; see infra, no.
[95]. The title is also found without the iry-Nhn compound in
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 397a (= RIK 50), preceding
scribal and priestly titles (see nos. [25], [112], [123], [160],
and [174]).
23 See the references in Smith, Buhen, 240; all examples,
however, are from the Second IntermediatePeriod.
24 Scarab from Buhen (= Martin, Seals, 1166). This official
is also a priest of Ptah; see infra, no. [165].
25 Stela from Shalfak SCF
II, pl. 61B).
(=
26 Stela from Buhen
(= Smith, Buhen, 51, no. 8).
27 RILN, no. 74. Like the preceding title, this one is
part of a
string of titles and may therefore not actually be involved in
the administrative structureof the Nubian possessions.
28 Seal impression from Debeira East (= Martin, Seals,
872c).
29 Seal impression from Aniba (= Martin, Seals, 558).
30 RIK 117 (see, however, Hintze, Felsinschriften, 142-43,
who reads the title as an epithet) and RIK 118, both belonging
to the same individual named Djehuty-hotep. This official is
also a messenger, for which see infra, no. [48], which confirms

426

Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993)

GENERAL PALACE STAFF

[29] Retainer of the Tribunal (smsw n Crryt),40

[30] Retainer (smsw).41

[20] Hall-keeper of the palace (iry-'t n Pr-C3).3

Door-, room-, and gate-keepers in the palace:
[21] Keeper of the chamber (iry-ct),32
[22] Great room-keeper of the court (?) (iry-'t c' n
wsht [?]),33
[23] Elder of the court (smsw n wsht [?]),34
[24] Keeper of a portal (iry sbht),35
).36
(?) (hry sw...
[25] Guardian of...
Retainers
[26] Supervisor of retainers (shd smsw),37
[27] Retainer of the palace (smsw Prt-C),38
[28] Retainer of the ruler (smsw n hq),39
the importance of his mission in Lower Nubia; see M. Valloggia, Recherches sur les messagers (Paris, 1976), 84, no. 22,
and 223. For this title, see P. Vernus, RdE 22 (1970): 164; G.
Andreu, BIFAO 80 (1980): 144 (a).
31 RIK 106 (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 307); seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1475); stela from
Askut (= A. Badawy, Kush 12 [1964]: pl. XVI (c), and JARCE
5 [1966]: 25, pl. XI:8). For the Pr-C', which is the administrative unit of the palace and the sector for state affairs, see
Quirke, RdE 37 (1986): 118; and Administration, 38.
32 Inscription from the Western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 74); seal impressions from Mirgissa Q
203 (= Gratien, Nubische Studien, 91); from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 726, 1094); and from Semna (= SCF I, 66); Hintze,
Felsinschriften, nos. 406 (= RIK 18); 464 (= RIK 74); and 485
(= RIK 53); stela from Uronarti (= CAABoston MFA 2: Stelae
I [Mainz, 1985], 151-52). The title could of course simply be
an abbreviation of a longer designation.
33 Debod, pl. 121d (?); see Fischer, Supplement, 11.
34 Text from Kagnarti (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, 88-89, no.
364).
35 Seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1800).
36 Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 397a (= RIK 50; for this man,
see also nos. [11], [112], [123], [160], and [174]).
37 Six individuals are known: stela from Kuban (= LD ii,
138g; PM VII, 395); RIK 12, 23, and 63 (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 160); RIK 89, 104, and 121 (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 119); RIK 56; Hintze, Felsinschriften, no.
461 (= RIK 77; this man most probably holds the military
equivalent of the title since he is connected with a police
officer, for which see no. [145]); and RIK 107. For this title,
see Quirke, Administration, 83. For the administrative importance of the smsw in the Nubian forts, see Smith, Aegean
Seals, 208, Table 4, and the discussion there.
38 Seal impression from Buhen (= Martin, Seals, 547).
39 Seal impression from Serra East (= Martin, Seals, 1306a);
text from Askut (= S. T. Smith,JARCE28 [1991]: 118); RIK 108.

King's clerical staff42

c
[31] Scribe of the royal tablet of the Archives (ss n
nsw n sm3yt),43
[32] Bearer of (documents) of the court (t3w n hfthr),44
[33] Messenger of the administration library/recording
office (?) (sd hn).45
Attendants/Supply staff
[34] Attendant (tw),46
[35] Overseer of all royal storehouses (imy-r swt nbwt
nt nsw),47

40 Seal

impression from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 1826).

For this title, see S. Quirke, RdE 37 (1986): 117 (d).
41 RILN,nos. 1, 4 (four different men), 18, 116, 127, 143, and
167; stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, nos. 598 and 712); seal
impressions from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 1825; Gratien,
Nubische Studien, 91, Q 275); from Shalfak (= Martin, Seals,
348); and from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 266, 1158 [?], 1225,
1714, and 1824; on these, see also Smith, Aegean Seals, 205);
Semna Despatch no. 4; Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 514 (= RIS
17); RIK 16; RIK 60; Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 466 (= RIK
72); RIK 74; RIK 75; RIK 82 (although the title here may be an
abbreviation for smsw n rmn tpy; see Franke, Personendaten,
dossier 19); Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 454 (= RIK 84); RIK
93. Another supposed occurrence of the title, RIK 70, has now
been re-read by Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 468.
42 The reader will notice that, for the sake of convenience, I
have retained the reading ss instead of zh3w to render the
word "scribe."
43 Seal impressions from Kuban (= Martin, Seals, 2); and
from Uronarti(= Martin, Seals, 741). For this title, see P. Vernus, BIFAO 74 (1974): 158 (g). For the sm,yt, see W. A.
Ward, JEA 67 (1981): 171-72; Or 51 (1982): 382f.
44 Scarab from Mirgissa (= Vercoutter, Mirgissa I, pl. 26,
1). The title-bearer was perhaps charged with carrying certain
documents or objects on behalf of the king. The word t3w,
"bearer, carrier," is well known; cf. W. A. Ward, JEA 63
(1977): 65; ZAS 107 (1980): 170-74; D. Franke, Altdgyptische Verwandtschaftsbezeichnungen (Hamburg, 1983), 51;
S. Quirke, RdE 37 (1986): 130. For a similar compound, cf.
the title ss c n hft-hr nsw, for which see Meeks, Alex II, no.
78.3005. For the expression hft-hr, see particularly W. A.
Ward, Or 51 (1982): 387f.
45 RILN, no. 121. For this title, see Zaba, RILN, 145.
46 RILN, no. 47A; RIK 118. The latter is also a messenger,
no. [48], and a hall-keeper of the palace, no. [19].
47 RILN, no. 74.

427

LEPROHON:
Administrative Titles in Nubia

[36] Overseer of a storehouse/room (imy-r st),48

[37] Hall keeper of the chamber of incoming goods/
kitchen (iry-'t n Ct hnqt),49
[38] Brewer ('fty),50
[39] Royal butler (wb3 nsw [?]),51
[40] Butler (wdpw),52
[41] Hairdresser (nst),53
[42] Cook (psy [?]),54
[43] Baker (rthty),55
[44] Gardener (k3ry).56
Representatives of the royal domains
[45] Steward (imy-r pr),57
[46] Steward of the ... (?) (imy-r pr n Pr)-Sbk???).58
Central government representatives
[47] Chamberlain (imy-r Chnwty),59
48 Seal

impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 222).

49 Seal
impressions from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1788);

and from Semna (= Martin, Seals, 1464).

50 RILN, no. 177.
51 Text from Askut (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, Askut 8).
52 RILN, nos. 131, 150, 203, 213; inscription from the Western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 74); text
from Abu Sir (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 284, who, however, reads the title as wb,); seal impressions from Uronarti
(= Martin, Seals, 107, 1806); text from Suratab (= Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 534b).
53 Seal
impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 279).
54 Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 482b (= RIK 65; the title can,
however, be read as htmw, for which see infra, no. [58]).
55 RIK
119d, although the title could here be read as "seal
bearer" (htmty); see Hintze, Felsinschriften, nos. 390 (= RIK
119a) and 393 (= RIK 119d).
56 Statuette from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 54); however, this
piece could well date from the Second IntermediatePeriod.
57 ALN,
pl. 18, 15-16; texts from Askut (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, Askut 2 and 3); Smith, Buhen, no. 262; seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1648); Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 528 (= RIS 24); statuette from Kerma
(= Reisner, Kerma, fig. 344:47; this man is the father of a
royal seal-bearer, no. [53], a nomarch, no. [98], and an overseer of the seal, no. [54], and may therefore not necessarily
have been in Nubia himself).
58 Seal impression from Semna South (= L. V. Zabkar,
JARCE 19 [1982]: 38, no. KE-28). This title could also be included in the Religious Titles section.
59 Inscription from the western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 72, no. 7); RILN, no. 74; RILN, no.
138 (this official is also a foreman of crews, no. [85]); seal impression from Mirgissa Q 251 (= Gratien, Nubische Studien,
91; this official is also a high steward, no. [6]); seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 9); RIK 85 (the title here

[48] Messenger (wpwty).60

Minor officials
[49] Overseer (imy-r),6'
[50] Director (hry),62
[51] Headman (hry-tp),63
[52] Majordomo (hry-pr).64
SEAL-BEARERS

[53] Royal seal-bearer (htmty bity),65

[54] Overseer of a seal (imy-r htm),66
could of course be an abbreviation since the text is lost after
the words imy-r Chnwty).
60 RIK 118
(for this man, see M. Valloggia, Messagers, 84,
no. 22, and 223; this official is also a hall-keeper of the palace,
no. [19]). Another title that could be included in this category
of central government representatives is the title s3, which has
been rendered as "royal representative (?)" (= RILN, nos. 63,
64, and 71). However, the reading of the title is problematic;
see Zaba, RILN, 90; and D. Franke, GM 83 (1984): 122.
61 RILN, no. 81 (?); texts from Abd el Qadir (= Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 30); and from Abu Sir (ib., no. 290);
scarab from Ukma West (= Andreu, Ukma Ouest, 230, no. 56/
2; the text is difficult to read, but this official is also a royal
seal-bearer, no. [53]).
62 Text from Abu Sir
(= Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 122).
63 Text from Saidnambi
(= Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 543).
64 Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 412 (= RIK 24).
65
Inscription from the western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 71, no. 6); RILN, no. 10 (for this man,
see Franke, Personendaten, dossier 146); RILN, no. 52; RILN,
no. 74; stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 51, no. 8); Smith,
Buhen, 5-6, no. 262 (this official is also a workshop overseer,
no. [88]); seal impression from Mirgissa Q 333 (= Gratien,
Nubische Studien, 91; this official is also a high steward, no.
[6]); seal impression from Debeira East (= Martin, Seals,
1065a; this official is also an overseer of the seal, no. [54]);
stela from Semna (= CAA Boston MFA 2: Stelae I [Mainz,
1985], 153-55; see supra, no. [8]); RIS 3 and RIS 18 (these
two men are also generals, no. [120]; for RIS 3, see Franke,
Personendaten, dossier 374); RIS 9 (this man is also an overseer of the fields, no. [76], which, in fact, seems to be his
most importanttitle; for this man, see Franke, Personendaten,
dossier 503); scarab from Semna (= Martin, Seals, 384; this
official is also a high steward, no. [6]); Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 468 (= RIK 70); statuette from Kerma (= Reisner, Kerma, 524, fig. 344:47; this official is also an overseer of
the seal, no. [54], and a nomarch, no. [98]); scarab from Ukma
West (= Andreu, Ukma Ouest, 230, no. 56/2).
66 Seal impression from Debeira East (= Martin, Seals,
1065a; this official is also a royal seal-bearer, no. [53]);
Hintze, Felsinschriften, nos. 447 (= RIK 91); and 474 (= RIK

428

Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993)

[55] Overseer of sealers (imy-r htmtyw),67

[561 God's seal-bearer (htmw-ntr),68
[57] Controller of the seal (hrp htm),69
[58] Seal-bearer (htmw),70

[59] Trustworthy seal-bearer (htmw kf3-ib).71

MAJOR MINISTRIES
VIZIER

[60] Vizier (tQty, imy-r niwt),72

[61] Chamberlain of the office of the vizier (imy-r
Chnwty n h3 n tty),73
[62] Keeper of property (iry-ht).74
TREASURY

[63] Steward of the Double treasury (imy-r pr (n)

prwy-hd),75
[64] Steward of the Double house of silver and gold
(imy-r prwy-hd prwy-nbw),76
[65] Overseer of the Treasury (imy-r pr-hd),77

[66] Seal keeper of the Treasury (hry-htm n pr-h,d)78

[67] Hall-keeper of the Treasury (iry-ct n pr-hd),79
[68] Trustworthy seal-bearer of the Treasury (htmw
kf3-ib n pr-hd),80
[69] Chief scribe of the overseer of the seal (ss wr n

imy-r htm),81
[70] Scribe of the Treasury (ss (n) pr-hd),82
[71] Scribe responsible for the seal of the Treasury (ss
hry-htm n pr(wy?)-hd).83
PROVISIONING QUARTERS

[72] Steward of the Provisioning quarters (imy-r pr n

snc),84
[73] Counsellor to the Provisioning quarters overseer
(shy n imy-r snC),85
[74] Hall-keeper of the Provisioning quarters (iry-Ct n

snc),86
[75] Storehouse employee (snc).87
OFFICE OF THE FIELDS

59; both of these men are also bearers of a chief scribe, infra,
no. [115]); statuette from Kerma (= Reisner, Kerma, 524, fig.
344:47; this official is also a royal seal-bearer, no. [53], and a
nomarch, no. [98]).
67 Statuette from Kerma (= Reisner, Kerma, 525, fig.
344:48).
68 Seal from Askut A.
(=
Badawy, Kush 12 [1964]: 52).
69
Text from Abu Sir (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 99).
70
Smith, Buhen, 27, no. 1781; seal impressions from
Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 185, 533?); RIK 65 (although the
title could here be read as psy, "cook," for which see Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 482b and supra, no. [42]); Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 453 (= RIK 85).
71 Inscription from the western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 72, no. 11; for this official, who is also
an overseer of ships, no. [137], see Franke, Personendaten,
dossier 523); RIK 52; RIK 80; RIK 86.
72 RILN, no. 73 (this is the famous vizier Antef-oker, for
whom see Franke, Personendaten, dossier 146); two seal impressions from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1775). The latter,
however, were found on letters, and do not therefore necessarily indicate the vizier's actual presence at Uronarti;see Smith,
Aegean Seals, 210. Another instance of a vizier's set of titles
is found in RILN, no. 10, but there is again no indication of
the vizier's presence in the text.
73 Stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 38, 64).
74 RILN, no. 161. On this title, see Meeks, Alex I, no.
77.0368; S. Quirke, RdE 37 (1986): 113, and 127-28, section
no. (5).
75 RIK 59.
76 Inscription from the western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 71, no. 6).
77 Text from Semna (= Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 532).

[76] Overseer of the fields (imy-r 3hwt),88

[77] Steward of reckoning Lower Egyptian
(imy-r pr hsb it mhty).89

barley

GRANARIES

[78] Overseer of the Double granary (imy-r snwty).90

78
Smith, Buhen, nos. 549, 1078, and 1111. All these
officials also hold scribal titles; see infra, no. [71].
79 RIK
76; RIK 102.
80 RIK 120.
81 Seal impression from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 1338).
82
ALN, pl. 18, 4,
83 Smith,
Buhen, nos. 549, 1078, and 1111. For these men,
see also supra, no. [66].
84 Seal
impressions from Buhen (= Martin, Seals, 517); and
from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1274).
85
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 399 (= RIK 126); for the
reading shy instead of the earlier reading btmty, see ibid., 108.
86 Stela from Uronarti
(= CAA Boston MFA 2. Stelae I
[Mainz, 1985], 149-50). For the importance of the Cwt,
"rooms," in the sgn, within which various commodities were
stored, see S. Quirke, RdE 37 (1986): 120.
87 Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 482b (= RIK 65).
88 RIS 9. This official is also a
royal seal-bearer, supra, no.
[53], although "overseer of the fields" seems to be his most
importanttitle.
89 Seal
impressions from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 336;
Gratien, Nubische Studien, 91, Q 232).
90 RILN, no. 74.
Among a long list of titles, this one seems
to be the most important;see column 14 of the text.

LEPROHON:

Administrative Titles in Nubia

CATTLE

[79] Overseer of the House of cattle census (imy-r pr

hsb ihw).91
LABORFORCE

[80] Overseer of works (imy-r k3wt),92

[81] Great one of the tens of Upper Egypt (wr mdw
sm'),93
[82] Summoner of ten (workmen) (nis mdw),94
[83] Royal foreman for every mission (hrp nsw n i?t
nbt),95
[84] Foreman (hrp),96
[85] Foreman of crews (hrp skw),97
[86] Scribe of the workcamp (ss n hnrt),98

91

RILN, nos. 155 and 157; for this, see also P. Vernus, RdE
37 (1986): 117f.
92 Fragment of a faience vessel from Kerma (= Reisner,
Kerma, fig. 344:52).
93 ALN, pl. 53, 2; RILN, no. 152; Smith, Buhen, nos. 1708,
1785; seal impression from Buhen (= Martin, Seals, 733); stela
from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 49; for this man, see Franke,
Personendaten, dossier 754); seal impressions from Mirgissa
(= Martin, Seals, 1202, 1491, 1805; Gratien, Nubische Studien,
91, Q 230); and from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1644); text
from Kerma (= Reisner, Kerma, 525-26, fig. 344:49; for this
man, see Franke, Personendaten, dossier 605). The title is
difficult to interpret. The wr mdw smc sometimes held judicial
functions (cf. Helck, Verwaltung, 53; N. Strudwick, The Administration of Egypt in the Old Kingdom [London, 1985],
178-79) or else was in charge of recruiting manpower (cf.
H. G. Fischer, JNES 18 [1959]: 265f.). The word md, "(troop
of) ten," is certainly found in titles connected with labor: cf.
the titles imy-r md, "overseer of ten" (= J. Cerny, JEA 34
[1948]: 121); imy-r md (n) wi,, "overseer of ten crew members" (= G. T. Martin, Hetepka [London, 1979], 32, pl. 31
[74], [75]); c' n md, "overseer of ten (men)" (= G. Bjorkmann, Boreas 6 [1974]: 77f.; Meeks, Alex I, no. 77.1951);
imy-r mdw hwt-'ct, "overseer of ten men from the palace" (=
Meeks, Alex II, no. 78.2522). See also the discussions by J.-L.
Chappaz in Les Figurines funeraires (Geneva, 1984), ?10;
P. Vernus, RdE 26 (1974): 107f.; and Quirke, Administration, 79-80, 117. The latter suggests that the title denotes
only that the holder was in charge of a mission; however, the
fact that the wr mdw smc is not found in the Sinai inscriptions
is noteworthy; cf. O. Berlev, Bi Or 22 (1965): 267, n. 19.
94 RILN, nos. 222 and 224.
95 Stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 51, no. 8).
96 Stelae from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 41-43).
97 RILN,no. 138; this official is also a chamberlain,no. [47].
98 Statuette from Kerma (= Reisner, Kerma, 527,
fig.
345:57); on the hnrt, see S. Quirke, RdE 39 (1988): 83-106.

429

[87] Scribe of the called-up laborers of the district

(ssn smdt n wcrt),99
[88] Overseer of a workshop/an administrative district
(imy-r gs-pr),100
[89] Strong-of-voice (nht-hrw),'01
[90] Overseer of outline draftsmen (imy-r ssw
qdwt),102
[91] Outline draftsman (ss qdwt),103
[92] Engraver (gnwty [?]).104
MINISTRYOF JUSTICE

[93] Overseer of the six great Law courts (imy-r

hwwt wrwt 6),105
[94] Elder of the portal (smsw hDyt),106
99 RIK 66; this text belongs to a family of scribes, in which
two of the brothersare scribes of the called-up labourersof the
district while the third is a scribe of the local council, for
which see infra, no. [111].
100Stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 5-6). This official is
also a royal seal-bearer, no. [53]. For gs-pr, see H. G. Fischer,
ZAS 93 (1966): 66-67.
101Text from Askut (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, Askut 7).
For this title, see W. K. Simpson, JNES 18 (1959): 30; Meeks,
Alex I, no. 77.2190; III, no. 79.1614.
102Text from Abu Sir (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 105).
These men, as well as the next two title-holders, had probably
been sent to Nubia to decorate temple reliefs. The present
title-holder preparedthe wall with proportion squares and red
outline sketches of the reliefs; see AEO I, 71*; J. A. Wilson,
JNES 6 (1947): 235; R. Drenkhahn,Die Handwerker und ihre
Tatigkeiten im alten Agypten (Wiesbaden, 1976), 70; Meeks,
Alex I, no. 77.3861 and III, no. 79.2770.
103
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 528 (= RIS 24).
104 Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 528 (= RIS 24; this man is
also a scribe of the crew, infra, no. [141]). On these men, see
Meeks, Alex I, no. 77.4651 and II, no. 78.4454. However,
Drenkhahn,op. cit., no. 1.4.4.1, 62, 68-69, proposes the reading qs.ti for the title. This man was a sculptor, who worked in
stone and wood. Gardiner, Sinai, 18, has also suggested that
such men might have been responsible for the recording of the
expedition on the stela.
105 RILN, no. 73 (for this man, see Franke, Personendaten,
dossier 146); RILN, no. 74. For the judicial functions of this
title, see P. Posener-Kri6ger, Abousir II, 459-60; D. Lorton,
JESHO 20 (1977): 9f.; Meeks, Alex I, no. 77.2542; and Strudwick, Administration,188-98. See, however, S. Quirke,RdE 37
(1986): 128, who suggests that the title-holder was in fact only
a representative of the royal residence, with the hwwt wrwt 6
being part of the administrativebureaucracyof the residence.
106 For the judicial functions of this title, see S. Sauneron,
BIFAO 54 (1954): 122; G. Andreu, BIFAO 80 (1980): 143 (f).
This title has already been mentioned above, no. [5].

430

Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993)

[95] Functionary, keeper of Nekhen (s3b, iry-Nhn),107

[96] Chief of the cadaster (??) (hry n tm),108
[97] Keeper of the regulations (iry hpw).109
OFFICIALS OF THE LOCAL ADMINISTRATION

[98] Nomarch (hry-tp

[99]

Mayor

(h,ty-'),

h3ty-c (n) Iq[n]),15l

District councillor (qnbty),1"6
Herald (whmw),"17
Overseer of a district (imy-r w),l18
Overseer of district/guild(??)-men

[109] Attendant of the offering table of the ruler of a

town (3tw tt n hq3 niwt),121
[110] Administrator of Dep (Cd-mr Dp),122
[111] Scribe of the (local) council (ss n d3dDt).123

[112] Scribe (ss),124

[113] Chief scribe of the ... (ss wr n ... ),125
[114] Scribe of the fortress of...
(?) (ss
mnnw.. ?),126
[115] Bearer of a chief scribe (t3w n ss wr).127

(n)

MIDDLEMEN

[116] Overseer of Interpreters (imy-r cww),128

(imy-r wCr-

RILN, no. 51.

Seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1856).

Seal impression from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 1613).
117
Debod, pl. 109 c; seal impressions from Mirgissa
(= Martin, Seals, 604, 1750); statuette from Kerma (= Reisner, Kerma, 526, fig. 344:50). Two other supposed occurrences of this title, RIK 113 and RIK 114, are doubtful: in
each case, the sign is either part of the father's name, whmw
(see Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 496), or, perhaps less likely,
the letter b (Gardiner Sign List D 58) in the longer name
Ntr(.i)-pw-Gbw.
118 Seal impression from Debeira East (= Martin, Seals,
1576a); and perhaps an offering table from Semna (= SCF I,
62), although see infra, no. [116].
119Graffitifrom Amada
(= ALN, pl. 53, 3-5).
116

lands (imy-r

GENERAL SCRIBAL TITLES

107For the
judicial functions of this title, see P. Vernus, RdE
26 (1974): 109 (f). This title has already been mentioned
above, no. [11].
108Seal impressions from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 702);
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 445 (= RIK 93; this man is the
father of a smsw). For the judicial role of this title, see P. Vernus, RdE 26 (1974): 112.
109Seal
impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 232).
110Statuette from Kerma
(= Reisner, Kerma, 524-25, fig.
344:47). This official is also a royal seal-bearer and an overseer of the seal; see nos. [53] and [54].
111See
supra, no [9]; for the translation "mayor" in the
Middle Kingdom, see Fischer, Supplement, 66.
112
Text from Kerma (= Reisner, Kerma, 524, fig. 344:46).
113
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 451 (= RIK 87; for this man,
see also nos. [8], [9], [136], [143], and [166]).
115

fields/state

C,),110

tyw),119

114

of plowed

hbsw),120

11

[100] Mayor of Nekhen (hyty-'n Nhn),l12

[101] Mayor/Commander of the entry of Upper Egypt
(h,ty- R-C3-Sm), 113
[102] Governor of Lower Egypt (imy-r Tr-mhw),"4
[103] Storeroom of the mayor of Mirgis[sa], (htm (n)
[104]
[105]
[106]
[107]

[108] Overseer

120

Seal impression from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 412);

and perhaps a statuette from Askut. For the latter, see
A. Badawy, Kush 12 (1964): 50, who gives a title "directorof
the plowings."
121 RILN, no. 150; for the reading tt instead of wdhw
(= Ward, Titles, no. 6b), see D. Franke, GM 83 (1984): 115.
This man is accompanied by a butler, supra, no. [40].
122 RILN, no. 74 (with his publication of this text, Zaba,
111, has suggested the additional title r P, "the spokesman of
Pe"); stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 39f.).
123 RIK 66 (this man is part of a family of scribes; see
supra, no. [87]); RIK 79.
124 Inscription from the western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 73, no. 12); RILN, no. 73; texts from
Faras (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 2); from Abd el Qadir
(= ibid., no. 15); from Abu Sir (= ibid., nos. 83; 92; 118; 149;
184; 191; 206; 225; 228; 310); and from Buhen Hill (= ibid.,
Buhen Hill A 5; A 6); seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1371, although the complete title is missing);
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 397a (= RIK 50; for this man, see
also nos. [11], [25], [123], [160], and [174]).
125 Stone vessel from Kerma
(= Reisner, Kerma, 527, fig.
345:56).
126 Stamp-seal impression from Kumma (= Martin, Seals,
1879).
127Hintze, Felsinschriften, nos. 447 (= RIK 91), who reads
t,w n ss smsw; and 474 (= RIK 59). Both of these are also
overseers of the seal, no. [54]. For the title t3w n ss, see WbV,
349:11, and Hintze's comments, ibid., 125. For my reading
t3w n ss wr, cf. Ward, Titles, no. 1580.
128ALN, pl. 50, 8; stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, no.
1708; for this man, see Franke, Personendaten, dossier 756);
and an offering table from Semna (= SCF I, 62). The last example is difficult: here the title could be read as imy-r w,

LEPROHON:

Administrative Titles in Nubia

[117] Overseer of the foreign countries and of the

people of Zatju(?) (imy-r hzswt s3tw),129
[118] Greatest of the great ones of Upper and Lower
Egypt (?) (wr wrw smCw T3-mhw [?]).130
ARMY

[119]
[120]
[121]
[122]
[123]
[124]

Great general (imy-r ms" (wr?)),131

General (imy-r msC),132
General of infantry (imy-r mnf,t),133
Commander (?) (tsw),134
Director of army scribes (shd ss msC),135
Army scribe (ss ms").136

Retainers/Bodyguards'37
[125] Supervisor of retainers of the First Battalion
(shd smsw n rmn tpy),138
[126] Retainer of the First Battalion (smsw n rmn
tpy).139
"district overseer," no. [106], and at any rate, the offering
table could well date from the Second Intermediate Period or
even the New Kingdom. For such men in Nubia, see Smith,
Buhen, 72f.
129RILN, no. 64. For this title, see W. K. Simpson, JNES 45
(1986): 72, contra Ward, Titles, no. 291a.
130 Text from Kerma
(= Kerma IV, 509 [31]). For the reference, see Fischer, Supplement, 17; and D. Franke, GM 83
(1984): 122.
131
Stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 51, no. 8).
132
Texts from Semna (= SCF I, pls. 90, 91B); Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 506. Three men who are also royal sealbearers, supra, no. [53], are also imy-r msC: stela from Semna
(= CAA Boston MFA 2: Stelae I [Mainz, 1985], 153-55); RIS
3 (for this man, also known from a graffito at Aswan, see
Franke, Personendaten, dossier 374); and RIS 18. The title
imy-r msc can be rendered either "expedition leader" or "general," but the great number of military titles found in Middle
Kingdom Nubia renders the translation "general" more likely.
133 Stela from Buhen
(= Smith, Buhen, 51, no. 8; this official
is also an imy-r msc wr).
134 Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 507 (= RIS 10). The title,
however, could also be connected to labor organization; see
Quirke, Administration, 170.
135
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 397a (= RIK 50; for this
man, see also nos. [11], [25], [112], [160], and [174]).
136 Texts from Abd el
Qadir (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, nos.
5, 51); and from Abu Sir (= ibid., no. 122).
137It should be noted here that a number of occurrences of
the title smsw have already been seen in the palace section, supra, nos. [26] to [30].
138 Seal
impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1673).
139 Seal impressions from Uronarti(= Martin,Seals,
126, 451,
693, 731, and 1435); Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 525 (= RIS

431

Local Commanders
[127] Chief local commander (3tw 'C n niwt),140
[128] Local commander (3tw n niwt).141
Local Soldiers
[129] Local soldier (Cnh n niwt),142
of privates
[130] Overseer (?) ChoWtyw),143
(?) (imy-r
[131] Private (h,wty ),l44
[132] Private from Hierakonpolis (C'hwty n Nhn),145
[133] Private from Antaeopolis (C'hwty n Tbw),146
[134] Bowman (iry pdt),147
[135] Overseer of recruits (imy-r hwnw-nfrw),'48
[136] Strong one of Nubia (w3s T,-sty).149
21); RIK 51 and RIK 82 (= Franke,Personendaten, dossier 19;
although see Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 486, who reads the text
as two titles: smsw and Cw).For this title in a military context,
see S. Quirke, RdE 37 (1986): 116, no. 1524, and 122.
140 RIS 14 (for this text, see Franke, Personendaten, dossier
103; F. Hintze, ZAS 111 [1984]: 131f.); RIK 113 and RIK 114
(= these two texts could form a new dossier, no. 350a, in
Franke's Personendaten).
141 RIK 73 (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 314); Semna
Despatch no. 6; seal impression from Semna (= Martin, Seals,
302). It should be noted that this title is often only an abbreviation of the preceding one: compare RIS 14 with Semna Despatch no. 6; RIK 73 with Pap. Boulaq 18, 45, 2:7, and stela
Louvre C 58.
142RILN, nos. 83, 84, 87, 118, 130, 144 (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 222), 146 (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier
313), and 147; stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 18-19,
no. 1497); seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals,
1801a); RIK 88 and 94 (= Franke,Personendaten, dossier 170);
RIK 111 (= Franke,Personendaten, dossier 624); RIK 123 (this
man is said to be the "retainer"[smsw] of an 3tw mniw tsmw,
for which see Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 384; see Franke,Personendaten, dossiers 298 and 509); RIK 127 (= Franke, Personendaten, dossier 115); Semna Despatch no. 4.
143 Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 493 (= RIK 117); and perhaps RILN, no. 74.
144 Semna Despatches nos. 2 and 3. This title was lower in
rank than that of the ordinary soldier (Cnh);see Quirke, Administration, 192.
145 Semna
Despatch no. 4.
146 Semna
Despatch no. 4.
147 Seal
impression "from Nubia" (= Martin, Seals, 613a);
stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 13, no. 881); seal impressions from Mirgissa (= Gratien, Nubische Studien, 91, Q 366);
from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1322); and from Semna (=
Martin, Seals, 1649).
148
Stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 50f.).
149
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 451 (= RIK 87; for this man,
see also nos. [8], [9], [101], [143], and [166]).

Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993)

432

NAVY

[137] Overseer of ships (imy-r hCw),150

[138] Ship's pilot (imy-irty),151
[139] Officer of the crew(s) of the ruler (3tw n tt
hq), 152
N^!ry~~~~~~~~~~~~9
f153
[140] Soldier of the crew of the ruler ('nh n tt hqn),153
[141] Scribe of a crew (?) (ss n st),154
[142] Captain of rowers (imy-r hnywt).155
POLICE156

[143] Overseer of disputes (imy-r snt),157

[144] (lesser) Supervisor of a police officer (imy-ht
s,w-pr),158
[145] Police officer (s3-pr),159

150
Inscription from the western Nubian desert, CG 20784 (=
R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 72, no. 11; for this official,
who is also a htmw kfi-ib, see supra, no. [59]); RILN, nos. 10
and 19; stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 10, no. 579); seal
impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1584).
151 RILN, nos. 214-15.
152
Texts from Buhen nos. 263, 881, and 1569 (= Smith,
Buhen, 6, 13, 19); RIS 1; RIS 15.
153
Debod, pl. 128e (this official is also a scribe of the House
[of Life], infra, no. [170]; inscription from the western Nubian
desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 74); RILN, no. 72;
RILN, no. 117; RILN, nos. 145, 153, and RIK 54 (= Franke,
Personendaten, dossier 222); RIS 22 (= Franke,Personendaten,
dossier 5); RIS 23; RIK 55; RIK 83; Semna Despatch no. 4.
154 Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 528 (= RIS 24; this man is
also a gnwty, supra, no. [92]).
155 Text from Askut
(= Hintze, Felsinschriften, Askut 8).
There is also a possible occurrence of the title hnyt, "rower,"
in Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 526 (= RIS 22), although the
word could simply be part of the name hn (PN I, 275:1) which
comes after the title, soldier of the crew of the ruler.
156For police activities in Nubia in the Middle Kingdom,
see JSSEA 12 (1982): 75-76. For policemen's titles in general,
see G. Andreu, BIFAO 80 (1980): 143; Livre du centenaire
(MIFAO, vol. CIV, 1980), 3-7; LA IV:31 (1982): 1068-71;
BSAK 4 (1990): 24-25; and CRIPEL 13 (1991): 17f.
157 Seal
impression from Mirgissa (= Martin, Seals, 1329);
stelae from Semna (= SCF I, pl. 91A and D; see also D.
Valbelle, Satis et Anoukis [1981], 12, no. 102); Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 451 (= RIK 87; for this man, see also nos.
[8], [9], [101], [136], and [166]); Semna Despatch no. 3.
158Seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 1308).
On this title, see also Fischer, Supplement, 55.
159 RILN, no. 158; Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 414 (= RIK
28); RIK 58; RIK 77; RIK 78; Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 427

[146] Officer of dog keepers (3tw mniw tsmw),160

[147] Dog keeper (mniw tsmw).161
MINING AND QUARRYING WORK

Overseer of gold workers (imy-r nbw),162

Prospector (smnty),163
Prospector of the Hare nome (smnty n Wnt),164
Scribe of the district of gold-reckoning (ss sp3t n
hsb nbw [?]),165
[152] Stone worker (ikwy),166
[153] Overseer of the department of lapidaries (imy-r
wcrt n msw-'Ct),167
[154] Lapidary (ms-Ct). 168

[148]
[149]
[150]
[151]

PRIESTHOODS

Priests of Khnum
[155] Overseer of priests of Khnum (imy-r hmw-ntr n
Hnmw),169
[156] Chief priest of Khnum (hm-ntr C3 n Hnmw),170
[157] [Priest ?] of Khnum (hm-ntr n Hnmw),171
[158] wab-priest of Khnum (wCb Hnmw).172
Priests of Satis
[159] Chief priest of Satis (hm-ntr

n Stit),173

(= RIK 95); RIK 103; RIK 109 (two brothers here); text from
Saidnambi (= Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 543).
160 RIK 123 and 130
(= Franke,Personendaten, dossier 509).
161 RILN, nos. 43, 50, and 72 (the latter is associated with a
soldier of the crew of the ruler, no. [139]).
162
ALN, pl. 58. For gold prospection in Nubia, see J. Vercoutter, Kush 7 (1959): 142f.
163 Texts from Abu Sir
(= Hintze, Felsinschriften, nos. 78,
137). Such men could also have been used as intermediaries,
or "middlemen," as they are called here (supra, nos. [116] to
[118]), for which see the remarks below.
164RILN, no. 211. On this title, see Goyon, Hammamat,42;
W. K. Simpson, JNES 45 (1986): 74.
165Text from Abu Sir (= Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 175).
166
RILN, no. 89.
167
Inscription from the western nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 72, no. 7).
168 Inscription from the western Nubian desert (= R. Engelbach, ASAE 33 [1933]: 73, no. 12).
169
Fragment of a statuette from Kerma (= Kerma, 527, fig.
345:54).
170 RIK 15.
171 RIS 13a, if the word "Khnum"is read twice, thus: "the
priest of Khnum, (Khnum)-hotep";and perhaps a seal impression from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, 739).
172
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 404b (= RIK 16).
173 RIK
14; cf. Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 402.

LEPROHON:Administrative

[160] Priest of Satis (hm-ntr n Stit),174

[161] wab-priest of Satis, mistress of Elephantine (wCb
n Stit, nbt 3bw).175
Priests of Anukis
[162] God's father of the temple of Anukis (it-ntr hwtntr Cnkt),176
[163] Watchman of the temple of Anukis (rsw hwt-ntr
Cnkt).177
Priesthoods
[164] Priest
[165] Priest
[166] Priest
[167] God's

of other gods
of Amun(-Re?) (hm-ntr n Imn-[RC?]),178
of Ptah (hm-ntr Pth),179
of Maat (hm-ntr Myct),180
father of Onuris (it ntr In-hrt).181

Lector Priests
[168] Chief lector priest (hry-hb hry-tp),182
[169] Lector priest (hry-hb),183
[170] Scribe of the House [of Life] (ss pr (Cnh?)),184
General priesthoods
[171] Priest (hm-ntr),185
[172] setem-priest (s(t)m),186

174 Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 407 (= RIK 19); RIK 25 (for

this man, see D. Valbelle, Satis et Anoukis [1981], 12, no.
105); Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 397a (= RIK 50; for this
man, see also nos. [11], [25], [112], [123], and [174]).
175 RIK 119c; for this man, see D. Valbelle, Satis et
Anoukis, 12, no. 107.
176 RIK 17; for this man, see D. Valbelle, Satis et Anoukis,
12, no. 104.
177 Fragmentarystela from Semna (= SCF I, 52).
178ALN, pl. 18, 13; the name of the individual is missing in
the text, unless the word "Ra" is part of the name, which
would then give us the shorter title "Priest of Amun."
179Scarab from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 71).
180Stela from Buhen (= Smith, Buhen, 51, no. 8); Hintze,
Felsinschriften, no. 451 (= RIK 87; for this man, see also nos.
[8], [9], [101], [136], and [143]).
181 Scarab from Ukma West (= Andreu, Ukma Ouest,
228,
no. 16/8).
82
RILN, no. 74.
183RIK 13 (the father of a funerary priest; see infra, no.
[173]); RIK 16.
184
Debod, pl. 128e; this man is also a Soldier of the crew of
the ruler, supra, no. [139].
185 RIS 13a
(see, however, supra, no. [157]); RIK 14; RIK
31; RIK 125b.
186
RILN, no. 74.

Titles in Nubia

433

[173] Funerary priest (hm-kL),187

[174] wab-priest (wcb),188
[175] Overseer of offering-cakes of the temple (imy-r
s'ywt hwt-ntr),189
[176] Reckoner of festival offerings (hsb hbyt [?]),190
[177] Scribe of festival offerings (ss hbyt [?]),191
[178] Magnate of censing in the palace (wr idt m prnsw), 192

[179] Recipient of a 1000 portions from the offering

table (Cnh n sp h, hr wdhw),193
[180] Chief physician (wr swnw).194
What is particularly striking about such a catalogue
is the astonishing range of titles met in Middle Kingdom Nubia. Various representatives of the Palace and
the royal domains are attested, as well as officials from
virtually all the major ministries of the central government, who were sent at one time or another to look
after the Nubian holdings of the crown.
Of course, a tabulation such as this will not present a
complete picture of the administrative involvement of
Egypt in Middle Kingdom Nubia. For example, some
of the material remains unpublished, and we are most
probably dealing with an incomplete preservation of
the sources.
The ancient Egyptians' own presentations of their titles present problems too. Officials occasionally used
abbreviations when listing their titles, which makes it
difficult to place the positions within a given ministry.195 Sometimes an official lists a particular title on a
graffito in Nubia but gives another title on a different
187RIK 13
(the son of a lector-priest; see supra, no. [169]);
RIK 32a.
188RILN, no. 175; RIS 13b (see Hintze,
Felsinschriften,
no. 523); Hintze, Felsinschriften, nos. 383 (= RIK 128); 395
(= RIK 125a); and 397a (= RIK 50; for this man, see also nos.
[11], [25], [112], [123], and [160]).
189RILN, no. 200.
190Text from Abu Sir (=
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 134).
191Text from Abu Sir (=
Hintze, Felsinschriften, no. 142).
192 Stela from Buhen
(= Buhen, 51, note 8). The title is
found in a long list of titles, and is thus not necessarily part of
the general Nubian clergy; see supra, no. [15].
193RILN, no. 148.
194RILN, no. 163. For the use of such magicians/physicians
on expeditions, cf. Sinai, nos. 85 and 122.
195 E.g., the retainer from RIK 82, no. [30], who may, in
fact, hold the fuller military title of retainer of the First Battalion, no. [126] (see Franke, Personendaten, dossier 19). See
also the remarkaccompanying the title iry-'t, no. [21], which,
by itself, means very little.

434

Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993)

monument. Such is the case with the supervisor of retainers (shd smsw) Igai-hotep,196who, however, lists
"hall-keeper of the watch (iry-ct n wrsw)" as his only

title on his two Abydene stelae. Whether one title is

more significant than the other, i.e., implies a promotion, is difficult to establish. The duties of a supervisor
(shd) would seem to entail responsibility over others;
however, one would assume that the title engraved on
two different stelae left at Abydos, and therefore intended for a different kind of posterity than simple
graffiti left in Nubia, would carry more weight. Similarly, if an official offers a whole gamut of titles,'97 it is
sometimes hard to establish which function the official
was sent to fill in Nubia; the catalogue must contain all
the titles, but surely not all are relevant to the administration of the Nubian possessions of the crown.
When an official lists a member of his family and
gives the latter's title,198that title is added to the catalogue for the sake of completeness, but there is nothing
to confirm the family member's presence in Nubia. The
same situation occurs when an official's title is only
known through seal impressions, as was the case with
the vizier's title found in the forts; nothing confirms the
actual presence of the vizier in Nubia at this time.'99
The opposite occurs when an official who claims to
have dealt with Nubians in an autobiographicaltext has
left no trace of his stay in the area. Such an example is
a late Middle Kingdom stela from Gebelein, now in
Cairo,200of a high steward and royal retainer named
Hepet who states that he "traversed the [lands] of the
Medjay in order to seek out cattle for his god" (= CG

196
Supra,no. [26] andthe referencesthere;see Franke,Personendaten,dossier 160, and the remarksby G. Andreuin
BSAK4 (1990):20.
197 Stela BM 1177 (= Smith, Buhen, 51),
graffiti RILN nos.
10 and 74, RIK 87, and Hintze, no. 397a from the present catalogue, are obvious examples of this sort of lengthy enumeration of titles.
198See, e.g., the remarks under nos. [45] and [96].
199See the remarksunder no. [60], as well as Smith, Aegean
Seals, 206-7. Other instances mention simply the Office of the
Vizier, e.g., seal impressions from Askut (= Vercoutter, Mirgissa I, 182, n. 118; Martin, Seals, 1849), from Serra East
(= Martin, Seals, no. 1848a; Gratien, Nubische Studien, 91, Q
57), from Semna South (= L. V. Zabkar, JARCE 19 [1982]:
19, 37, IV, Kl-17), from Uronarti (= Martin, Seals, no. 1845),
etc. However, these simply reflect the expected communications between the forts and the Vizier's office.
200 See P. Vernus, RdE 37 (1986): 141-44, for the dating
and a general discussion of the autobiographical section.

20764, lines 3-4).

If Hepet went to Nubia to trade for

the aforementioned cattle, he left no preserved memento of his stay in the region.
Notwithstanding the great number of administrative

titles found in Middle Kingdom Nubia, there is still no

evidence for the title of the commanders of the forts, if

indeed a single title-bearer held that position. Two

Thirteenth Dynasty texts mention "commanding in the
fortress (hr ts m mnnw),"201but these come from men
who hold different titles: graffito RIS 3 is from a seal
bearer, no. [53], and general, no. [120], while the
Askut text was left by a retainer of the ruler, no. [28].
References to a "seal of the mayor (6tm hty-')" found
in the forts202 may reflect the presence of a civil admin-

istrator in charge of non-military operations in the

forts. As for the title tsw (n Bhny) for the high commander of Buhen fort, this seems to occur only from
the Second Intermediate Period onward.203
Nevertheless, the diversity of titles is indeed note-

worthy. What is seen is nothing else than the gradual

encroachment of the Egyptian administrative apparatus
into Lower Nubia. First come the armed forces to take
the area in military campaigns and thereby facilitate the
central government's uninterruptedexploitation of the
area's natural resources. This easily explains the various quarrying and mining titles met in Nubia.204 Next is
a labor force, sent to erect buildings that serve as trading posts and eventually become monuments to the
grandeur of the king. In their wake comes a veritable
army of magistrates and chancellors, directors and
supervisors, all supported by the ubiquitous corps of

201RIS 3 (for which see also F. Hintze, Kush 13 [1965]: 15,

and Felsinschriften, no. 509) and a text from Askut (= S. T.
Smith, JARCE 28 [1991]: 118).
202
Smith, Aegean Seal, 202, Table 2.
203 See T.
Save-Soderbergh, JEA 35 (1949): 54-56; Smith,
Buhen, 55-56; and the remarksby W. K. Simpson in Hekanefer
(New Haven, 1963), 34. An early Middle Kingdom reference to
tsw nb n phrt, "every commander of the frontier patrol (?)"
(= stela BM 1177:7) does not necessarily mean the word tsw
was used to designate the commander of the fort. The title was
also used in the early New Kingdom, as the Rekhmire texts
show (= Urk IV, 1120:13 and 1122:13); for the dating, see
G. P. F. van den Boom, Or 51 (1982): 369-81, and The Duties
of the Vizier (London, 1988), 333f. This new dating removes
the reference to the Middle Kingdom tzw mnw mentioned in LA
II (1977): 203-4.
204 For a good summary of this question, see particularly
K. Zibelius-Chen, Die dgyptische Expansion nach Nubien
(Wiesbaden, 1988), 71f.

LEPROHON:Administrative Titles

scribes. Perhaps many of these functionaries were only

sent to Nubia on short tours of duty,205accompanying
the convoys of food supplies206or the tools and weapons207 sent to the forts, serving mainly as observers and
crown representatives.
This would certainly explain the presence of some of
the officials from the Inner and Outer Palace and perhaps also that of the various stewards. As for the retainers, attendants, supply personnel, and clerical staff,
these could also have been sent as observers on behalf
of the various ministries, or simply have attended to the
high officials. The presence of the sundry seal-bearers
is also easily explained when one considers the Egyptian bureaucracy's near obsession with record keeping,
and sealing and counter-sealing as a way to ensure the
proper handling of crown possessions.208
The presence of agents from the various ministries of
the central government can also be easily understood.
Whether they representedsuch institutions as the central
Treasury or the Provisioning quarters,these men would
have been responsible for the transit of goods to or from
Nubia. Their presence was surely requiredby the central
government's need to control all facets of this economic
pipeline. The lack of major representation from such
ministries as the Offices of the Granariesand Cattle may
simply be due to the accident of preservation.209
Surprisingly, in Nubia there is no mention of the
new "Departments" (wcrt) created by the central ad205 See

the remarksin Smith, Buhen, 68-69 and 78-79,

regardingBuhenfort, and J. Vercoutter,MirgissaIII (Paris,
1976),302, for Mirgissa.
206 Thegarrisons'food supplieswerebothgrownlocally,as
well as importedfromEgypt.ForBuhen,see Emeryet al., The
Fortress of Buhen, II: The Archaeological Record (London,

1979), 97; for Mirgissa,see Vercoutter,MirgissaI, 170. See

also the remarksin Trigger,Nubia,71; B. J. Kemp,ZAS113
(1986): 120-36, esp. 130f.;andSmith,AegeanSeals, 204.
Cf. the flint spear points and arrow heads, which originally came from Upper Egypt, found at Mirgissa; see A. Vila,
RdE 22 (1970): 175-76.
208 On
this, see particularly Smith, Aegean Seals, 197f.
209
In fact, each fort possessed its own granary and treasury,
as well as "sealed rooms" (htmt), all of which are well attested
from seal impressions found in the forts; for this, see particularly Smith, Aegean Seals, 202f.
207

in Nubia

435

ministration in the late Middle Kingdom. Perhaps this

stems from the fact that these departments had been
created specifically for the purpose of centralizing governmental control over Egypt itself, and thus held no
sway over foreign territory. The same can probably be
said for the Office of the Provider of People (h3 n dd
rmt), which was responsible for registering and assigning the needed manpower for royal projects. Of course,
representatives of a labor force were sent to Nubia (see
nos. [80] to [92]), and perhaps the overseer of works
(no. [80]) was the official responsible for overseeing
the construction of the forts and their dependencies.
The officials designated as "middlemen," nos. [116]
to [ 18], are those who, in the present author'sopinion,
dealt directly as interpretersand intermediaries210with
the indigenous population, whether these be local Medjay211 or the more southerly inhabitants from Kerma
who, it must be remembered, dealt with the Egyptians
on an equal footing.212
Priests were included in these missions to fill an important spiritual need for people wrenched away from
their homes and thus perhaps in need of additional reassurance. The absence of such religious functionaries
would have been unthinkable to an ancient Egyptian.
In administrative terms, the priesthood was also important because of the system of reversion of divine offerings, whereby such offerings were eventually handed
over to the officiants. This made them part of a redistributive economy that was surely part and parcel of
the food distribution process, and thus generally of the
rations system within the forts themselves.
In the end, what the list of titles demonstrates is the
customary thoroughness of the ancient Egyptians' organizational skills. All facets of a burgeoning empire can
be seen in the titles left by the officials sent to administer the conquered territory.
210
Cf. the use of the smntyw as intermediariesin the incense
trade in the New Kingdom, for which see A.-A. Saleh, Or 42
(1973): 370-82.
211
Semna Despatch no. 3 indicates that some Medjay auxiliaries may even have been employed as patrolmen by the
Egyptians.
212 See the remarks B.
by G. Trigger in JSSEA 12 (1982): 3f.

436

Journal of the American Oriental Society 113.3 (1993)

ABBREVIATIONS

Adams, Nubia
W. Y. Adams, Nubia. Corridor to Africa (London,
1977).
ALN
A. Weigall, A Report on the Antiquities of Lower
Nubia (Oxford, 1907).
Andreu, Ukma Ouest
G. Andreu, ch. 8, "Les Scarab6es," in: Le Cimetiere
Kermaique d'Ukma Ouest: La Prospection archeologique de la Vallee du Nil en Nubie soudanaise,
ed. A. Vila (Paris, CNRS, 1987), 225-79.
Debod
G. Roeder, Les Temples immerges de la Nubie: Debod bis Kalabscha (Cairo, 1911).
Fischer, Supplement
H. G. Fischer, Egyptian Titles of the Middle Kingdom: A Supplement to Wi. Ward's INDEX (New
York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1985).
Franke, Personendaten
D. Franke, Personendaten aus dem Mittleren Reich
(20.-16. Jahrhundertv. Chr.) Dossiers 1-796 (Wiesbaden, 1984).
Gratien, Nubische Studien
B. Gratien, "Premieres constatations sur les empreintes de sceaux de la forteresse de Mirgissa," in
Nubische Studien: Tagungsaktender 5. Internationalen Konferenz der International Society for Nubian Studies, Heidelberg, 22.-25. September 1982,
ed. M. Krause (Mainz, 1986), 89-91.
Martin, Seals
G. T. Martin, Egyptian Administrative and PrivateName Seals (Oxford, 1971).
Meeks, Alex
D. Meeks, Annee lexicographique I (1980); II
(1981); III (1982).
Quirke, Administration
S. Quirke, The Administration of Egypt in the Late

Middle Kingdom: The Hieratic Documents (New

Maiden, 1990).
Reisner, Kerma
G. Reisner, Excavations at Kerma, parts IV-V. Harvard African Studies VI (Cambridge,Mass., 1923).
RIK, RIS Rock Inscription at Kumma and Semna (= D. Dunham, J. M. A. Janssen, Second Cataract Forts I:
Semna-Kumma[Boston, 1960], 130-69).
RILN
Z. Zaba, The Rock Inscriptions of Lower Nubia
(Czechoslovak Concession) (Prague, 1974).
SCF I
D. Dunham, J. M. A. Janssen, Second Cataract
Forts I: Semna-Kumma(Boston, 1960).
SCF II
D. Dunham, Second Cataract Forts II: Uronarti,
Shalfak, Mirgissa (Boston, 1967).
Semna Despatches
P. C. Smither, The Semnah Despatches, JEA 31
(1945): 3-10.
Smith, Aegean Seals
S. Tyson Smith, "Administration at the Egyptian
Middle Kingdom Frontier: Sealings from Uronarti
and Askut," in Aegean Seals, Sealings and Administration, Aegaeum 5 (Liege, 1990), 197-219.
Smith, Buhen
H. S. Smith, The Fortress of Buhen I: The Inscriptions (London, 1976).
Trigger, Nubia
B. G. Trigger, Nubia under the Pharaohs (London,
1976).
Vercoutter, Mirgissa I
J. Vercoutter et al., Mirgissa I (Paris, 1970).
Ward, Titles
W. A. Ward, Index of Egyptian Administrative and
Religious Titles of the Middle Kingdom (Beirut,
1982).