Teti, Son of Minhotep
Encyclopedia
Teti, Son of Minhotep, was an Egyptian official in Coptos during the reign of the Seventeenth Dynasty
Pharaoh, Nubkheperre Intef. His only clear attestation is in the Coptos Decree
, which deprives him of his office and its stipend for some act of sacrilege. The exact nature of this crime is debated, largely due to the idiomatic or euphamistic language used in the text. Some have identified him as the same Teti who opposed Kamose
several kings later, which would indicate the kings between Nubkheperre Intef and Kamose had very short reigns, but this identification remains problematic.
or as merely a temple official. J. H. Breasted argued that the Coptos Decree must be read as ordering the demotion of a count and installing his replacement. Alternatively, Katja Goebs argues that Teti probably had never been the Haty-a, since the titles the Coptos Decree stripped him of were purely temple offices.
delegation into the temple. However, a study by Georges Posener has led to a reevaluation of this view. In his argument, Posener demonstrated that the Egyptian word for enemies, khefetiu, may be used as a euphamism to avoid writing about taboo subjects. Accordingly, when the text reads "the enemy was stolen," Posener believed it meant that the god, the temple idol, was stolen. On the basis of this use, scholars of the Hebrew Bible began to argue that a similar construction occurs in the book of II Samuel, explaining why the text reads "you have spurned the enemies of the Lord" where the offence is clearly against Yahweh.
While such a use may be established in later texts, Katja Goebs argued in a 2003 article that it is impossible for the crime of stealing the temple idol to be punished merely by stripping the offender of his titles. The typical punishment for such sacrilage was death by burning. Rather, Goebs argued that "enemy" also indicates a sacrificial offering, because in Egyptian ritual, the slaughtered animal symbolizes Set, the enemy of the Pharonic god Horus, being slaughtered. Tety therefore would have stolen some of the herd for providing sacrificial animals, a crime more in keeping with what he received.
Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt
The Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Second Intermediate Period. The Seventeenth Dynasty dates approximately from 1580 to 1550 BC.-Rulers:...
Pharaoh, Nubkheperre Intef. His only clear attestation is in the Coptos Decree
Coptos Decree
The Coptos Decree of Nubkheperre Intef is a legal ruling written in hieroglyphic on the wall of the Min-temple in Coptos.-Content of the Decree:...
, which deprives him of his office and its stipend for some act of sacrilege. The exact nature of this crime is debated, largely due to the idiomatic or euphamistic language used in the text. Some have identified him as the same Teti who opposed Kamose
Kamose
Kamose was the last king of the Theban Seventeenth Dynasty. He was probably the son of Seqenenre Tao II and Ahhotep I and the full brother of Ahmose I, founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty. His reign fell at the very end of the Second Intermediate Period...
several kings later, which would indicate the kings between Nubkheperre Intef and Kamose had very short reigns, but this identification remains problematic.
Rank
Teti's position in Coptos has been identified variously as a Haty-aHaty-a
Ḥaty-a was an ancient Egyptian rank and title given to local princes, mayors, or governors. There is no standard translation for it, and it is frequently left transliterated in scholarly literature....
or as merely a temple official. J. H. Breasted argued that the Coptos Decree must be read as ordering the demotion of a count and installing his replacement. Alternatively, Katja Goebs argues that Teti probably had never been the Haty-a, since the titles the Coptos Decree stripped him of were purely temple offices.
Crime
The common presumption has been that Teti committed some form of revolt. Harry Hall argued that a reference to "enemies" indicated that Teti had invited a HyksosHyksos
The Hyksos were an Asiatic people who took over the eastern Nile Delta during the twelfth dynasty, initiating the Second Intermediate Period of ancient Egypt....
delegation into the temple. However, a study by Georges Posener has led to a reevaluation of this view. In his argument, Posener demonstrated that the Egyptian word for enemies, khefetiu, may be used as a euphamism to avoid writing about taboo subjects. Accordingly, when the text reads "the enemy was stolen," Posener believed it meant that the god, the temple idol, was stolen. On the basis of this use, scholars of the Hebrew Bible began to argue that a similar construction occurs in the book of II Samuel, explaining why the text reads "you have spurned the enemies of the Lord" where the offence is clearly against Yahweh.
While such a use may be established in later texts, Katja Goebs argued in a 2003 article that it is impossible for the crime of stealing the temple idol to be punished merely by stripping the offender of his titles. The typical punishment for such sacrilage was death by burning. Rather, Goebs argued that "enemy" also indicates a sacrificial offering, because in Egyptian ritual, the slaughtered animal symbolizes Set, the enemy of the Pharonic god Horus, being slaughtered. Tety therefore would have stolen some of the herd for providing sacrificial animals, a crime more in keeping with what he received.