Papyrus Rylands IX

Rylands Library Papyrus
P52 - recto - part of
the Rylands Papyri

Papyrus Rylands IX, one of a group of nine Demotic  papyri  discovered at el-Hiba (ancient Teudjoi) on the eastern bank of the Nile River in Middle Egypt. They  are  all  concerned  with  the  affairs  of  a  priestly  family  who  lived  there  during  the  sixth  and  seventh  centuries  BCE.  The  text,  twenty-five  columns  in  length,  is  a  draft  copy  of  a  complaint addressed by one member of the family, Petiese, to the chief  finance  minister  of  Egypt  in  the  reign  of  the  Persian king Darius I,  concerning the injustices which he and his relatives suffered at the hands  of other priests in their native town.  Petiese's complaint is divided into four parts. The first narrates the  circumstances leading to its submission. In the ninth year of the reign of  Darius, a certain Ahmose came to Teudjoi  and  claimed  a  priestly  stipend, which he said was owed him. This could not be paid because the  temple finances were in such parlous condition. Seeking an explanation  for this state of affairs, Ahmose was directed to the temple scribe, who  happened  to  be  the  writer  of  the  complaint, Petiese.  As  the  latter  recounts, he blamed the temple clergy, with whom he was in dispute, for  its financial woes. These priests learned of his accusation and sought to  exact  revenge.  Lucky  to  escape  with  his  life,  Petiese fled  to  Memphis  and  asked  the  chief  finance  minister  to  take  up  his  case  and  see  that  justice was done. That official instructed him to write a full history of  his  difficulties  with  the  priests  and  how  they  arose,  and  it  is  to  this  account that the second part of the complaint is devoted.

According to Petiese, his great-great-grandfather had been inspector of a large tract of Egyptian  territory  extending  from Memphis in the  North to Aswan in the South. Finding the temple of Amun at Teudjoi  with its staff depleted, and struggling under a heavy burden of taxation,  he  arranged  for  its  taxes  to  be remitted  and restored  it  to  its  former  prosperity,  erecting  a  stela  and  two  statues of  himself  there to  commemorate his pious deed. As a reward, he was given the stipend of the prophet  of Amun of Teudjoi and  other  benefices  as  well.  Subsequently,  he  raised  a  second  stela  on  which  his  various  priestly  offices were enumerated.

The  stipends  of  Petiese's  ancestor  were  inherited  by  his  son  and  grandson.  However,  when  the  latter,  Petiese's  grandfather,  was  sent  to  accompany the king on a journey to Asia, his benefices were confiscated  by the other priests and divided among them. After his death, his son, Petiese's father, refused  to  renounce  his  claim  to  the  stipend  of  the  prophet  of  Amun  and  was  therefore forced to flee from Teudjoi with his family. In his absence, the  priests  demolished  his  house,  defaced  one  of  the  stelae  set  up  by  his  ancestor, and threw his statues into the river. Petiese, acting on behalf of  his father, was able to obtain a small financial compensation from them;  he rebuilt the house and moved the family back into it. At the time when  his petition was drawn up, however, the priestly stipend that he claimed  was still being denied him.

The  third  part  of  Petiese's  complaint  purports  to  give  copies,  in  Hieratic,  of  the  texts  on  the  two  stelae  erected  by  his  great-great- grandfather  in  the  temple  of  Teudjoi.  The  fourth  part  comprises  three  hymns  which  condemn  the  wickedness  of  evildoers  and  extol  the  righteousness of the god Amun, who avenges the ones whom they have  wronged. Plainly, Petiese's opponents are destined for divine retribution.  Papyrus Rylands IX is important for the insights that it provides into  Egyptian  economic  affairs,  social  and  political  history,  temple  administration, and legal procedure during the sixth and seventh centuries  BCE. One has to exercise caution in using it as a source of evidence, since  the  text  is  written  in  a  tendentious  manner  and  some  of  the  statements  made  in  it  are  contradicted  by  contemporary  documents.  Nevertheless,  employed with due care, it has much to offer. Regrettably, the outcome of  Petiese's complaint is unknown. The papyrus in which it is preserved is  the  latest  of  the  texts  in  the  family  archive  to  which  it  belongs.  Thereafter, the affairs of Petiese and his relatives are a closed book.

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