US EPA

7495305 

Journal Article 

The representation of the Egyptian elites in the admonitions of ipuwer 

Rosell, PM 

2015 

13 

199-220 

English 

The following article reflects upon the representations of the Egyptian elites which appear in a literary text of the Middle Kingdom known as The Admonitions of Ipuwer. Taking into account the different representations of the society conveyed in the Admonitions, we will try to highlight how the Egyptian elites are represented at the moment of facing the social revolution outbreak. We not only try to describe and analyze the different elites representations, but also try to understand the reasons that the Middle Kingdom ruling class would have had to elaborate a text where its own elites are represented as the ones suffering the consequences of the revolution. Bearing this last subject in mind, we are interested in investigate how such an elite representation could have affected the ways to reproduce not only an ideal society, but also their own place in such society. All in all, we will try to emphasize the implicit coercive function that the concept and idea of a social revolution implies in such a text. In this way, we can clearly see how the ruling elite warns the popular working class of the Egyptian society not to alter the established social order. 

Admonitions of Ipuwer; Middle Kingdom; Representations