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The EgyptianThe Egyptian (in Finnish Sinuhe egyptiläinen) is a historical novel by Mika Waltari. It was first published in Finnish in 1945, and in an English translation by Naomi Walford in 1949.

The Egyptian is the first, and the most successful, of Waltari's great historical novels. It is set in a fascinating period of ancient Egyptian history, the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaton who has been claimed the first monotheistic ruler in the world. The hero of the novel is not Akhenaton, however, but Sinuhe, the royal physician, who tells the story in exile after Akhenaton's fall and death. Apart from incidents in Egypt, the novel charts Sinuhe's travels in Babylon, in the Minoan Crete, among the Hittites, and among other surrounding cultures.
Sinuhe is a historical character, too, but little is known about his life. The existing facts are to be found in an ancient Egyptian text commonly known as The Story of Sinuhe. The original story dates to a time long before that of Akhenaton: texts are known from as early as the 12th dynasty.
Although Waltari employed some poetic license in combining the biographies of Sinuhe and Akhenaton, he was otherwise much concerned about the historical accurary of his detailed description of ancient Egyptian life and carried out considerable research into the subject. The result has been praised not only by readers but also by egyptologists.
Waltari had long been interested in Akhenaton and wrote a play about him which was staged in Helsinki in 1938. World War II provided the final impulse for exploring the subject in a novel which, although depicting events that took place over 3000 years ago, in fact reflects the contemporary feelings of disillusionment and war-weariness and carries a pessimistic message of the essential sameness of human nature throughout the ages. Such a message evoked a wide response in readers in the aftermath of the World War, and the book became an international bestseller, topping the bestseller lists in the USA in 1949. It has been translated into some 25 languages.
The Egyptian is also a Hollywood motion picture based on Waltari's novel and released in 1954. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by Michael Curtiz, and the screenplay was adapted by Philip Dunne and Casey Robinson. Leading roles were played by Edmund Purdom (Sinuhe), Jean Simmons (Merit), Victor Mature (Horemheb), Gene Tierney (Baketamon), Michael Wilding (Akhenaton), Bella Darvi (Nefernefernefer) and Peter Ustinov (Kaptah). Cinematographer Leon Shamroy was nominated for an Oscar in 1955.
ISBN numbers
- ISBN 1556524412 - English translation by Naomi Walford, Independent Pub Group 2002
- ISBN 9146162798 - Swedish translation by Ole Torvalds, Wahlström & Widstrand 1993
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The Carlsberg Papyri A large collection housed at the University of Copenhagen. http://www.hum.ku.dk/cni/papcoll/index.html
The Deir el-Medîna Database Database of non-literary documents found at Egyptian village of Deir el-Medina archaeology excavation. http://www.leidenuniv.nl/nino/dmd/dmd.html
Duke Papyrus Archive Images and texts concerning various ancient Egyptian papyri, plus links to papyrology on the web. http://odyssey.lib.duke.edu:80/papyrus/
The Papyri Pages Pictures, articles, and links about ancient Egyptian papyri. http://members.tripod.com/~papyri/index.html
The Precepts of Ptah-Hotep, c. 2200 BCE Electronic text of Ptah-Hotep's precepts, as translated by Horne. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/ptahhotep.html
Egyptian Law Readings A bibliography of texts regarding ancient Egyptian laws by Bernard Hibbitts, University of Pittsburgh School of Law. http://www.law.pitt.edu/hibbitts/egypt.htm
Admiral Ahmose A simple hieroglyphic reading passage from Dynasty XVIII. http://home.prcn.org/~sfryer/Egyptian/Ahmose.html
Ptahhotep The instructions of Ptah-Hotep presented in hieroglphic format with transliteration attached to each section. http://members.aol.com/mwhealton/pthgly.htm
Digitalized Egyptological Literature Full-text web versions of Egyptian texts and publications on Eygpt in English and German from Heidelberg University. http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/helios/fachinfo/fachref/aegypt/online.htm
The Battle of Megiddo, Egyptian Account Excerpt from a 1906 translation of an Egyptian account of the victory of Ramses II at Megiddo (1469 BC). http://www.hillsdale.edu/academics/history/War/Classical/Egypt/1469-Megiddo-Egypt.htm
The Battle of Kadesh, Egyptian Accounts Text from a 1906 translation relating the 1294BC battle on the highlands of Kadesh. http://www.hillsdale.edu/academics/history/War/Classical/Egypt/1294-Kadesh.htm
Instruction in Letter Writing in Egypt Translation of instructions given to ancient Egyptian scribes beginning their training from Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature. http://www.utexas.edu/courses/classicalarch/readings/scribes.html
Demotic Texts on the World Wide Web A guide to internet resources on papyri. http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/DEPT/RA/ABZU/DEMOTIC_WWW.HTML
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