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Medjay

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Medjay "mḏꜣ.j"
(throw stickdet.)
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Medjay(alsoMedjai,Mazoi,Madjai,Mejay,Egyptianmḏꜣ.j,anisbaofmḏꜣ[1]) was ademonymused in various ways throughoutancient Egyptian historyto refer initially to anomadicgroup fromNubiaand later as a generic term for desert-rangerpolice.[2]

Origins[edit]

Paintedbull's skullfrom a Pan-Grave burial, dating to the Second Intermediate Period

The first mention of the Medjay in written records dates back to theOld Kingdom,when they were listed among other Nubian peoples in theAutobiography of Weni,who was at the time a general serving underPepi I Meryre(reigned 2332–2287 BC).[3]During this time the term "Medjay" referred to people from the land of Medja, a district thought to be located just east of theSecond Nile CataractinNubia.Nubia was referred to asTa-Seti,meaning "Land of the bow", by the Egyptians and the people there (including the Medjay) were renowned for their military skills, particularly as archers.[4][5]A decree from Pepi I's reign, which lists different officials (including an Overseer of the Medja, Irtjet and Satju), illustrates that Medja was at least to some extent subjugated by the Egyptian government.[6]Since the time ofAlan Gardiner,a common account has been that the Medjay constituted an ethnic group. More recent work suggests that the term was initially an Egyptian exonym, and that those identified as Medjay may not have considered themselves to have a shared ethnicity, and certainly were not a unified polity.[7]

Written accounts from the Middle Kingdom such as theSemna Despatchesdescribe the Medjay as nomadic desert people. Egyptian sources are inconsistent in distinguishing between "Nehesy" people generally and Medjay until the latter portion of the Middle Kingdom.Senwosret IIIenacted a prohibition on Nehesy movement north ofSemna,while the administration began making a distinction between these two categories of people. Liszka hypothesizes that this may have motivated people to take on "Medjay" as an ethnic identity.

They also were sometimes employed as soldiers (as we know from thesteleof Res and Ptahwer). And during theSecond Intermediate Period,they were even used duringKamose's campaign against theHyksos[8]and became instrumental in making the Egyptian state into a military power.[9]The Medjay were also hired as soldiers and guards in theKushitemilitary as well as theRoman Egyptarmy.[10]

Pan-graves[edit]

In thearchaeological record,acultureknown as the Pan-Grave Culture[11]is generally considered by experts to represent the Medjay.[12][13]This culture is named for its distinctive circular graves, found throughoutLower NubiaandUpper Egypt,which date to the late Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period (1800-1550 BC).[12][13]The sudden appearance of these graves in theNileValley suggests that they represent an immigrant population, while the presence ofNeritashells in many of them suggests their occupants came from theEastern Desertbetween the Nile and theRed Sea.[12]Other objects commonly found in these graves include the painted skulls of various horned animals, which are found either arranged in a circle around the burial pit or placed in separate offering pits.[12]

Police force[edit]

Funerary coneof Penre, an 18th Dynasty Chief of the Medjay

By the Eighteenth Dynasty during the New Kingdom, the Medjay were an eliteparamilitarypolice force.[14]No longer did the term refer to an ethnic group, and over time the new meaning became synonymous with policing in general. As an elite force, the Medjay were often used to protect valuable areas, especially areas of pharaonic interest like capital cities, royal cemeteries, and the borders of Egypt. Though they are best known for their protection of the royal palaces and tombs inThebesand the surrounding areas, the Medjay were used throughoutUpperandLower Egypt.Each regional unit had its own captains.[15]Chiefs of the Medjay are also known from the New Kingdom, but that title is more likely to refer to a person in charge of building and building material procurement.

At first, the group just consisted of ethnic Medjay and those descended from that ancient tribal group. This changed over time as more and more Egyptians took up their occupation. Records show that various Medjay chiefs and captains had Egyptian names and were depicted as such. Why this change occurred is not known, but it is assumed that, because of the Medjay's elite status, Egyptians joined them.[15]

Demise[edit]

After the20th Dynasty,the term Medjay is no longer found in Egyptian records. It is unknown whether the Medjay as an occupation had been abolished or the name of the force had changed. However, there is speculation that a group of people called the Meded who fought against theKushduring the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. might have been related to the Medjay.[14]

Language[edit]

Linguistic evidence indicates that the Medjay spoke an ancientCushiticlanguage related to theCushiticBeja languageand that theBlemmyeswere a subdivision of the Medjay. Rilly (2019) mentions historical records of a powerfulCushiticspeaking group which controlledLower Nubiaand some cities inUpper Egypt.Rilly (2019) states:

The Blemmyes are another Cushitic speaking tribe, or more likely a subdivision of the Medjay/Beja people, which is attested in Napatan and Egyptian texts from the 6th century BC on.[16]

On page 134:

From the end of the 4th century until the 6th century AD, they held parts of Lower Nubia and some cities of Upper Egypt.[17]

He mentions the linguistic relationship between the modernBeja languageand the ancient Cushitic Blemmyan language which dominated Lower Nubia and that the Blemmyes can be regarded as a particular tribe of the Medjay:

The Blemmyan language is so close to modern Beja that it is probably nothing else than an early dialect of the same language. In this case, the Blemmyes can be regarded as a particular tribe of the Medjay.[18]

Cultural depictions[edit]

In the 1999 remakeThe Mummy,and the sequelThe Mummy Returns(2001).[19]the Medjay are mentioned as PharaohSeti I's personal bodyguards inancient Egypt.[20]

In the 2017 video gameAssassin's Creed Origins,the protagonist,Bayek of Siwa,is considered "the last Medjay". In the game, the Medjay are depicted as a police force whose job is to protect thepharaoh.However, Bayek abandons his duty when he learns that the pharaohPtolemy XIIIis an ally to a dark and mysterious organization called "The Order of the Ancients" which is responsible for the death of his son.[21]

In the 2020 graphic novel20s A Difficult Age: The Blue Madjai,by Marcus Orelias, the protagonist of the series goes by the moniker "the Blue Madjai".[22]

In the 2017 video gameFor Honor,in the July 2022 "Curse of the Scarab: Title Update 2"software update,aplayable characternamed for and inspired by the Medjay was released.[23]

In the 2021 video gameForewarned,1-4 players explore ancient Egyptian tombs and gather evidence to identify the evilMedjaihaunting the area, and can perform elaborate hidden rituals to banish them to theEgyptian afterlife.In this game,Medjay,orMedjaiare depicted as malevolent undead spirits.[24]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Erman, Adolf;Grapow, Hermann(1926–1961).Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache.Vol. 2. p. 186.
  2. ^Liszka, Kate (2011).""We have come from the well of Ibhet": Ethnogenesis of the Medjay ".Journal of Egyptian History.4(2): 149–171.doi:10.1163/187416611X612132.
  3. ^Breasted (1906),§§ 317, 324
  4. ^"Nubian Archers | The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago".oi.uchicago.edu.Retrieved2021-10-16.
  5. ^"Ancient Egyptian Police".Experience Ancient Egypt.Retrieved2021-10-16.
  6. ^Gardiner (1947),p. 74
  7. ^Liszka, Kate (2011).""We have come from the well of Ibhet": Ethnogenesis of the Medjay ".Journal of Egyptian History.4(2): 149–171.doi:10.1163/187416611X612132.
  8. ^Shaw (2000),p. 190
  9. ^Steindorff & Seele (1957),p. 28
  10. ^"Ancient Sudan~ Nubia: History: Egyptian Conquest".2018-05-30. Archived from the original on 2018-05-30.Retrieved2021-10-16.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^for this culture seeː Aaron de Souza:New Horizons: The pan grave ceramic tradition in context,London 2019,ISBN978-1906137656
  12. ^abcdNäser, Claudia (2012). "Nomads at the Nile: Towards an Archaeology of Interaction". In Barnard, Hans; Duistermaat, Kim (eds.).The History of the Peoples of the Eastern Desert.UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press. pp. 81–89.ISBN978-1-931745-96-3.
  13. ^ab"Pan-Grave Culture: The Medjay".University of Chicago Oriental Institute.Retrieved7 June2018.
  14. ^abWilkinson (2005),p. 147
  15. ^abGardiner (1947),pp. 82–85
  16. ^Rilly, Claude (2019)."Languages of Ancient Nubia".Handbook of Ancient Nubia.Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.ISBN9783110420388.Retrieved2019-11-20.The Blemmyes are another Cushitic speaking tribe, or more likely a subdivision of the Medjay/Beja people, which is attested in Napatan and Egyptian texts from the 6th century BC on.
  17. ^Rilly, Claude (2019)."Languages of Ancient Nubia".Handbook of Ancient Nubia.Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.ISBN9783110420388.Retrieved2019-11-20.From the end of the 4th century until the 6th century AD, they held parts of Lower Nubia and some cities of Upper Egypt.
  18. ^Rilly, Claude (2019)."Languages of Ancient Nubia".Handbook of Ancient Nubia.Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.ISBN9783110420388.Retrieved2019-11-20.The Blemmyan language is so close to modern Beja that it is probably nothing else than an early dialect of the same language In this case, the Blemmyes can be regarded as a particular tribe of the Medjay.
  19. ^Kirby, Alan(May 1, 2009).Digimodernism: How New Technologies Dismantle the Postmodern and Reconfigure Our Culture.A&C Black.p. 134.ISBN9781441175281.
  20. ^Fritze, Ronald H.(25 November 2016).Egyptomania: A History of Fascination, Obsession and Fantasy.Reaktion Books.p. 363.ISBN9781780236858.
  21. ^Cacho, Gieson (24 June 2017)."How Ubisoft fixed combat in 'Assassin's Creed Origins'".The Mercury News.Retrieved6 August2017.Players take on the role of Bayek, a Medjay.
  22. ^20s A Difficult Age: The Blue Madjai #1.Becomix.Retrieved10 February2022.{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help)
  23. ^"Warrior's Den Recap - July 21st".Ubisoft. 21 July 2022.Retrieved21 July2022.
  24. ^"FOREWARNED on Steam".store.steampowered.Retrieved2023-01-29.

Bibliography[edit]

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