Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/869

 Breasted : Ancient Records of Egypt 859 the work is thoroughly systematic. The texts, arranged in chronological order, are given in English translation, each text being preceded by a brief introduction setting forth the historical significance of the docu- ment, its character, and occasionally a summary of its contents, while copious foot-notes describe the individual monuments, give all neces- sary bibliographical information, and furnish a running commentary dealing with such matters as may require explanation. The tirst volume also contains a valuable discussion of the documentary sources of Egyptian history, and a very clear exposition of the complicated subject of Egyptian chronology. The mere assemblage of the material for the work must have involved a prodigious amount of labor and this was increased by the general unreliability of the published Egyptian in- scriptions and the resulting necessity for collating anew nearly every monument translated in order to secure a trustworthy text as the basis of the work. For this purpose Professor Breasted had exceptional ad- vantages. His connection with the great Egyptian dictionary, now being prepared in Germany, gave him access to all the valuable material gathered for that work, and enabled him to copy from the originals nearly all the historical monuments of Egypt in the various European museums, and a stay in Egypt alTorded further opportunities. These advantages he has fully utilized, and the general accuracy of the texts upon which his translations are based may be regarded as assured. The close attention which he has given to this fundamental requirement is characteristic of the thoroughness of his work in all particulars. In regard to the selection of his material Professor Breasted has shown excellent judgment. In the great mass of Egyptian literature it is not always easy to decide just what constitutes historical material and what does not. In the broader sense the religious, scientific, legal, and commercial documents may very fairly claim to rank as historical material, and perhaps the more purely literary compositions as well, since all these throw light upon important phases of ancient Egyptian civilization. Yet these monuments, for the most part at least, fall more properly within the sphere of archaeology than of history, and the preservation of a just proportion demands their exclusion from a work specially devoted to the assemblage of historical documents. Occa- sional exceptions have, however, been made with advantage. Thus, the several testamentary dispositions included among the records of the Old Empire {c. g.. Vol. I., §§ 190, 200, 213) not only serve to fill out the rather scanty material available for this period but also con- tribute important facts, while the contracts of the nomarch Hepzefi with the priests of Siut (Vol. I., §535 ff.) afford invaluable information in regard to the constitution of the nome during the feudal period. The tale of Sinuhe (Vol. I., §486 ff. ) is undoubtedly to be classed with the historical romances so popular with the ancient Egyptians, but it was certainly written at a time when the memory of the historical events alluded to was. still iresh, and the date given in it for the death of