the parties involved in the temporary (?) transfer of a servant woman
are required to take oaths.^139- P S
4.1 Citizenship
The documents do not seem generally to treat “citizens” as a legal
category, nor do they explicate the criteria for admission to the class
of “citizen.”^140 However, the female members of a soldier’s family,
included in a household census list, are described as: “freewomen of
the town of the necropolis-workers of the Northern Sector.”^141 The
privileges restricted to citizens and the relationship between the states
of servitude/slavery and citizenship are uncertain.^142
Some scholars perceive a difference between the Old and Middle
Kingdoms, supposing that a class of “free citizens,” not liable to state
corvée labor duty, emerges in the latter.^143 Later terms, often ren-
dered “citizen” (although the precise meaning is actually unclear),
begin to appear at this time. The standard New Kingdom term
translated “citizen,” 'n¢-n-nfiw.t, also occurs in the Middle Kingdom.^144
w'b“be pure,” is another designation which may be applied to cit-
izens not subject to governmental restrictions,^145 whereas ̇sb.w, “con-
script,” may denote laborers drafted by the state.^146 P. Brooklyn
35.1446 probably deals in part with royal subjects who unlawfully
avoid corvée labor.^147(^139) Vittmann, “Hieratic Texts,” 35.
(^140) Literary compositions, such as The Instruction of Merikare, evidently distin-
guish between various grades of economic, social, and legal status or position; see
Quack, Studien zur Lehre für Merikare, 39. See further Breasted, Ancient Records, vol. 1,
259; Johnson, “Legal Status.. .,” 215; Andrássy, “Überlegungen zur Bezeichnung.. .”
(^141) Parkinson, Voices.. ., 112.
(^142) Cf. Goedicke, Hekanakhte.. ., 72.
(^143) See Loprieno, “Loyalty to the King.. .,” 545. See further Théodoridès, “Les
Égyptiens...”
(^144) Helck, “Sklaven,” col. 984. See also Andreu, “Sobek.. .,” 4; Franke, “Pro-
blème.. .,” 120; Ward, “Reflections.. .,” 72.
(^145) Helck, Wirtschaftsgeschichte.. ., 143, 146.
(^146) Ibid., 148; Menu, Recherches.. ., 124–25; “enlistee,” Simpson, Reisner.. ., vol.
1, 34; Hafemann, “Arbeitspflicht im alten Ägypten. II,” 208–11. See also Helck,
Wirtschaftsgeschichte.. ., 150–51.
(^147) Quirke, Administration.. ., 135–136.
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