Editing Papyrus Harris I (section)

==Text==
The [[hieratic]] text of the papyrus consists of a list of temple endowments and a brief summary of the entire reign (1186–1155 BC) of [[Pharaoh|king]] [[Ramesses III]] of the [[Twentieth dynasty of Egypt]]. Ramesses III claims to have captured hundreds of thousands of foreign slaves:

"I brought back in great numbers those that my sword has spared, with their hands tied behind their backs before my horses, and their wives and children in tens of thousands, and their livestock in hundreds of thousands. I imprisoned their leaders in fortresses bearing my name, and I added to them chief archers and tribal chiefs, branded and enslaved, tattooed with my name, their wives and children being treated in the same way."<ref> quoted in Loprieno, Antonio. "Slavery and Servitude". UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology (2012) pg. 10</ref>

Its historical section mentions that [[Setnakhte]], Ramesses III's father and predecessor, restored order and stability to Egypt after a time of internal civil conflict, expelling Asiatic followers of [[Irsu]]. Ramesses III himself reorganized the state bureaucracy and the army. He fought wars against the [[Sea Peoples]] and claims to have subdued them and made them subjects of Egypt. The [[Edom]]ites too were subjugated. In the west, he stopped the incursions of the Libyans and [[Meshwesh]] and settled them in the western Nile delta. His economic activities included the digging of a great well at Ayan, an expedition to [[Land of Punt|Punt]], an ill-defined region in the Horn of Africa, the importation of copper from Atika, and an expedition to the [[Sinai Peninsula]] which returned with precious stones. Improving the quality of life of the ordinary Egyptian he had trees planted for shade, he protected women so they might go freely wherever they wanted, and, when Egypt was at peace, its foreign mercenaries lived with their families in garrison towns. Overall, he was convinced of having greatly bettered the lot of all inhabitants of Egypt, natives or foreigners.<ref>Breasted, James Henry. 1906. ''Ancient Records of Egypt'', Chicago, Part Four, §§ 397 to 412</ref>

The text itself was composed during the reign of [[Ramesses IV]], Ramesses III's son and successor.<ref name="Bryce"/>