Tefibi
| This article is about an Egyptian philosopher in the 1st century BCE. You may be looking for Tefibi III, an Egyptian nomarch. |
Tefibi was a young Egyptian philosopher who lived during the reign of Ptolemy XIII.
Biography
Tefibi was a young Egyptian man who lived in Alexandria with his mother Tjepu, who sold olive oil for a living in southern docks of the city. Aspiring to be a philosopher, he travelled throughout the city in search of knowledge. On one occasion in 48 BCE, he travelled to the lighthouse near the beach in search of a cave. However, during his search, he was injured by an animal in the lake, leading him to flee to a hut next to the lighthouse for safety.[1]
When he failed to return after some time, Tjepu enlisted the aid of the Medjay, Bayek, to search for her missing son. Bayek followed the trails of blood and a piece of torn clothing, leading him to Tefibi's whereabouts. Escorting Tefibi back to the beach, the Medjay helped hin to fend of Ptolemaic soldiers, who accussed Tefibi of being a map-thief. Tefibi thanked Bayek for his help before returning to his mother and his studies.[1]
Sometime after returning to his studies, Tjepu gave Tefibi an offering which he placed in his papyrus along with his notes. However, the papyrus was stolen by soldiers, who took it onto a boat and fled to Lake Mareotis. Losing the offering led to the displeasure of Tjepu who scolded Tefibi, as she would be unable to sell her oil without her offering. Bayek would later return to the docks, where he learned of their situation and promised to recover Tefibi's papyrus.[2]
True to his promise, Bayek recovered the papyrus from the soldiers in the lake, thus allowing Tefibi to fulfil his dream in becoming a philosopher.