Do we know if the Egyptians had hospitality laws? Did pharaohs occasionally host foreign rulers on their visits or were their interactions limited to correspondences, royal marriages, tributes and the like? I'm particularly interested in this since in book 4 of the Odyssey the king and queen of Sparta Menelaus and Helen are said to have been hosts of a king and queen of Thebes called Polybus and Alcandra as well as another pair of nobles during their stay in Egypt. In both cases they received splendid guest-gifts as was the Greek custom of hospitality, so I was wondering if such an interaction could've realistically taken place historically or if this just the Greek cosmovision talking.
Hope that wasn't too long and have a great day!
I wouldn't say 'laws' because I don't think there was any law specifically decreeing anything, but visiting dignitaries did bring gifts when they visited, which was a common practice for most cultures. It's even done now when foreign leaders visit other countries. They often bring a small gift that is reflective of the relationship between the two countries. For instance, when Obama visited the UK in 2011, they gave the Queen an album of photographs that showed her father's visit to the US in 1939, and in return she gave them a collection of letters written by former US presidents to previous English monarchs.
Deir el Bahri, Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, has images of her receiving tribute from Punt during an expedition there. The King and Queen of Punt (Parehu and Ati) are shown bringing it. Though, this is likely a propagandistic image made to make it look like the Punt royals are 'serving' the Egyptians. This would be in keeping with Ma'at, but it's likely not the truth of the situation.
The same could be said for the scenes in the tomb of Rekhmire, as they show tribute being brought to Thutmose III. But again, they're largely propagandistic. Would tribute have been brought? Yes! Would it have looked quite as subservient to an Egyptian king as is depicted? No!
There are all royal marriages, but they tend to just send the princess who is to be married. I don't recall there being any record of any specific ceremony for any of them, though it's highly likely that there was. I don't believe the ruler of the nation that sent the princess would ever have visited though as that would be quite a journey and we don't have record of the Egyptians leaving Egypt to do this. Even the Amarna letters between Amenhotep III and Tushratta, speak of Amenhotep's marriage to Tushratta's sister, but Tushratta didn't visit. He did send gifts though. In one letter (EA17) he says:
"Behold, one chariot, two horses, one male servant, one female servant, out of the booty from the land of Hatti I have sent you. And as a gift for my brother,** five chariots (and) five teams of horses I have sent you. And as a gift for Kelu-Heba, my sister, one set of gold pins, one set of gold earrings, one gold idol, and one container of “sweet oil.” I have sent her.
Behold, Keliya, my sukkal (an official) along with Tunip-ibri, I have sent. May my brother quickly dispatch them so that they may quickly bring back word so that I may hear my brother’s greeting and rejoice. May my brother seek friendship with me, and may my brother send his messengers so that they may bring my brother’s greeting and I may receive them."
**by brother he means Amenhotep III
The issue we have here is that Amenhotep III and Tushratta had a very cordial relationship. They wrote to each other often and were good friends. So, what we have is an exceptional relationship rather than what was considered the norm, therefore I cannot say that it was common for foreign leaders to send this much tribute.
As for Polybus and Alcandra, well that's where it gets complicated. Homer says they visited King Polybus during the Trojan War, or at least in the time around it. Now, consulting Manetho, where you'd get Greek names for Egyptian kings, there isn't a Polybus. Instead, Manetho has rendered the name as Thuoris, stating that 'he' was the ruler of Egypt when Troy fell. But when you go back to the corresponding time period in Ancient Egypt, you don't find a man, you find Tausret - a woman. Tausret was the last ruler of the 19th Dynasty of Egypt and had been married to Seti II until his death when she assumed the role of King and reigned for at least 9 years either as a sole ruler or as regent (so far attested). This period of the New Kingdom is messy, very very messy, and we have scant information from it, so it's impossible for me to say if Tausret actually received Menelaus and Helen, or if any gifts were brought. It's certainly possible, but with how much turmoil and trouble Egypt was in at the time (thanks Ramesses II and your long life-many children combo), I don't know if they could have sufficiently hosted any foreign dignitaries. Ramesses III comes along 3 years later (don't ask about Setnakhte...we don't know either) and his reign is marred by famine and infighting.
So it's very possible something like this could have been a common thing, but whether it's probable in reality is an entirely different matter. I'm not sure it could have done, but given the sparsity of anything from that time period in Ancient Egypt, I can't really say one way or another.
