Fourth ruler of the Twenty-first Dynasty Amenemope reigned from 993 b.c.e. until his death. He was the successor and probable son of psusennes i and Queen mutnodjmet (2), having served as a coregent for two years. He built a tomb for himself at tanis, but his mummy was placed in Mutnodjmet’s tomb for some reason unexplained. His name meant “Amun in Opet,” a section of the old capital of Thebes. Amenemope buried Psusennes I with rich offerings, whereas his own funerary regalia was small. He had a yellow quartzite sarcophagus, which had a lid fashioned out of a block of stone usurped from an Old Kingdom site but had a gilded car-tonnage mummy mask. The sarcophagus was in his tomb, but his mummy, found intact, was discovered in his mother’s burial chamber near the temple of Tanis.
Amenemope (1) (fl. 12th century b.c.e.)
High priest of Amun in the Twentieth Dynasty
He served in the reign of ramesses ix (r. 1131-1112 b.c.e.). Amenemope was the son of ramessesnakht and the brother of Mesamun, his predecessors. His son was the usurper herihor. Amenemope began to assert his religious powers in the 10th year of Ramesses IX’s reign. He was depicted in temple reliefs as equal to the pharaoh, a violation of the Egyptian artistic canon. He was buried in thebes.
Amenemope (2) (fl. 14th century b.c.e.)
A sage of the New Kingdom
He lived probably during the reign of amenhotep iii (r. 1391-1353 b.c.e.) and was the author of the Instructions of Amenemope. This text was found in a papyrus now in the British Museum in London. He was a resident of akhmin, and described himself as an agricultural official who set up the royal titles to land uncovered by the lowering of the Nile water each year. Amenemope, whose wife was Twasoret, also served as the overseer for taxes for the Akhmin area and administered the distribution of crops locally
He wrote his Instructions for his son, and this work reflects the spirit of MA’AT, nurtured on the Nile over the centuries. His work was composed of more than 80 sections and was written in short lines. Amenemope translated the ideals of Egypt into everyday tasks of a common person’s life. The Maxims of Ptah-hotep is another example of this type of literature. Such didactic literature was popular in the Nile Valley. Amenemope was buried in a pyramid in Akhmin. Amenemope’s work was discovered on various writing boards, on an ostraka, and in a fragmentary papyrus.
Amenemopet
A remarkable family of thebes, serving the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 b.c.e.), some held positions in the temple of amun at Thebes and others headed bureaucratic offices. The third prophet of Amun in the reign of ramesses iii (1194-1163 b.c.e.) was a member of this family. Another individual named Amenemope served as the viceroy of Kush or nubia, the area south of Aswan in modern Sudan, for seti i (r. 1306-1290 b.c.e.). bakenkhonsu, the high priest of Amun in the reign of ramesses ii (1290-1224 b.c.e.), was also a family member. These public servants were aristocrats, or nomarchs, from a southern province. Their efforts, and those of other large clans involved in various bureaucratic offices, allowed the government of Egypt to continue, decade after decade, without interruption.
Amenhirkhopshef (1) (fl. 12th century b.c.e.)
Prince of the Twentieth Dynasty
Amenhirkhopshef was the son of ramesses iii (r. 1194-1163 b.c.e.) and Queen iset (2). The prince died at the age of nine. Queen Iset is reported to have miscarried a baby when she heard of Amenhirkhopshef’s death, and the unborn infant was mummified and entombed in the prince’s own crypt. In Amenhirkhopshef’s burial chamber, Ramesses III is depicted leading his son to the god anubis, the jackal-headed deity associated with osiris and funerary rituals. The prince served as a royal scribe during his brief life. He was buried in the valley of the queens on the western shore of the Nile at thebes, the site used for the tombs of princes in the New Kingdom (1550-1070 b.c.e.). The walls of some chambers of this tomb are exquisitely painted.
Amenhirkhopshef (2) (fl. 13th century b.c.e.)
Prince of the Nineteenth Dynasty
The son of ramesses ii (1290-1224 b.c.e.) and Queen nefertari merymut, he was called Amenhirwonmef (“Amun is at his right hand”) originally and then Amenhirkhopshef (“Amun wields his sword”). This prince is shown in the procession of Ramessid royal heirs in luxor Temple, and in abu simbel, the site of his father’s great monument. He is also depicted in KV5, the recently opened tomb of the sons of Ramesses II. This tomb, the largest ever found in Egypt, was designed to house the remains of more than 100 of Ramesses Il’s sons in the valley. There is another lavish tomb bearing his name in the valley of the queens on the western shore of the Nile at thebes.
Amenhirkhopshef was the commanding general of Egypt’s armies and heir apparent of the throne. He was active in Ramesses Il’s campaigns, punishing city-states such as Moab that had accepted the protection of the hit-tites, the enemies of Egypt at the time. When a treaty was signed between the Hittites and the Egyptians, Amenhirkhopshef was mentioned in royal correspondence. The Hittite King hattusilis iii and his queen, pedukhipa, sent greetings to Nefertari Merymut and the crown prince Amenhirkhopshef. He died in the 20th year of Ramesses Il’s reign. Eleven other brothers would precede their father in death. merenptah, his eventual heir, was 13th in the line of succession.
Amenhotep I (Djeserkare) (d. 1504 b.c.e.)
Second ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty
Amenhotep i was one of the most handsome and popular of the ancient pharaohs, whose name meant “Amun is Content.” He reigned from 1525 b.c.e. until his death and was the son of ‘ahmose and Queen ‘ahmose-nefertari, who possibly served as regent at the start of Amenhotep I’s reign. He was not the original heir. Records indicate that he outlived two older brothers to inherit the throne from ‘Ahmose.
In his first regnal year, or perhaps during the time of ‘Ahmose-Nefertari’s regency, Egypt faced an invasion and had to defeat a confederation of Libyan tribes on the nation’s western borders. A royal army, probably led by Amenhotep I personally, went south to halt expansion of the Nubians in the area below aswan, in modern Sudan. Amenhotep restored and refurbished the fortresses on the Nile south of the first cataract, bastions dating in some instances to the Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 b.c.e.). He also installed a governor for that region, a noble named Turi, who was entrusted with the duties of maintaining order, promoting trade, and gathering tribute for the throne.
Within Egypt, Amenhotep I initiated building projects at the temple of karnak in thebes. This temple, one of the most remarkable religious complexes in the world, covered 250 acres. The building programs of Amenhotep I added to the original shrine, begun in the Middle Kingdom, and set the standard for later pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 b.c.e.), who continued the work there for centuries. Because of his military defenses and his building programs, Amenhotep was very popular during his lifetime. He also used the sinai mines and the various quarries. Egypt, unified and free of the Asiatic hyksos (defeated by ‘Ahmose), prospered. His popularity only increased after his death in 1504 b.c.e. He and Queen ‘Ahmose-Nefertari were proclaimed the patron deities of Thebes. A shrine was dedicated to them on the western shore of the Nile at the capital, Thebes.
ah’hotep (2), a sister of Amenhotep I, was his Great Wife, or ranking queen. Secondary consorts were ‘ahmose merytamon and satkamose. Ah’hotep bore the son and heir, but the child died in infancy. Because there was no one to succeed him, Amenhotep chose tuthmosis i from among his military officials. Tuthmosis was probably from a secondary royal line. A relative named ‘Ahmose was given to Tuthmosis as consort to consolidate his claims and to link him in yet another fashion to the royal family.
Amenhotep i was the first pharaoh to separate his tomb from his mortuary temple and burial complex. Normally the mortuary temples of the pharaohs were erected at the gravesites to allow priests to make daily offerings and to conduct rituals of eternal rest for the deceased. Looters reached the burial chambers of such complexes, tearing apart the mummies and sometimes burning them. Amenhotep wanted to escape destruction at the hands of such grave robbers, who were possibly given aid by the priests themselves, in return for a share in the goods. His original tomb is now unknown but was listed in the inspection done by ramesses ix (1131-1112 b.c.e.) as being located at Dra Abu el-Nuga. Amenhotep I’s mummy was rewrapped by priests of the Twenty-first Dynasty (1070-945 b.c.e.) after his original tomb was vandalized, taken to deir el-bahri, and placed in the mummy cache there. During this second burial, delphiniums were used to adorn his remains, along with other red, yellow, and blue flowers. A wasp settled onto one of the flowers and died there, keeping the pharaoh company through the centuries.
Amenhotep I was five and one-half feet tall, with a long, oval skull and sloping forehead. His strong jaw marks him as the son of ‘Ahmose. Statues of him were carried through the streets of Thebes as an oracle, or prophet, called “the judge of the living and the dead.” The cult of Amenhotep I continued through the Twentieth Dynasty (1196-1070 b.c.e.).
Amenhotep II (Akheprure) (d. 1401 b.c.e.)
Seventh ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty
The son of tuthmosis iii and Queen meryt-re-hatshep-sut, Amenhotep II reigned from 1427 b.c.e. until his death. He was reportedly not the original heir. A brother, Amenemhet, believed to be the son of Tuthmosis III and Queen neferu-re, died before he could inherit the throne. Amenhotep II was handsome, tall, and athletic. He was a warrior delighting in hand-to-hand combat, executing prisoners personally in elaborate ceremonies. When he was made coregent, Amenhotep added Hegaiunu to his name, meaning “the ruler of Iunu,” heliopolis.
His entire life was spent in preparing for his reign as he underwent the usual education for princes and heirs. He excelled in archery and horsemanship, and he commanded the vast Egyptian naval base at peru-nefer near Memphis. Experienced in war, Amenhotep II moved quickly in the second year of his reign against the cities on the Mediterranean Sea that were in open revolt. He marched into Palestine to Shemesh-Edom and subdued each city-state all the way to the Orontes River, to modern Lebanon and Syria. At Tikishi he captured seven princes and brought them to Egypt. Amenhotep moved on to the Euphrates River in modern Iraq, where he erected a stela alongside the ones raised up there by his father and great grandfather (tuthmosis i, r. 1504-1492 b.c.e.), the founders of the empire. He also rescued Egyptian troops surrounded at another battle site in the area. Returning to Egypt, Amenhotep brought prisoners and considerable booty to thebes.
In Egypt, Amenhotep II left monuments at dendereh, heliopolis, gebel el-silsileh, tod, elkab, giza,erment, and medamud. In his third year, Nubian rebellions brought Amenhotep to aswan and the elephantine Island. The princes captured in the region of the Orontes River the year before accompanied Amenhotep on this voyage. All seven of them hung head downward from the prow of his ship. The bodies were later displayed in other prominent sites. Amenhotep II reportedly delighted in the slaughter of his enemies. In his seventh year he went to carchemish, in Syria, to subdue another revolt.
Amenhotep Il’s consorts were sitamon and then meryt-amun (2), his sister, but another consort, Queen teo, bore his heir, tuthmosis iv. His mother, Meryt-Re-Hatshepsut, however, remained the Great Wife, or ranking queen. Amenhotep II had several sons and daughters. Amenhotep’s mummy was discovered in his tomb in the valley of the kings on the western shore of the Nile at Thebes. He had wavy brown hair, graying at the temples. His mummified skin was studded with small tubercules, possibly the result of embalming. Believed to have died at the age of 45, Amenhotep suffered from rheumatism and some sort of systemic disease, no doubt from tooth problems. Signs of severe dental decay are evident in his mummy
His tomb in the Valley of the Kings proved to be a treasure house of Egyptian history. The am duat prayers are depicted on the walls in compelling reliefs. The burial chamber of his tomb, found undisturbed, was used by priests of later dynasties as a storehouse for other rescued mummies of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 b.c.e.). This tomb had an early styled entry stairwell, corridors, antechambers, pillared halls, and a decorated sunken burial chamber. Magazines and well shafts were included in the design. One of Amenhotep Il’s sons shared the tomb.
Amenhotep III (Nebma’atre) (d. 1353 b.c.e.)
Ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty
The son of tuthmosis iv and Queen mutemwiya, Amenhotep III reigned from 1391 b.c.e. until his death. As a young man, Amenhotep III married tiye (1), the daughter of Hurrian master of horse at thebes. Together they ruled an empire that extended from northern sudan to the Euphrates River. His mother, Mutemwiya, is believed by some scholars to have been the daughter of artatama, the mitanni king, given to Egypt as part of Tuthmosis IV’s treaties with that nation. Amenhotep Ill’s birth was recorded in the temple in luxor, given divine intervention and divine patronage. Tiye, whom he had married before ascending the throne, bore him akhenaten (Amenhotep IV), and princesses sitamun (2), baketamun, henuttaneb, nebetah, iset (3), and other children. Amenhotep III married Iset and Sitamun when they came of age.
A vast series of commemorative scarabs issued by the pharaoh provide a portrait of his first 12 years on the throne. One scarab memorializes the arrival of gilukipa (or Khirgipa), a Mitanni princess who came with an entourage of more than 300 Mitannis to be his wife. Her niece, tadukhipa, arrived at the end of Amenhotep’s reign and possibly married Akhenaten. These Mitanni royal women were sent to Egypt by King Shuttarna II, who was their relative.
The addition of such women to amenhotep Ill’s harem led to the construction of a new palace to the south of medinet habu, on the western shore of the Nile at thebes, called malkata, or “the Place Where Things Are Picked Up,” by modern Egyptians. This palace was actually a miniature city with several royal compounds, an artificial lake reportedly dug and filled within a matter of weeks, and a harbor. Shrines and temples, as well as bureaucratic offices, were part of the complexes.
Tributes and trade profits provided Amenhotep iii with unending wealth as he built many shrines and monuments, many of which have not survived. Among these monuments are the colossi of memnon, two gigantic statues of Amenhotep iii that were part of his mortuary temple. The Greeks named the statues after Memnon, the Trojan hero slain by Achilles. Strabo, the historian,reported that the northern statue of Amenhotep III emitted a soft bell-like sound at each dawn. In the early third century b.c.e. the Roman emperor Septimius Severus ordered repairs on the upper part of that statue, which were performed crudely, and as a result the singing sound stopped forever.
Amenhotep III celebrated three HEB-SEDS, normally used to denote 30 years of rule. He constructed a palace, Per-Hay, “the Mansion of Rejoicing,” for this event. Queen Tiye and the massive bureaucracy of Egypt maintained foreign and domestic affairs, while Amenhotep lolled in Malkata, and the military might of Egypt suppressed any rebellions against the empire. The pharaoh could spend his time building on the Nile and erecting monuments in his honor at his leisure.
He was quite obese in his later years. His portraits, already sculpted in the style that would blossom in the ‘amarna period, depict him as having a snub nose, full lips, and almond-shaped eyes. Troubled with severe tooth decay, a dynastic period condition, Amenhotep became ill. An ally, King tushratta of Babylon, sent him a statue of Ishtar—the Babylonian goddess of healing—to restore his vigor and to demonstrate friendly concern.
Amenhotep Ill’s tomb in the valley of the KiNGS,on the western shore of Thebes, has three main corridors. The tomb chamber has a pillared hall, and the various chambers are all highly decorated. The red granite lid used on the sarcophagus for the burial of Amenhotep iii was usurped by seti i (1306-1290 b.c.e.) of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Amenhotep Ill’s mummy was discovered in the tomb of amenhotep ii. Modern scholars, however, do not believe that this embalmed body is truly Amenhotep III. There is considerable debate about the actual identity of several recovered remains.
Amenhotep, son of Hapu (Huy) (fl. 14th century b.c.e.) Court official of the Eighteenth Dynasty A revered sage and scholar, he served in the reign of amenhotep iii (r. 1391-1353 b.c.e.). Amenhotep, son of Hapu, was one of only a few commoners to be deified in ancient Egypt. Also called Huy, he was from the Delta area of athribis, born around 1460 b.c.e. He rose through the ranks of government service, including the office of scribe of the military, and then served as a commander, and eventually as a general. Amenhotep also supervised the building projects of Amenhotep III. When he died around 1380 b.c.e., at the age of 80, a funerary chapel was erected for him beside Amenhotep III’s temple.
A statue of the famed sage Amenhotep, Son of Hapu; he is distinctive because of his flowing hair; now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. (S. M. .)
Amenhotep, Son of Hapu, was depicted in many statues placed in karnak temple, a royal favor in that age. He is shown usually with long wavy hair instead of a formal wig. His association with the god amun brought about a claim by the temple priests of the Twenty-first Dynasty (1070-945 b.c.e.) that Amenhotep had divine origins. He was deified alongside imhotep, the architect of the step pyramid of djoser (r. 2630-2611 b.c.e.). Clinics or shrines were developed for their cults, and ceremonies were conducted in their memory throughout Egypt.
Amenia (ffl. 14th century b.c.e.)
Woman of the court in the Eighteenth Dynasty
She was the commoner wife of horemhab (r. 1319-1307 b.c.e.). Amenia married Horemhab when he was a military man, serving in Egypt’s army and attaining the rank of chief of the forces and king’s deputy in the reign of tut’ankhamun (r. 1333-1323 b.c.e.). Horemhab was also decorated for valor by akhenaten (r. 1353-1335 b.c.e.) in ‘amarna.
Horemhab built a vast tomb for himself and Amenia in saqqara, the Memphis necropolis, while he was a military officer. This tomb, recently uncovered, depicts Horemhab as a commoner, although the uraeus, the symbol of royalty, was added to some of his figures there during his reign. Amenia was buried in Saqqara, probably dying before Horemhab took the throne of Egypt. Queen mutnodjmet (1), who became Horemhab’s Great Wife, was buried beside Amenia in Saqqara rather than having a tomb in the royal necropolis at thebes.
Ameni-A’amu (ffl. 19th century b.c.e.)
Mysterious royal personage in the Thirteenth Dynasty
He is historically associated with amenemhet iii (r. 1844-1797 b.c.e.). A small pyramid at dashur is inscribed with his name and royal insignias. These inscriptions appear to place him in the reign of Amen-emhet iii, perhaps as the designated heir to the throne.
Amenirdis (1) (ffl. eighth century b.c.e.)
Royal woman of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty
She was the sister of piankhi (1) (750-712 b.c.e.) and the daughter of kashta and Queen pebatma. As a royal princess, Amenirdis was adopted by shepenwepet (1) as her successor in the role of god’s wife of amun or Divine Adoratrice of Amun, the office of high priestess and political representative of the ruling family. This role, carried out in thebes, descended over the years from the title of God’s Wife held by New Kingdom queens starting with ‘ahmose-nefertari, the wife of ‘ahmose i (r. 1550-1525 b.c.e.). The high priestess presided over a harem of Amun’s devotees and conducted ceremonies.
Amenirdis could not marry while serving as Divine Adoratrice of Amun, adopting her successor, shepenwepet (2). When she retired, however, she married her brother, shebitku (r. 698-690 b.c.e.) and bore Shepenwepet III. Statues have been recovered depicting Amenirdis in royal regalia. Like other high priestesses, she built a tomb in karnak. Some priestesses were buried in a necropolis called “the vineyard of Anubis.” Such women held considerable political power over upper Egypt, the southern territories, serving as a “voice” of the god Amun and thus able to dictate many policies. They were recruited mostly from the ranks of the royal families of Egypt and wore the crowns and ornaments of queens.
Amenirdis (2) (ffl. seventh century b.c.e.)
Royal woman of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty
Amenirdis was destined to become a god’s wife of amun or a Divine Adoratrice of Amun, a high priestess of the deity at thebes. She was designated as the successor of the high priestess shepenwepet (2). When psammatichus i (r. 664-610 b.c.e.) came to power, however, he sent a large fleet of ships to Thebes, bearing his daughter nitocris (2), who then assumed the role of Divine Ado-ratrice, an act that overthrew the Nubian control of Egypt. Amenirdis, a member of the overthrown family of necho i (r. 672-664 b.c.e.), was ousted from Thebes. Her role was ended because she no longer had the political base necessary to influence Egypt’s affairs.
Amenken (fl. 15th century b.c.e.)
Financial official of the Eighteenth Dynasty
He served amenhotep ii (r. 1427-1401 b.c.e.) as a high official in the royal treasury of Egypt, concerned with the tabulation and the distribution of gifts to court favorites and nome officials. The pharaohs presented outstanding servants with golden collars and other costly insignias of honor on feast days. Amenken was buried in thebes.
Amenmesses (Menmire) (fl. c. 1214 b.c.e.)
Sixth ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty, recorded as a usurper He took the throne of seti ii (r. 1214-c. 1204 b.c.e.). His name, Amenmesses, meant “Fashioned by Amun, God of Thebes.” He ruled only four years, possibly as an interlude ruler between merenptah and Seti II, who was the crown prince and designated heir. Amenmesses was possibly the son of merenptah and Queen takhat (1). Records give her only the title of “King’s Mother,” not that of a royal wife of rank. He is believed to have married baketwerel, but no documentation supports this. Three bodies discovered in Amenmesses’ tomb in the valley of the kings on the western shore of Thebes have not been identified. He is also recorded as marrying tia (2), the mother of siptah. Amenmesses did not rule in the north, where Seti II controlled the Delta and the dynastic capital of per-ramesses.
He had the backing of the Theban priests, including the high priest, Roma-Ray, who had considerable power in the name of the god amun. Amenmesses also controlled nubia, modern Sudan. How he died at the end of four years is unknown. He simply disappeared from the scene, and Seti II usurped his statues and monuments. Some cartouches were even removed from his tomb in Thebes, at biban el-moluk, and some chambers were vandalized. The tomb has three corridors, a square chamber, and four pillared halls.
