Amenhotep I

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Thanatosimii (talk | contribs) at 22:09, 14 January 2007 (expanded intro). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Amenhotep I
Stele of Amenhotep I
Pharaoh
Reign1526 BC to 1506 BC
(though disputed)
PredecessorAhmose I
SuccessorThutmose I
Royal titulary
Horus name
Kanaftau
Bull who subdues the lands
G5
E1G43D36
I9		 N17
N17
N17
Nebty name
Aaneru
Who inspires great fear
G16
O29
n
r		 H4G43
Golden Horus
Uahrenput
Enduring of years
G8
V29M4M4M4
Nomen
G39N5
<
imn
n		 R4
t p
>

Amenhotep
Amun is Satisfied
ConsortAhmose-Meritamon
FatherAhmose I
MotherAhmose-Nefertari
Died1506 BC or 1504 BC
BurialMummy found in Deir el-Bahri
cache, but was likely originally
buried in Dra' Abu el-Naga'
or KV39
Dynasty18th Dynasty

Amenhotep I (sometimes read as Amenophis I and meaning Amun is satisfied) was the second Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. He was born to Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari, however he was not the firstborn and was not expected to take inherit the throne. However, sometime in the eight years between Ahmose's seventeenth regnal year and his death, the his heir apparent died and Amenhotep became crown prince. Amenhotep then acceded to the throne and ruled for about 21 years.

Although his reign is poorly documented, it is possible to piece together a basic history from available evidence. He inherited the kingdom formed by the military conquests of his father and maintained dominance over Nubia and the Nile Delta, but he probably did not attempt to keep power in Syrio-Palestine. He continued to rebuild temples in Upper Egypt, and revolutionized mortuary complex design by separating his tomb from his mortuary temple, setting a trend which would persist throughout the entire New Kingdom. After his death, he was deified into the patron god of Deir el-Medina. His reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC.

Family

Amenhotep I was the son of Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari. His elder brother, the crown prince Ahmose Sapair, preceded him in death, thus clearing the way for his ascension to the throne.[1] Amenhotep probably came to power while he was still young himself, and his mother appears to have been regent for him for at least a short time.[2] This is evidenced because both he and his mother are credited with opening a worker village at the site of Deir el-Medina.[2] Amenhotep took for his Great Royal Wife, Ahmose-Meritamon, his sister.[3] Another wife's name, Sitkamose, is attested on a nineteenth dynasty stele.[4]

Beyond this, his relation to all other possible family members has been questioned. Ahhotep II is usually called his wife and sister,[3] despite an alternate theory that she was his grandmother.[4] He is thought to have had one son by Ahhotep II, Amenemhat, who died while still very young,[3] and this remains the consensus, although there are arguments against that relationship as well.[4] With no living heirs, Amenhotep was succeeded by Thutmose I, whom he married to his sister, Aahmes,[3] although once again there is no definite proof that the two were related. Since Aahmes is never called "King's Daughter" in any inscription, some scholars doubt this relation as well.[4]

Dates and length of reign

In the ninth year of Amenhotep I, a heliacal rise of Sothis was observed on the ninth day of the third month of summer.[5] Modern astronomers have calculated that, if the observation was made from Memphis or Heleopolis, such an observation could only have been made on that day in 1537 BC. If the observation was made in Thebes, it could only have taken place in 1517.[6] The latter is usually accepted as correct, and Amenhotep I is given a reign beginning in 1526 BC,[5] although the possibility of 1546 BC is not entirely dismissed.
Manetho's Epitome states that Amenhotep I ruled Egypt for 20 Years and 7 Months or 21 Years, depending on the source.[7] While Amenhotep I's highest attested official date is only his Year 10, Manetho's data is confirmed by information from a passage in the tomb autobiography of a Magician named Amenemhet. This individual explicitly states that he served under Amenhotep I for 21 Years.[8][9]Thus, in the high chronology, Amenhotep I is given a reign from 1546 to 1526 BC and, in the low chronology, from 1526 to 1506 BC or 1525 to 1504 BC.[10]

Foreign policy

Amenhotep I's Horus and Two Ladies names, "Bull who conquers the lands" and "He who inspires great terror," are generally interpreted to mean that Amenhotep I intended upon dominating the surrounding nations.[5] Two tomb texts indicate that he led campaigns into Nubia. According to the tomb texts of Ahmose, son of Ebana, Amenhotep later sought to expand Egypt's border southward into Nubia and he led an invasion force which defeated the Nubian army.[11] The tomb biography of Ahmose Pen-Nekhebet says he also fought in a campaign in Kush,[12] however it is quite possible that it refers to the same campaign as Ahmose, son of Ebana.[5] Amenhotep built a temple at Saï, showing that he had established Egyptian settlements almost as far as the third cataract.[2]

A single reference in the tomb of Ahmose Pen-Nekhebet indicates another campaign in Iamu in the land of Kehek.[13] Unfortunately, the location of Kehek is unknown. It was long believed that Kehek was a reference to the Libyan tribe, Qeheq, and thus it was postulated that invaders from Lybia took advantage of the death of Ahmose to move into the western Nile Delta.[14] Unfortunately for this theory, the Qeheq people only appeared in later times, and Kehek's identity remains unknown. Nubia is a possibility, since Amenhotep did campaign there, and the western desert and the oases have also been suggested, since these seem to have fallen under Egyptian control once again.[13]

Egypt had lost the western desert and the oases during the second intermediate period, and during the revolt against the Hyksos, Kamose thought it necessary to garrison them.[15] It is uncertain when they were fully retaken, but on one stele, the title "Prince-Governor of the oases" was used,[16] which means that Amenhotep's reign forms the terminus ante quem for the return of Egyptian rule.[15]

There are no recorded campaigns in Syrio-Palestine during Amenhotep I's reign, however, there is a curious record on the Tombos Stela of Thutmose I, his successor, which says that when Thutmose led a campaign into Asia all the way to the Euphrates, he found no one who fought against him.[17] If Thutmose did not lead a campaign which has not been recorded into Asia before this recorded one, it would mean that the preceding pharaoh would have had to pacify Syria instead,[18] which would indicate a possible Asiatic campaign of Amenhotep I. Two references to the levant potentially written during his reign might be contemporary witnesses to such a campaign. One of the candidates for Amenhotep's tomb contains a reference to Qedmi, which is somewhere in Canaan or the Transjordan, and Amenemhet's tomb contains a hostile reference to Mitanni.[19] However, neither of these references necessarily refer to campaigning, nor do they even unnecessarily date to Amenhotep's reign. The location of Amenhotep's tomb is not certain, and Amenemhet lived to serve under multiple kings who are known to have attacked Mitanni.[19] Records from Amenhotep's reign are simply altogether too scant and too vague to reach a conclusion about any Syrian campaign.

Cultural and intellectual developments during his reign

Stele showing Amenhotep I with his wife

Large numbers of statues of Amenhotep have been found, but they are mostly from the Ramessid period,[4] made for his posthumous funerary cult.[16] This makes it very difficult to understand exactly how the arts developed during his reign.[16] However, it does appear that it was during this period when the arts began to flourish in Egypt.

It was Amenhotep I who opened the artisan's village at Deir el-Medina which was responsible for all the art which filled the tombs in Thebes' necropolis for the following generations of New Kingdom rulers and nobles.[4] Jewelwry from this period was also produced with the same skill and quality as previous New Kingdom artifacts like those found in Ahhotep I's tomb.[20]

Two important pieces of literature were developed during this period. First, the Book of What is in the Underworld, the funerary texts used in the New Kingdom, is believed to have come into its final form during Amenhotep's reign.[21] The Ebers papyrus, which is the main source for information on ancient Egyptian medicine, seems to date to this time (the mention of the Heliacal rise of Sothis by which the early New Kingdom chronology is usually calculated was found on the back of this document).[21] Also, although the oldest surviving example dates to Amenhotep III's reign, it appears that during Amenhotep I's reign, the first water clock was invented.[22]

Building projects

Amenhotep commissioned the architect Ineni to expand the Temple of Karnak.[23] Ineni's tomb biography indicates that he created a 20 cubit gate of limestone on the south side of Karnak.[24] He constructed a Sacred Barque of Amun out of alabaster and a copy of the White Chapel of Senusret III, however they were disassembled by Amenhotep III to fill his third pylon.[25] It is also possible that the eighth pylon, which is usually attributed to Hatshepsut, was simply usurped by her and that Amenhotep was its original constructor (though it could also have been Thutmose I).[26] Karnak also contains structures which were apparently built for his Sed festival, but he died before he could use them.[27] At Deir el-Bahri, he constructed a mudbrick chapel to Hathor[21], and he also built a temple at Saï.[2] He built structures in Upper Egypt at Elephantine, Kom Ombo, Abydos, and the Temple of Nekhbet, but did not build anything in Lower Egypt, like his father.[21]

Mortuary complex

Amenhotep I was the first king of Egypt to separate his mortuary temple from his tomb, probably to keep tomb robbers from finding his tomb as easily. He built a mudbrick mortuary temple at the north end of Deir el-Bahri, however it and the shrine to Hathor which he built there were totally demolished when Hatshepsut built her mortuary temple at the site.[28] The location of Amenhotep's tomb is as of yet unidentified. The tomb was known to be intact during the reign of Ramses IX, but its location was not disclosed.[2] There are two possible sites for the location of Amenhotep I's undiscovered tomb, one high up in the Valley of the Kings, KV39 and the other at Dra' Abu el-Naga', ANB.[5] Tomb ANB is considered the more likely possibility, because it contains objects bearing his name and the names of some family members.[28] Excavations at KV 39 have indicated that instead it was used as a previous storage area for the Deir el-Bahri Cache[29] and Dra' Abu el-Naga' ANB is considered the more probable location.[2][21]

Burial, succession, and legacy

The unwrapped mummy of Amenhotep I.

Aging Egyptian monarchs often appointed their designated successors as coregents before their own death, and certain scholars have argued that Amenhotep I may have done this as well. Thutmose I's name appears next to Amenhotep's name on a barque which was used as fill for the third pylon at Karnak,[16] and this is often used as evidence that Amenhotep had appointed Thutmose as coregent. This, however, has failed to convince most scholars who note that it may be a simple case of Thutmose associating himself with his royal predecessor.[4] Additionally, one text has been interpreted to mean that Amenhotep appointed his infant son as coregent.[30] However, the scholarly consensus is that there is too little evidence for either coregency.

After Amenhotep died, wherever his tomb was located, his body did not remain there. Amenhotep I's body was found in the Deir el-Bahri Cache above the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut[2] and is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. His mummy had apparently not been looted by the 21st dynasty, and the priests who moved the mummy took care to keep the Cartonnage intact. Because of that exquisite face mask, Amenhotep's is the only royal mummy which has not been unwrapped and examined by modern Egyptologists.[2]

An image of Amenhotep I from his funerary cult.

Funerary Cult

Amenhotep was deified upon his death and made the patron deity of the villiage which he opened at Deir el-Medina.[4] His mother, who lived at least one year longer than he did, was also deified upon her death and became part of his litany.[1] As previously mentioned, the vast majority of Amenhotep's statuary comes in the form of a funerary idol from this cult during later periods. When being worshiped, he had three deific manifestations: "Amenhotep of the Town," "Amenhotep Beloved of Amun," and "Amenhotep of the Forecourt," and was known as a god who produced oracles.[4] He also had a number of feasts dedicated to him which were held throughout the year.[4] During the first month, a festival was celebrated in honor of the appearance of Amenhotep to the necropolis workmen, which probably means his idol was taken to Deir el-Medina.[31] Another feast was held on the thirtieth of the fourth month, and then two more were held in the seventh month.[31] The first was the "spreading of the funeral couch for king Amenhotep," which probably commemorated the day of his death.[31] The second, celebrated for four days at the very end of the month, was the "great festival of king Amenhotep lord of the town." Later in Egyptian history, the seventh month was named after this festival, "Phamenoth."[31] Another festival was held on the 27th of the ninth month, and the last known festival was held for several days between at least the eleventh and thirteenth of the eleventh month, which in all probability commemorated the date of Amenhotep's accession to the throne.[31]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Grimal, Nicolas. A History of Ancient Egypt. p. 201. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Shaw, Ian; and Nicholson, Paul. The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. p. 28. The British Museum Press, 1995.
  3. ^ a b c d Grimal, Nicolas. A History of Ancient Egypt. p. 190. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bleiberg, Edward. "Amenhotep I," p.71. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Ed. Donald Redford. Vol. 1, p.71. Oxford University Press, 2001.
  5. ^ a b c d e Grimal, Nicholas. A History of Ancient Egypt. p.202. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988
  6. ^ Helk, Wolfgang; Otto, Eberhard; Drenkhahn, Rosmarie. Lexikon der Ägyptologie I. Wiesbaden:969.
  7. ^ Manetho's King List Accessed July 31
  8. ^ Ludwig Borchardt, Altägyptische Zeitmessung (Die Geschichte der Zeitmessung und der Uhren, I [Berlin and Leipzig, 1920] Pl.18
  9. ^ D. Redford, The Chronology of the Eighteenth Dynasty, JNES 25(1966), pp.114
  10. ^ Jürgen von Beckerath, Chronologie des Pharaonischen Ägypten, Verlag Philipp von Zabern. (1997), p.189
  11. ^ Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II p. 17-18. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.
  12. ^ Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II p. 18. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.
  13. ^ a b James, T.G.H. Egypt: From the Expulsion of the Hyksos to Amenophis I. in The Cambridge Ancient History, vol. 2, part 1, ed. Edwards, I.E.S, et al. p. 310. Cambridge University Press, 1965.
  14. ^ Steindorff, George; and Seele, Keith. When Egypt Ruled the East. p.33. University of Chicago, 1942
  15. ^ a b James, T.G.H. Egypt: From the Expulsion of the Hyksos to Amenophis I. in The Cambridge Ancient History, vol. 2, part 1, ed. Edwards, I.E.S, et al. p. 311. Cambridge University Press, 1965.
  16. ^ a b c d Grimal, Nicholas. A History of Ancient Egypt. p.203. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988 Cite error: The named reference "Grimal 203" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  17. ^ Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II p. 30. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.
  18. ^ Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II p. 28. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906.
  19. ^ a b James, T.G.H. Egypt: From the Expulsion of the Hyksos to Amenophis I. in The Cambridge Ancient History, vol. 2, part 1, ed. Edwards, I.E.S, et al. p. 309. Cambridge University Press, 1965.
  20. ^ Lilyquist, Christine. Egyptian Art. p.10. Notable Acquisitions (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) (1980)
  21. ^ a b c d e Grimal, Nicolas. A History of Ancient Egypt. pp. 206. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988
  22. ^ Helk, Wolfgang. Historisch-biographische Texte der 2. Zwischenzeit und neue Texte der 18. Dynastie. pp. 111-112. Wiesbaden, 1975.
  23. ^ Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II p. 19. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906
  24. ^ Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II p. 20. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1906
  25. ^ Grimal, Nicolas. A History of Ancient Egypt. pp. 203. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988
  26. ^ Steindorff, George; and Seele, Keith. When Egypt Ruled the East. p.162. University of Chicago, 1942
  27. ^ Amenhotep I Accessed August 1, 2006
  28. ^ a b Shaw, Ian. Exploring Ancient Egypt p. 136. Oxford University Press, 2003.
  29. ^ KV 39, The Tomb of Amenhotep I? Accessed July 31
  30. ^ Wente, Edward F. Thutmose III's Accession and the Beginning of the New Kingdom. p. 271, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, University of Chicago Press, 1975.
  31. ^ a b c d e Redford, Donald B. The Chronology of the Eighteenth Dynasty. p.115 Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Apr., 1966)

References

External links

Preceded by Pharaoh of Egypt
Eighteenth Dynasty 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amenhotep_I&oldid=100739633"