by
Damien F. Mackey
Part One:
His father was a
Thutmose
Having a double set of the combination: Thutmose – Amenhotep in the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt:
inevitably makes me wonder if, as in the case of Egypt’s Old-Middle Kingdoms, some duplications may have occurred, thereby unwarrantedly extending the already lengthy ancient Egyptian history.
I have greatly streamlined those Old-Middle
Kingdom dynasties in:
Moses, Egypt, Kings before the Exodus
wherein there
occur such repetitive combinations as: Pepi
– Merenre (Sixth Dynasty) and Amenemhet – Sesostris (Twelfth Dynasty).
What makes me wonder even more in the case of the
above Eighteenth Dynasty repetitions
is that Thutmose III and IV, as well as bearing the same nomen (Thutmose, “Born of the god Thoth”), also had the same praenomen, Menkheperre (“Lasting are the Manifestations of Re”).
Oh, and they
shared the Horus name, Kanakht.
Obviously the reign lengths, as conventionally
assigned, differ greatly, with Thutmose III reigning for 54 years and Thutmose
IV for only about a decade.
He is like a microcosm of the great Thutmose III.
Suspiciously, “little is known” about him:
“Little is known about his brief ten-year rule. He
suppressed a minor uprising in Nubia in his 8th year (attested in his Konosso stela) around 1393 BC [sic] and
was referred to in a stela as the Conqueror of Syria,[3] but little else has been pieced together
about his military exploits. Betsy Bryan, who penned a biography of Thutmose
IV, says that Thutmose IV's Konosso stela appears to refer to a minor desert
patrol action on the part of the king's forces to protect certain gold-mine
routes in Egypt's Eastern Desert from occasional attacks by the Nubians.[4] Thutmose IV's rule is significant because
he established peaceful relations with Mitanni and married a Mitannian princess to seal this new alliance”.
Thutmose III was indeed a Conqueror of Syria:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thutmose_III#Conquest_of_Syria
“The fifth, sixth and
seventh campaigns of Thutmose III were directed against the Phoenician cities in Syria and against Kadesh on the Orontes. In Thutmose's 29th year, he began his fifth
campaign, where he first took an unknown city (the name falls in a lacuna) which had been garrisoned by Tunip.[36] He then moved inland and took the city
and territory around Ardata;[37] the town was pillaged and the wheatfields
burned. Unlike previous plundering raids, Thutmose III garrisoned the area
known as Djahy, which is probably a reference to southern Syria.[29] This permitted him to ship supplies and
troops between Syria and Egypt. Although there is no direct evidence for it, it
is for this reason that some have supposed that Thutmose's sixth campaign, in
his thirtieth year, commenced with a naval transportation of troops directly to
Byblos, bypassing Canaan entirely.[37] After the troops arrived in Syria by
whatever means, they proceeded into the Jordan River valley and moved north,
pillaging Kadesh's lands.[38] Turning west again, Thutmose took Simyra and quelled a rebellion in Ardata, which
apparently had rebelled again.[39] To stop such rebellions, Thutmose began
taking hostages from the cities in Syria. The cities in Syria were not guided
by the popular sentiment of the people so much as they were by the small number
of nobles who were aligned to Mitanni: a king and a small number of foreign
Maryannu. Thutmose III found that by taking family members of these key people
to Egypt as hostages, he could drastically increase their loyalty to him.[38] Syria rebelled again in Thutmose's 31st
year and he returned to Syria for his seventh campaign, took the port city of Ullaza[38] and the smaller Phoenician ports[39] and took more measures to prevent further
rebellions.[38]
All the excess grain which was produced in Syria
was stored in the harbors he had recently conquered and was used for the
support of the military and civilian Egyptian presence ruling Syria.[38] This left the cities in Syria desperately
impoverished. With their economies in ruins, they had no means of funding a
rebellion.[40]”
Part Two:
Strong, a sportsman,
hunter
Some patterns of similarity emerge also with
Amenhotep II and III.
Being fathered by a predecessor “Thutmose”.
Sharing the name Aakhepeh[-erure].
Having as wife:
[Amenhotep
II] “Tiaa (Tiya) "Great Royal Wife" Daughter of Yuya and
Thuya”.
[Amenhotep III] Having a Great Royal
Wife, “Tiy, daughter of Yuya and Tuya”.
Having as son-successors a Thutmose, and then an
Amenhotep:
[Amenhotep
II] “Children Thutmose IV, Amenhotep …”.
[Amenhotep III (and Tiy)] “Their eldest son, Thutmosis … died as a child. This left the kingdom to their second
son, Amenhotep … who changed his name and is better known as Akhenaten”.
Well known about Amenhotep II is that he was a
very physically strong sportsmen and hunter.
But so, too, was Amenhotep III: https://681308714824908458.weebly.com/hunter.html
Amenhotep iii the hunter
Amenhotep
III's reign encompassed peace and because of this there was no real need to
have a 'warrior' pharaoh to protect Egypt, so instead the role of 'Hunter'
became more prominent. Amenhotep still needed to seem strong and powerful. Skills
taught to pharaohs previously to fulfil the role of being a warrior were
transferrable to the role of being a hunter. Hunting was an important role
as the representation of a hunter was Ma'at.
Inscriptions praised the pharaoh for his physical power as a sportsman giving emphasis on his strength, endurance, skill and also his courage. Two scarabs were also issued promoting his success as a hunter. One scarab is pictured on this page from 1380BC [sic] in the 18th Dynasty.
Inscriptions praised the pharaoh for his physical power as a sportsman giving emphasis on his strength, endurance, skill and also his courage. Two scarabs were also issued promoting his success as a hunter. One scarab is pictured on this page from 1380BC [sic] in the 18th Dynasty.
To the
Right is the bottom of the scarab presenting the hieroglyphics and below
is the picture of the detailed top of the artefact with markings
indicating the head, wings and scorching on its legs imitating its
feathering. This scarab records that the king killed 102 lions within his first
ten years of his reign. He stated that he did this with only a bow and
arrow. This presents his strength and power without having to win thousands
of wars.
Historian
A. Gardiner wrote in 1972 a quote the relates strongly to the topic of a
hunter 'with the accession of Amenhotep III, Dynasty 18 attained the
zenith of its magnificence, though the celebrity of this king is not
founded upon any military achievement. Indeed, It is doubtful whether he
himself ever took part in a warlike campaign'.' This quote is explaining
further how Amenhotep III was more involved with a warrior role than a military
role. He may of [have] not had war but he managed to keep his magnificence
through hunting as the skills were transferrable.
Hunting
was an important role in the 18th dynasty and specifically during Amenhotep's
reign as it was up to him to withhold the concept of ma'at. It was
significant as the role of being a warrior was not necessarily needed
throughout his reign, so the role of a hunter arose to ensure that the pharaoh
was presented as strong.
Amenhotep
contributed to this role by creating the commemorative scarabs and
recording any hunting successes. This provided the people with reassurance
that their pharaoh could protect them and also it is significant because
it provides historians and archeologists with evidence about the pharaoh
and hunting.
Sometimes the strength and sporting prowess of
Amenhotep II are presented as if being his main claim to fame. The following
piece exemplifies his outstanding sporting skills:
Notably, Amenhotep II was well known for his
athletic abilities as a young man. A number of representations of him depict
his participation in successful sporting pursuits. He lived in the Memphite
region where he trained horses in his father's stables, and one of his greatest
athletic achievements was accomplished when he shot arrows through a copper
plate while driving a chariot with the reins tied about his waist. This deed
was recorded in numerous inscriptions, including a stele at Giza
and depictions at Thebes. So famous was the act that it was
also miniaturized on scarabs that have been found in the Levant. Sara Morris, a
classical art historian, has even suggested that his target shooting success
formed the basis hundreds of years later for the episode in the Iliad when
Archilles is said to have shot arrows through a series of targets set up in a
trench. He was also recorded as having wielded an oar of some 30 ft in length,
rowing six times as fast as other crew members, though this may certainly be an
exaggeration. ….
Similar patterns emerge, again, with the course of
the reign - some early military activity followed by years of peace and prosperity,
allowing for major building projects.
Amenhotep II:
Some references refer to his first
expedition taking place as early as his 2nd year of rule, though others provide
that it was during his 7th. Still other references indicate that he made both
of these campaigns. Regardless, he fought his was across the Orontes river and
claims to have subdued all before him. One city, Niy, apparently had learnt
their lesson under his father, and welcomed Amenhotep II. But at Tikhsi
(Takhsy, as mentioned in the Theban tomb of Amenemheb - TT85), he captured seven
prices, returning with them in the autumn. They were hung face down on the prow
of his ship on the return journey, and six of them were subsequently hung on
the enclosure wall of the Theban temple. The other was taken south into Nubia
where his was likewise hung on the walls of Napata, "in order to cause to
be seen the victorious might of His Majesty for ever and ever".
According to the Stele recording these events, this first
campaign netted booty consisting of 6,800 deben of gold and 500,000 deben of
copper (about 1,643 and 120,833 pounds respectively), as well as 550 mariannu
captives, 210 horses and 300 chariots.
All sources agree that he once again campaigned in Syria
during his ninth year of rule, but only in Palestine as for as the Sea of
Galilee.
Yet these stele, erected after year nine of Amenhotep
II's rule, that provide us with this information do not bear hostile references
to either Mitanni or Nahrin, the general regions of the campaigns. This is
probably intentional, because apparently the king had finally made peace with
these former foes. In fact, an addition at the end of the Memphis stele records
that the chiefs of Nahrin, Hatti and Sangar (Babylon) arrived before the king
bearing gifts and requesting offering gifts (hetepu) in exchange, as well as
asking for the breath of life. Though good relations with Babylon existed
during the reign of Tuthmosis III, this was the first mention of a Mitanni
peace, and it is very possible that a treaty existed allowing Egypt to keep
Palestine and part of the Mediterranean coast in exchange for Mitannian control
of northern Syria. Underscoring this new alliance, with Nahrin, Amenhotep II
had inscribed on a column between the fourth and fifth pylons at Karnak,
"The chiefs (weru) of Mitanni (My-tn) come to him, their deliveries upon
their backs, to request offering gifts from his majesty in quest of the breath
of life".
The location for this column in the Tuthmosid wadjyt, or
columned hall, was significant, because the hall was venerated as the place
where his father received a divine oracle proclaiming his future kingship. It
is also associated with the Tuthmosid line going back to Tuthmosis I,
who was the first king to campaign in Syria. Furthermore, we also learn that
Amenhotep II at least asked for the hand of the Mitannian king, Artatama I, in
marriage. By the end of Amenhotep II's reign, the Mitanni who had been so
recently a vile enemy of Egypt, were being portrayed as a close friend.
After these initial campaigns, the remainder of Amenhotep
II's long reign was characterized by peace in the Two Lands, including Nubia
where his father settled matters during his reign. This allowed him to somewhat
aggressively pursue a building program that left his mark at nearly all the
major sites where his father had worked. Some of these projects may have even been
initiated during his co-regency with his father, for at Amada in Lower Nubia
dedicated to Amun and Ra-Horakhty celebrated both equally, and at Karnak, he
participated in his father's elimination of any vestiges of his hated
stepmother, Hatshepsut. There was also a bark chapel built celebrating his
co-regency at Tod. ….
Amenhotep III:
While as usual, an expedition into Nubia in year five of
his reign was given grandiose attention on some reliefs, it probably amounted
to nothing more than a low key police action. However, it may have pushed as
for as south of the fifth cataract. It was recorded on inscriptions near Aswan and at Konosso in Nubia. There
is also a stele in the British Museum recording a Nubian campaign, but it is
unclear whether it references this first action, or one later in his reign.
There was also a Nubian rebellion reported at Ibhet,
crushed by his son. While Amenhotep III was almost certainly not directly
involved in this conflict, he records having slaughtered many within the space
of a single hour. We learn from inscriptions that this campaign resulted in the
capture of 150 Nubian men, 250 women, 175 children, 110 archers and 55
servants, added to the 312 right hands of the slain. Perhaps to underscore the
Kushite subjection to Egypt, he had built at Soleb, almost directly across the
Nile from the Nubian capital at Kerma, a fortress known as Khaemmaat, along
with a temple.
The Prosperity and International
Relationships
However, by year 25 of Amenhotep III's reign, military
problems seem to have been settled, and we find a long period of great building
works and high art. It was also a period of lavish luxury at the royal court.
The wealth needed to accomplish all of this did not come from conquests, but
rather from foreign trade and an abundant supply of gold, mostly from the mines
in the Wadi Hammamat
and further south in Nubia.
Amenhotep III was unquestionably involved with
international diplomatic efforts, which led to increased foreign trade. During
his reign, we find a marked increase in Egyptian materials found on the Greek
mainland. We also find many Egyptian place names, including Mycenae, Phaistos
and Knossos first appearing in Egyptian inscriptions.
We also find
letters written between Amenhotep III and his peers in Babylon, Mitanni and
Arzawa preserved in cuneiform writing on clay tablets.From a stele in his
mortuary temple, we further learn that he sent at least one expedition to punt.
It is rather clear that the nobility prospered during the
reign of Amenhotep III. However, the plight of common Egyptians is less sure,
and we have little evidence to suggest that they shared in Egypt's prosperity.
Yet, Amenhotep III and his granary official Khaemhet boasted of the great crops
of grain harvested in the kings 30th (jubilee) year. And while such evidence is
hardly unbiased, the king was remembered even 1,000 years later as a fertility
god, associated with agricultural success. ….
Estimated reign lengths vary somewhat, with 38
years commonly attributed to Amenhotep III, whilst figures for Amenhotep II can
vary from, say, 26-35 years:
“The length of [Amenhotep II’s] reign is indicated by
a wine jar inscribed with the king's prenomen found in Amenhotep II's funerary
temple at Thebes; it is dated to this king's highest known date - his Year 26 -
and lists the name of the pharaoh's vintner, Panehsy. Mortuary temples were
generally not stocked until the king died or was near death; therefore,
Amenhotep could not have lived much later beyond his 26th year.
There are alternate theories which attempt to assign him a reign of up
to 35 years, which is the absolute maximum length he could have reigned. …”.
Complicating the matter of reign length somewhat is
the possibility of co-regencies - even perhaps quite lengthy ones: (a) between Amenhotep
II and his father, Thutmose III, and (b) between Amenhotep III and his son, Akhnaton.
The most extreme estimate for (a) is “twenty-five
years or more” (Donald B. Redford): https://www.jstor.org/stable/3855623?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Whilst for (b): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amenhotep_III#Proposed_co-regency_by_Akhenaten
“In February 2014, the Egyptian Ministry for
Antiquities announced what it called "definitive evidence" that Akhenaten
shared power with his father for at least 8 years …”.
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