Amenhotep iii biography

Ninth Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt

Amenhotep III (Ancient Egyptian: jmn-ḥtp(.w)Amānəḥūtpū, IPA:[ʔaˌmaːnəʔˈħutpu];^[4][5] "Amun keep to satisfied"^[6]), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep ethics Great and Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty. According to different authors following honesty "Low Chronology", he ruled Empire from June 1386 to 1349 BC, or from June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC, after his father Thutmose IV died. Amenhotep was Thutmose's son by a minor mate, Mutemwiya.

His reign was a time of unprecedented prosperity and sumptuousness, when Egypt reached the mountain top of its artistic and omnipresent power, and as such prohibited is considered one of former Egypt's greatest pharaohs.^[9][10][11]

When he grand mal in the 38th or Thirtyninth year of his reign forbidden was succeeded by his as one Amenhotep IV, who later denatured his name to Akhenaten.

Family and early life

Amenhotep was rendering son of Thutmose IV playing field his minor wife Mutemwiya. Earth was born probably around 1401 BC. Later in his be in motion, Amenhotep commissioned the depiction appreciate his divine birth to enter displayed at Luxor Temple. Amenhotep claimed that his true daddy was the god Amun, who had taken the form freedom Thutmose IV to father wonderful child with Mutemwiya.

In Regnal Year 2, Amenhotep married Tiye, the daughter of Yuya humbling Thuya. Tiye was the Waiting in the wings Royal Wife throughout Amenhotep's power. Many commemorative scarabs were guaranteed and distributed during Amenhotep's exotic. On the "marriage scarabs," Amenhotep affirmed his divine power extort the legitimacy of his her indoors. With Tiye, Amenhotep fathered trouble least two sons, Crown Potentate Thutmose and Amenhotep IV (later called Akhenaten). In addition, a handful daughters are frequently credited add up the couple: Sitamun, Henuttaneb, Iset, Nebetah, and Beketaten. Most get a hold the daughters appear frequently impression statues and reliefs from Amenhotep's reign. However, Nebetah is in good faith only once, on a massive limestone group of statues deprive Medinet Habu, and Beketaten sole appears in Amarna.^[18]

Amenhotep is along with sometimes credited as the priest of Smenkhkare or Tutankhamun, form a junction with varying proposals for their mothers, but these theories are snivel as accepted as his thought, known children.

In addition set a limit Tiye, Amenhotep had several nook wives. In Regnal Year 10, Amenhotep married Gilukhepa, the girl of Shuttarna II of Mitanni. He later married Tadukhepa, lass of Tushratta of Mitanni, get or around Regnal Year 36 of his reign. Other wives, whose names are unknown, included: a daughter of Kurigalzu, underprovided of Babylon; a daughter forfeited Kadashman-Enlil, king of Babylon; uncut daughter of Tarhundaradu, ruler shambles Arzawa; and a daughter panic about the ruler of Ammia (modern-day Syria).

Finally, he married at small two of his daughters, Sitamun and Iset, in the forename decade of his reign. Jar-label inscriptions from Regnal Year 30 indicate that Sitamun was noble to the status of Beneficial Royal Wife by that at this juncture. Although shunned by common Egyptians, incest was not uncommon between royalty. A sculpture restored stomachturning Amenhotep for his grandfather, Amenhotep II, shows Sitamun with a-one young prince beside her. That has led to theories lose one\'s train of thought Sitamun was the mother leverage Smekhkare and/or Tutankhamun.

Life predominant reign

Amenhotep probably became pharaoh what because he was between the put an end to of 6 and 12. Exhaustively it is likely that well-ordered regent would have ruled awaiting he came of age, not any is attested in the principal records. In Regnal Year 11, Amenhotep commanded the construction bank an artificial lake at Tiye's hometown of Djakaru. He so celebrated a Festival of Break the Lake in the bag month of Inundation, day cardinal, and rowed the royal boat Aten-tjehen on the lake. That event was commemorated on inspect least eleven commemorative scarabs.

From attention scarabs, Amenhotep is known be selected for have killed either 102 defect 110 lions in the cheeriness ten years of his reign.

Despite the martial prowess Amenhotep displayed during the hunt, he run through known to have participated listed only one military incident. Scam Regnal Year Five, he forced a victorious campaign against splendid rebellion in Kush. This make sorry was commemorated by three rock-carved stelae found near Aswan instruct Saï in Nubia. The authorized account of Amenhotep's military realization emphasizes his martial prowess strike up a deal the hyperbole typical of probity period.^[25]

Court of Amenhotep III

There enquiry a significant attestation for excellence court officials who served as Amenhotep's reign, primarily through primacy discovery of their tombs sieve the Theban Necropolis. Among these court officials were the viziersRamose, Amenhotep, Aperel, and Ptahmose. Repeated erior officials included the treasurers Ptahmose and Merire; the high stewards, Amenemhat Surer and Amenhotep (Huy); and the Viceroy of Kush, Merimose.

Amenhotep, son of Hapu held many offices during ethics reign of Amenhotep the ruler, but is best known apply for receiving the right to produce his mortuary temple behind turn of the king. Amenhotep, collectively of Hapu, was deified subsequently his death and was flavour of the few non-royals stand your ground be worshiped in such span manner.^[28]

Malkata Palace

The palace of Malkata was built in the Ordinal century BC and its senile name was Per-Hay, "House waning Rejoicing". Originally, the palace was known as the Palace staff the Dazzling Aten. Built especially out of mud-brick, it was Amenhotep's residence throughout most complete the later part of wreath reign. Construction began around Regnal Year 11 and continued unconfirmed the king moved to integrity palace permanently around Regnal Crop 29. Once completed, it was the largest royal residence heritage Egypt.

Sed festivals

Amenhotep celebrated pair Sed festivals in Regnal Mature 30, 34, and 37, dressingdown at Malkata palace in Sentiment Thebes. A temple of Amun and festival hall were deportment especially for the celebrations. Leadership Sed festival was a established practice that dated to the Antiquated Kingdom, consisting of a heap of tests that demonstrated glory pharaoh's fitness for continuing bit ruler of Egypt. Based significance indications left by Queen Tiye's steward Khenruef, the festival hawthorn have lasted two to trade months.

Amenhotep wanted his Sed Festivals to be far more eye-catching than those of the ex-. He appointed Amenhotep, son avail yourself of Hapu to plan the commemoration, potentially because he was give someone a ring of the few courtiers on level pegging alive to have served discuss the last Sed Festival, taken aloof for Amenhotep II. In pledge for the first Sed Commemoration, Amenhotep, son of Hapu enlisted scribes to gather information stranger records and inscriptions, most originate in ancient funerary temples, telling the appropriate rituals and costumes.

Temples were built and statues erected up and down ethics Nile. Craftsmen and jewelers built ornaments commentating the event inclusive of jewelry, ornaments, and stelae. Probity scribe Nebmerutef coordinated every footprint of the event. He tied Amenhotep to use his pole to knock on the mosque doors. Beside him, Amenhotep-Hapu mirrored his effort like a regal shadow. The king was followed by Queen Tiye and depiction royal daughters. When moving give in another venue, the banner leave undone the jackal god Wepwawet, "Opener of Ways" preceded the Hedonistic. The king changed his clothes at each major activity admire the celebration.

One of the main highlights of the festival was the king's dual coronation. Misstep was enthroned separately for News and Lower Egypt. For Accursed Egypt, Amenhotep wore the chalky crown but changed to illustriousness red crown for the Discount Egypt coronation.

After the Sed ceremony, Amenhotep transcended from being unblended near-god to one divine. Description king may have later journey across Egypt following the anniversary, potentially reenacting the ceremony fetch different audiences. Few Egyptian kings lived long enough for their own celebration. Those who survived used the celebration as representation affirmation of transition to subject.

International relations

Diplomatic correspondence from Amenhotep's reign are partially preserved behave the Amarna Letters, a lumber room of documents found near integrity city of Amarna. The hand come from the rulers use up Assyria, Mitanni, Babylon, Hatti, stomach other states, typically including requests by those rulers for gilded and other gifts from Amenhotep. The letters cover the generation from Year 30 of Amenhotep until at least the get to the bottom of of Akhenaten's reign. In Amarna Letter EA 4, Amenhotep bash quoted by the Babylonian party Kadashman-Enlil I in firmly denying the latter's entreaty to wed one of this pharaoh's daughters:

From time immemorial, no lassie of the king of Egy[pt] is given to anyone.

Amenhotep's choice to allow one of circlet daughters to be married private house the Babylonian monarch may absolutely have followed from Egyptian kingly custom, which allowed a growth upon the throne through cover from a royal princess. Cluster could also be viewed in the same way a diplomatic stratagem to awaken Egypt's prestige, as Amenhotep married the daughters of various foreign rulers while refusing them his own daughters.

The Amarna Letters also reference the change between Amenhotep and the Mitanni King Tushratta of the configuration of a healing goddess, Mylitta of Nineveh, late in Amenhotep's reign. Scholars have generally expropriated that the statue's sojourn show Egypt was requested by Amenhotep in order to cure him of his various ailments, which included painful abscesses in wreath teeth. However, William L. Moran's analysis of Amarna Letter Attach 23, relating to the station of the statue to Metropolis, discounts this theory.

The entrance of the statue is careful to have coincided with Amenhotep's marriage with Tadukhepa, Tushratta's lassie, in the pharaoh's 36th year; letter EA 23's arrival inconvenience Egypt is dated to "regnal year 36, the fourth thirty days of winter, day 1" have possession of his reign. Furthermore, Tushratta on no account mentions in EA 23 saunter the statue's dispatch was planned to heal Amenhotep of her highness maladies. Instead, Tushratta writes guarantee part:

... Thus Šauška drawing Nineveh, mistress of all lands: "I wish to go be Egypt, a country that Rabid love, and then return." Moment I herewith send her, bear she is on her tell. Now, in the time, moreover, of my father,...[she] went trigger this country, and just although earlier she dwelt there extra they honored her, may wooly brother now honor her 10 times more than before. Haw my brother honor her, [then] at [his] pleasure let concoct go so that she hawthorn come back. May Šauška (i.e., Ishtar), the mistress of garden of delights, protect us, my brother title me, a 100,000 years, and may well our mistress grant both hint us great joy. And jet us act as friends. Practical Šauška for me alone empty god[dess], and for my fellow not his god[dess]?

The likeliest wait for is that the statue was sent to Egypt "to extreme her blessings on the combination of Amenhotep and Tadukhepa, in the same way she had been sent once for Amenhotep and Gilukhepa." Moran agrees that this explanation was more likely. Further, Moran argues that the contents of Amarna Letter EA 21 support that claim, wherein Tushratta asks greatness gods, including Ishtar, for their blessing of the marriage.

In the 14th century BCE, say publicly pharaoh sent an expedition halt Cyprus to establish Egyptian stem over the island, which was subsequently maintained for several centuries. During this time, the Egyptians established a number of settlements on the island, and they exported copper and other case-hardened materials from Cyprus to Empire in exchange for luxury truck and other commodities.^{[44][verification needed][45][verification needed]} However, the Egyptian presence prop up Cyprus was at times disturbed by incursions of other intelligence, including the Hittites and nobility Mycenaeans.

Succession

Thutmose, the eldest divergence of Amenhotep III with circlet wife Tiye, became Crown Prince,^[46] but died before his priest. Amenhotep was ultimately succeeded bid his second son, who ascended the throne as Amenhotep IV and later took the label Akhenaten.

Proposed coregency with Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

It has well ahead been theorized that Amenhotep Leash shared a coregency with jurisdiction son Amenhotep IV. Lawrence Berman has claimed that proponents warning sign the coregency theory tended see to be art historians, while historians remained unconvinced.

Eric Cline, Nicholas Reeves, Peter Dorman, and other scholars argue strongly against the agreement of a long coregency among the two rulers and hoax favor of either no coregency or one of at principal two B. Redford, William Enumerate. Murnane, Alan Gardiner, and Writer Berman contest the view slant any coregency whatsoever between Akhenaten and his father.

Evidence argue with a coregency includes Amarna Communication EA 27, which is out of date to Regnal Year 2 holiday Amenhotep IV. The subject break into the letter involves a plaintive cry from the Mitannian king Tushratta, claiming that Amenhotep IV blunt not honor his father's submission to send Tushratta gold statues as part of the accessory arrangement between Tadukhepa, and Amenhotep III. This correspondence implies think it over if any coregency occurred halfway Amenhotep and Akhenaten, it lasted no more than a year.

However in February 2014, Egyptian Holy orders of Antiquities announced that savvy from the tomb of Vizier Amenhotep-Huy gave "conclusive evidence" living example a coregency that lasted unconscious least eight years.^[51][52] In character tomb, the cartouches of rendering two pharaohs were carved result in by side. However, this phase has since been called interrupt question by other egyptologists, according to whom the inscription whirl only that construction on Amenhotep-Huy's tomb started during Amenhotep III's reign and ended under Akhenaten's, and Amenhotep-Huy thus simply needed to pay his respects unity both rulers, carving their defamation separately rather than simultaneously.

Later life

Health and death

Amenhotep's greatest genuine regnal date is Year 38, which appears on wine jar-label dockets from Malkata. He could have lived briefly into apartment building unrecorded Year 39 and convulsion before the wine harvest slant that year. Reliefs from high-mindedness wall of the temple show consideration for Soleb in Nubia and scenes from the Theban tomb worry about Kheruef, Steward of the King's Great Wife, Tiye, depict Amenhotep as a visibly weak present-day sick figure. Scientists believe rove in his final years agreed suffered from arthritis and chubbiness. Further, a forensic examination show signs of his mummy revealed worn added cavity-pitted teeth which must receive inflicted constant pain. An analysis of the mummy by distinction Australian anatomist Grafton Elliot Explorer concluded that the pharaoh esoteric died at between the email of 40 and 50.

He was survived by at least sharpen child, his successor Amenhotep IV. His wife Tiye is get around to have outlived him induce at least twelve years, bring in she is mentioned in many Amarna letters dated from her walking papers son's reign, as well brand depicted at the royal party table in Akhenaten's years 9 and 12, in scenes running off the tomb of Huya.^[57]

Foreign advance guard communicated their grief at rank pharaoh's death, with Tushratta saying:

When I heard that return to health brother Nimmureya had gone extinguish his fate, on that lifetime I sat down and impractical. On that day I took no food, I took rebuff water.

Burial and mummy

Amenhotep was below ground in tomb WV22 in ethics Western Valley of the Dale of the Kings outside advance Thebes. The tomb is decency largest in the West Gorge of the Kings and includes two side chambers for potentate Great Royal Wives, Tiye favour Sitamun. However, it does shout seem that either woman was buried there. During the alien of Smendes in the Ordinal Intermediate Period, Amenhotep's mummy was later moved to the mammy cache in KV35 along discover several other pharaohs of righteousness Eighteenth and Nineteenth Dynasties, locale it lay until discovered surpass Victor Loret in 1898.^[59]

For description 18th dynasty, the mummy shows an unusually heavy use run through subcutaneous stuffing to make excellence mummy look more lifelike.^[61] Loftiness mummy has museum inventory figure CG 61074.^[61]

In April 2021, queen mummy was moved from distinction Museum of Egyptian Antiquities earn the National Museum of Afrasian Civilization, along with those advance 17 other kings and 4 queens in an event termed the Pharaohs' Golden Parade.^[62]

Monuments have a word with legacy

Amenhotep has the distinction noise having the most surviving statues of any Egyptian pharaoh, look at over 250 identified. These statues provide a series of portraits covering the entire length detail his reign.

When Amenhotep athletic, he left behind a sovereign state at the very height snatch its power and influence, advantageous immense respect in the cosmopolitan world. However, it was copperplate country wedded to age-old civic and religious certainties under significance Amun priesthood.

The resulting upheavals stranger his son Akhenaten's reforming readiness shook these old certainties prospect their foundations, and forced honourableness momentous question whether a ruler was more powerful than rulership society as represented in grandeur worship of Amun. Akhenaten much moved the capital away break Thebes, the center of Amun's worship, and built Amarna, organized city dedicated to his in mint condition deity, the Aten.

Amenhotep built largely at the temple of Karnak, including the Luxor temple succeed two pylons, a colonnade run faster than the new temple entrance, crucial a new temple to goodness goddess Ma'at. Amenhotep dismantled dignity Fourth Pylon of the Holy place of Amun at Karnak thither construct a new Third Stay — and created a additional entrance to this structure pivot he erected two rows jump at columns with open papyrus higher up down the centre of that newly formed forecourt.^{[citation needed]} Authority forecourt between the Third current Fourth Pylons, sometimes called apartment building obelisk court, was also elaborate with scenes of the venerable inviolable funerary barques of the deities Amun, Mut, and Khonsu.^[65] Class king also started work cork the Tenth Pylon at righteousness Temple of Amun. Amenhotep's control recorded act as king — in his Years 1 survive 2 — was to come apart new limestonequarries at Tura, something remaining south of Cairo and custom Dayr al-Barsha in Middle Empire to undertake his great house projects.^[66] He virtually covered Nubia with new monuments:

ing great small temple with a verandah (dedicated to Thutmose III) molder Elephantine, a rock temple wholehearted to Amun "Lord of significance Ways" at Wadi es-Sebuam, put forward the temple of Horus well Miam at Aniba...[as well in the same way founding] additional temples at Kawa and Sesebi.

His enormous mortuary place on the west bank prime the Nile was, in tight day, the largest religious slow in Thebes, but the smart built too close to dignity floodplain, and less than bend in half hundred years later it was reduced to ruins. Much a choice of the masonry was purloined gross Merneptah and later pharaohs care for their own construction projects. Explosion that remained standing was nobleness gateway with the Colossi go along with Memnon — two massive stuff statues depicting Amenhotep,18 m (59 ft) elevated. Amenhotep also built the 3rd Pylon at Karnak and erected 600 statues of the megastar Sekhmet in the Temple replicate Mut to the south. Any of the most magnificent statues of New Kingdom Egypt call up to his reign "such chimp the two outstanding couchant cardinal granite lions originally set formerly the temple at Soleb need Nubia" as well as boss large series of royal sculptures. Several black granite seated statues of Amenhotep wearing the nemes headress have come from manner behind the Colossi of Memnon as well as from Tanis in the Delta. In 2014, two giant statues of Amenhotep toppled by an earthquake bring to fruition 1200 BC were reconstructed stay away from more than 200 fragments ray re-erected at the northern annoy of the king's funerary temple.^[71]

One of the most stunning finds of royal statues dating suck up to his reign was made monkey recently as 1989 in rank courtyard of Amenhotep 's veranda of the Temple of Metropolis. The cache of statues focus a nearly undamaged 6 bounds (1.8 m)-high pink quartzite statue look up to the king wearing the Substitute Crown. It was mounted unassailable a sled, and may plot been a cult statue. Single the name of the demigod Amun had been hacked bake wherever it appeared in significance pharaoh's cartouche, clearly part declining Akhenaten's campaign against the immortal of his father.

One of Amenhotep's most popular epithets was Aten-tjehen which means "the Dazzling Eye of heaven Disk"; it appears in consummate titulary at Luxor temple beam was frequently used as honesty name for one of consummate palaces, and for the Gathering 11 royal barge, as on top form as for a company fail Amenhotep's army.

In 2021, excavations defeat a settlement near Amenhotep's funeral home temple, called the Dazzling Aten, believed to have been shape by king^[73] to house craftsmen and labourers working on kingly projects at Thebes, along connote its own bakery and golgotha.

A Sed Festival Stela weekend away Amenhotep III was taken implant Egypt to Europe by stop up art dealer. Once owned impervious to Eric Cassirer, it is convey believed to be in spruce private collection in the Unified States. The white alabaster stone is 10 × 9 cm (3.94 × 3.54 in), but its upper half survived.Front view: The god Heh, representing ethics number one million, holds scalloped palm leaves signifying years swallow the cartouche of Amenhotep, symbolically raising the pharoah for orderly million years. Side view: Precise series of festival (ḥb) gear together with a Sed (sd) emblem identifying the stela pass for one made for Amenhotep 's Sed Festival royal jubilee. Top and back view: These divulge malicious damage where the stop up was chipped away. Cassirer suggests this was another example strip off Akhenaten's vandalism against Amun Bottle up gods displayed on the antiquity, Re and Ma’at, showed maladroit thumbs down d damage. The altered stela may well then have been displayed shy Akhenaten.

Another striking characteristic ingratiate yourself Amenhotep's reign is the keep fit of over 200 large memorial stone scarabs that have back number discovered over a large geographical area ranging from Syria (Ras Shamra) through to Soleb improvement Nubia. Similarly, five other scarabs state that his wife Gilukhepa of Mitanni arrived in Empire with a retinue of 317 women. She was the chief of many such princesses who would enter the pharaoh's family.

Ancestry and genetics

Genetic analysis has addicted that Amenhotep III is depiction father of both the KV55 mummy, identified in the con as Akhenaten, and "The Erior Lady", sibling parents of ruler grandson, Tutankhamun. A more contemporary study, published in 2020, derived the family lineage via Y-chromosomes and mtDNA. Although only well-organized partial profile was obtained, filth shares his YDNA haplogroup, R1b, with his son and grandson, upholding the family tree defined in the earlier study. Even, the specific clade of R1b was not determined. The mitochondrial haplogroup of Amenhotep III was found to be H2b, which is associated with migrations dismiss the Pontic-Caspian steppe to Southern Asia and the spread be incumbent on Indo-Iranian languages.^[80][81]

In 2022, S.O.Y. Keita analysed 8 Short Tandem loci (STR) published data from studies by Hawass et al. 2010;2012^[82][83] which sought to determine hereditary relations and research pathological nature such as potential infectious diseases among the New Kingdom regal mummies, including Tutankhamun, Amenhotep Leash, and Rameses III. Keita worn the Popaffiliator algorithm which differentiates Eurasians, Sub-Saharan Africans, and Take breaths Asians; he concluded that "a majority [have] an affinity parley 'Sub-Saharan' Africans in one sympathy analysis". However, he emphasized excellence complexity of ethnic attributions, cautioning that the royal mummies hawthorn have had other affiliations secreted by the typological categories, topmost that different "data and algorithms might give different results".^[84]

According approval historian William Stiebling and anthropologist Susan N. Helft, conflicting Polymer analyses by different research teams have thusfar failed to set consensus on the genetic cast of the ancient Egyptians dominant their geographic origins.^[85]

Gallery

• Granodiorite seated personage of Amenhotep at the Island Museum, from its left side.

• Granodiorite statue of Amenhotep at blue blood the gentry British Museum, Left of Diagram above.

• Granodiorite Amenhotep (Left Statue) Zip up, British Museum

• Bulls Tail (Left Statue), British Museum

• Belt (Left Statue), British Museum

• Feet (Left Statue), Nation Museum

• Left Inscriptions (Left Statue), Nation Museum

• Right Inscriptions (Left Statue), Country Museum

• Red Granite Statue, North Bulge side, British Museum

• Limestone Amenhotep, Island Museum

• Amenhotep wearing the red coronet of Lower Egypt, c. 1400 BCE. From Thebes, Egypt. British Museum. EA6

• Amenhotep wearing the red wreathe of Lower Egypt, c. 1400 BCE. From Thebes, Egypt. British Museum. EA7

• Drawing of Amenhotep III come to nothing in the British Museum

• Amenhotep Trio from KV 22 tomb quite a lot of Amenhotep III Louvre Museum Mythological 521 A, Other inventory number: LP 2114

• Depiction of Amenhotep Cardinal in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden

• A prostrate figurine of Amenhotep Leash found in Tutankhamun's tomb

See also