Hatshepsut

Amenhotep III (The Dazzling Sun-Disk) - At his accession, Egypt was the unrivalled leader of the known world - Reaped the benefits from the conquests of predecessors Thutmose III, Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV; Egypt’s Syrian, Nubian and Libyan neighbours were dominated - Gardiner: Egypt reached a “zenith of magnificence” - Ruled using diplomacy rather than force - His messengers traveled freely throughout kingdoms and states of the East. Communicated and exchanged gifts with the kings of Babylon and Mitanni. - Enormous wealth poured into Egypt through trade and tribute; allowed Amenhotep III to initiate greatest building boom of 18th dynasty, from the delta to Nubia - Lavished attention on city of Thebes and dedicated vast wealth to Amun - Built temples at Karnak and Luxor - Built enormous mortuary temple and complex of palaces on west bank of Nile - Time of great artistic flowering - Redford: craftsmen displayed “a confident and complete command of their medium, which was never again equalled in the 1500 years Egypt’s pharaonic culture survived” - Court life was fashionable and elegant - Amenhotep III surrounded himself with a group of brilliant administrators - Throughout reign, Amenhotep was supported by the Great Royal Wife Queen Tiye, whose influence on the government of Egypt was not only considerable but unquestioned Sources - Inscriptions on stelae found at Thebes, the First Cataract, Konosso, Semna and Bubastic in the delta. Most important: Building Inscription, stood in Amenhotep’s mortuary temple and recorded his building works in honour of Amun-Re. - Scarab bulletins: while small seal scarabs inscribed with a few words were used by earlier kings for commemoration of important events, Amenhotep III issued large scarabs inscribed with “a whole narrative or its equivalent” – Gardiner - Walls of the temples of Amun-Re at Luxor (painting of his divine birth) and Karnak (a pylon records building details) and the Temple of Soleb in Nubia (provides evidence of the cult of the king, established by Amenhotep III and information on building projects). - Statue of one of his most famous officials, Amenhotep, son of Hapu - Tomb walls of his chief officials - Amarna Letters: clay tablet letters inscribed in diplomatic cuneiform addressed to Amenhotep III and Akhenaten. - Problems: all are propaganda except Amarna letters which are one-sided, undated, some unaddressed and fragmentary. Give details of the early years of his reign. Give relevant archaeological evidence. - Parents: Mother’s non-royal birth may have been the prompt for Amenhotep III to record his divine birth at Luxor. - Accession: Thutmose IV died when Amenhotep was a young boy, possibly around twelve. Aldred believes nine. He ascended the throne, perhaps with Queen Mutemwiya acting as regent - Evidence for: one of her epithets: “All that she says is done for her” = considerable influence, tomb of Overseer of Royal Nurses, picture of young Amenhotep III on throne with Mutemwiya behind him with hand around his shoulder. - Evidence against: one interpretation of Overseer of Royal Nurses tomb painting states that Mutemwiya is in the background and not prominent. - Marriage: soon after accession or even part of coronation ceremony, Amenhotep III married Tiye. - Evidence: first set of commemorative scarabs ordered and circulated around kingdom “Amenhotep III who is given life and the Great King’s Wife Tiye, who liveth. The name of her father is Yuya, the name of her mother is Thuya.” - Breasted: first time a queen’s name was inserted into the royal titulary. - Opinion: some historians say the Marriage Scarab emphasised Tiye’s non-royal background. Aldred suggests Yuya may have been the brother of Mutemwiya, no evidence though. - Callender: Queen Tiye was a commoner which was why Amenhotep wanted to emphasise the marriage with scarabs. - Her exotic-looking representations led to theories that she was Nubian - Held Amenhotep’s confidence and affection - Evidence: he is rarely depicted without her, sometimes she stands where a goddess is expected to, first Queen Consort to have her name associated with her husband’s on official inscriptions, depicted on a number of statues as being on an equal level with Amenhotep III, depicted in tomb of noble as female sphinx trampling female Asiatic and Nubian captives underfoot. - Consulted on internal and external affairs, influenced Amenhotep III in diplomatic matters. High public profile. - Hunting prowess: According to Amenhotep III, he shot 102 lions in the first ten years of his reign and in a single day’s hunting, killed 56 wild bulls. - Military activity: A victory against the Ibhat that yielded 740 living captives and 312 hands cut from the dead was commemorated by a series of stelae in Nubia. Monumental carvings along Egypt’s southern border showed Amenhotep III in the traditional role as defender of Egypt, smiting his enemies in the presence of gods. - Little military activity during Amenhotep III’s reign (long, stable, prosperous), some historians say due to Thutmose III’s success with diplomacy. Fewer resources dedicated to making war = more resources for building. - Akhenaten and a viceroy of Kush did direct small military actions in Nubia though Examine Amenhotep’s approach to foreign policy. - Grimal: “rule of Amenhotep III was marked by peace… the only war was a preventative campaign waged in the 5th year” - Growing influence of Egypt, relations with the East - Evidence: Amenhotep III’s name appeared in Crete, Mycenar, Aetolia, Anatolia, Yemen, Babylon and Assur. - Egyptian-Mitanni alliance sealed by Amenhotep III’s marriage to king’s (Suttarna II) daughter, Gilukheba. - Babylon: sister and daughter of Kadashman-Enlil to Amenhotep III - By the end of Amenhotep III’s reign, Hittite power had grown and the Hittites had reached a position of dominance. - Callender: Active trade + tributes, messengers sent between courts. Give details of his building program – nature and purpose. - Surpassed his predecessors in both quality and quantity - Tried to ensure his monuments lasted for eternity by building them on a huge scale, e.g. place at Thebes, mortuary temple and colossal statues - Inscriptions on buildings and monuments claim they were ‘made for a million of million of years, for ever and ever’ and that ‘never has happened the like since the beginning’. - Began during the early years of his reign - Inscriptions from the first two years record the opening of new chambers in quarries where good quality limestone was obtained. - In the New Kingdom it is difficult to separate the religious from the secular in matters relating to the pharaoh because the pharaoh regarded himself and was regarded by his people as divine - He emphasised his relationship with the gods and in order to ensure their benevolence and protection in this life and the next, Amenhotep III’s building projects were clearly of this kind, but the nature and scale of some of his projects have prompted the suggestion that he also used his country’s resources to glorify himself. - Evidence: The Temple of Amun at Luxor, The Pylons at Karnak, Temple of Soleb in Nubia, Malkata Palace, Mortuary Temple, 600 life-size statues of Sekhmet, temples at Meshaikh, Komel Hettan, el Kab, Elephantine, Sedeinga and Silsileh. - Reasons for building program: Please gods, show piety, thank gods, maintain Ma’at (order), promote kingly authority and divinity, employ priests, employ workers, animal stables, storage for surplus grain, development of agricultural lands to support population, self-glorification, propaganda. - Basically: RELIGION, ECONOMICS AND POLITICS. How well was Egypt administered' - There are significant gaps in the evident, yet it seems that Egypt was well government during Amenhotep III’s reign. - The bureaucracy ran smoothly under the supervision of the viziers, public works were maintained, a massive building program was undertaken, manufacturing and the arts flourished, bumper harvests were recorded, and taxes were collected. - Throughout the land, Amun and the other gods were honoured in temples that were maintained by the various priesthoods. - Amenhotep III showed great wisdom in his appointment of key officials. Some positions such as that of treasurer, remained within one family for generations, but other officials were appointed and dismissed by Amenhotep III himself. - Amenhotep III spent at least the first 20 years of his reign in Memphis. Then moved to his capital at Thebes where he celebrated three Hed-sed festivals in the 30th, 34th and 37th years of his reign. Egyptians who officiated at the ceremonies had it recorded on their tombs as an event of great significance. Amenhotep III took great pride in announcing that all rites had been performed according to the most ancient order of service. - Amenhotep III died at the 38th year of his reign, appropriate ceremonies were conducted at his magnificent mortuary temple and his mummy was buried in an equally magnificent tomb in the Valley of the Kings. - The tomb was desecrated at the end of the New Kingdom; evidences that would have given a more complete picture of Amenhotep III’s long and prosperous rule were destroyed. - Tyldesley: Egypt flourished under Amenhotep III’s reign, employment for workers and craftsmen, income for priests, civil service + army were efficient and professional units, bureaucrats + soldiers awarded with gold for outstanding loyalty and courage, fashion became more frivolous. - Callender: stability was achieved through diplomacy. Note the religion development during his reign. - Amun was the main god of the New Kingdom - The kings ascribe their military successes to the support of Amun and also filled the god’s treasury with untold wealth and endowed the temples with vast tacts of land and captives - The priests of Amun had played a part in deciding who sat on the throne by giving or withdrawing the support of their god and the kings had adopted as one of their titles, son of Amun. Redford: “Amun’s cult and his priesthood had become an association wherein political power seekers w\could fulfill themselves.” - Amenhotep like his predecessors, stressed his relationship with Amun. - Evidence: In the temple of Amun at Luxor, reliefs depict his divine birth - On the Konossor stelae commemorating his campaign in Nubia, there is a relief showing Amun presenting the four southern regions, including Kush, to Amenhotep III - On another stelae commemorating the same campaign, Amun is made to say to him: “Welcome in peace, O my beloved son! My heart is greatly gladdened to see thy victories and the power of they fame overwhelming foreign lands. –D.B. Redford, Akhenaten, the Heretic King, p.39 - Amenhotep III made a record of the building he had erected to honour Amun. - Amenhotep III began to promote the interest of a form of the sun god called the Aten (the physical disk of the sun). And also its links with royalty. - For the first time temples were built for this god within the precinct of Amun at Thebes and at Heliopolis, also Amenhotep: was referred to as the Dazzling Sun-disk, called his palace complex at Malkata (before year 30 of his reign) Radiance of the Aten or Splendour of Aten and gave the same name to the state barge and to a regiment in his army, built a temple in Nubia called Gem Aten named his youngest daughter by Queen Tiye Beketaten and possibly a son by another wife, Tutankhaten. - Callender: Tiye’s patronage of the religious cult of Aten had a most lasting influence on Egyptian history. Amenhotep III also encouraged the growth of this cult. Note the opinions of specific historians regarding his reign. - Arthur Weigall: Believed that Tiye was effectively the power behind two thrones, not only ruling on behalf of her lazy husband but exerting a strong almost unwholesome influence over her young son. - Tydesley: Points out that Weigall was drawing conclusions at a time when the archaeological record was profoundly biased. The distortion of the archaeological record and the selective recovery naturally distorted each woman’s relative importance so that Tiye was assumed the dominant Queen.