Amenhotep I
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Amenhotep I (Amenophis I) was the second ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, having succeeded his father Ahmose as ruler of a united land.
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Building Program
The building projects commissioned by Amenhotep I have been largely obliterated by later construction projects, making it difficult to appraise the range and quality of his building program. As revealed by the recent discovery of the cartouche of Amenhotep I on fragments of limestone building blocks from the Pyramid Temple of Ahmose at south Abydos, however, Amenhotep I continued the process of decoration within his father's funerary complex after Ahmose's death, thereby fulfilling an important first and filial duty.
Textual sources reveal that Amenhotep I commissioned the official Ineni to expand the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak. The tomb biography of Ineni indicates that he created a 20 cubit high limestone gate on the southern side of the complex on the ruler's behalf. A sacred bark of Amun in alabaster and a copy of the White Chapel of Senusret III were also constructed; these were disassembled by Amenhotep III in order to fill his third pylon. Karnak also once featured structures apparently built for the Sed Festival of Amenhotep I, but he apparently died before they could be used.
A temple was constructed in Nubia at Saï and Amenhotep I completed structures in Upper Egypt at Elephantine, Kom Ombo, Abydos and the Temple of Nekhbet at Elkab.
Unlike his father Ahmose, a lack of evidence would suggest that Amenhotep I built little—if anything—in Lower Egypt.
Foreign Policy
According to scholars’ previous interpretation of an apparent dearth of evidence from this reign, inactivity characterised the approach of Amenhotep I to Levantine affairs—this marked a supposed dramatic contrast to the activity of the ruler's father Ahmose. Some change to this position is seemingly now in order, however, with perhaps greater revision—dependent on the discovery of additional evidence—yet to come. Specifically, the publication of several door-jamb blocks from a dismantled Karnak temple gateway, on which five separate Asiatic toponyms find personification as tribute bearers (Qedem (Qdm), Tunip (Twnpj), Ḏ3jwny, and two others not preserved) are now considered strongly suggestive of at least one limited campaign with a Syrian itinerary under Amenhotep I, to whose reign the blocks seemingly belong, on stylistic and depositional grounds [Redford 1979:270-273].
Death and Burial
It has recently been suggested[1] that the tomb of Amenhotep I within the Valley of the Kings could be identified from survey and topographical reconstructions with the little-examined KV 39.
Amenhotep I revolutionised the approach to royal mortuary custom and design by separating his tomb from his mortuary temple—this practice would be emulated by all his New Kingdom successors.
Legacy and Cult
Notes
- ↑ Buckley, Buckley and Cooke 2005
Bibliography
- Buckley, Ian M., Buckley, Peter and Cooke, Ashley [2005], "Fieldwork in Theban Tomb KV 39: The 2002 Season", JEA 91 (2005), pp.71-82.
- Gilula, Mordechai [1985], “Ḏ3iwny = Zion?”, in Israelit-Groll, S. (ed.), Pharaonic Egypt - the Bible and Christianity, Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1985, pp.48-49.
- Gordon, Andrew H. [1982], "A Glass Bead of Ahmose and Amenhotep I", JNES 41.4 (1982), pp.295-298.
- Graindorge, Catherine and Martinez, Philippe [1989], "Karnak avant Karnak: Les constructions d’Aménophis Ier et les premières liturgies amoniennes", BSFE 115 (1989), pp.36-64.
- Redford, Donald B. [1979], “A Gate Inscription from Karnak and Egyptian Involvement in Western Asia during the Early 18th Dynasty”, JAOS 99 (1979), pp.270-287.
- Schmitz, Franz-Jürgen [1978], Amenophis I: Versuch einer Darstellung der Regierungszeit eines ägyptischen Herrschers der frühen 18. Dynastie, [Hildesheimer ägyptologische Beiträge 6], Hildesheim: Gerstenberg, 1978. ISBN 3806780323
- Spalinger, Anthony J [1992], Three Studies on Egyptian Feasts and their Chronological Implications, Baltimore: Halgo, 1992. ISBN 096138056X
