’Ahmose (1) (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty
She was the Great Wife, or ranking consort, of tuthmosis i (r. 1504-1492 b. c.e.). Although she is sometimes mentioned as a daughter of ’ahmose and sister of amenhotep I, in her titles she is called “King’s Sister” but not “King’s Daughter.” She may have been the daughter of Prince ’ahmose-ankh.
She was given in marriage to Tuthmosis I when he was designated as the heir of Amenhotep i. ’Ahmose bore four children: her sons amenmose and wadjmose, and her daughters neferukheb and hatshepsut. Neither of ’Ahmose’s sons was designated as heir to the throne. Neferukheb died young, and Hatshepsut became a queen-pharaoh of Egypt.
’Ahmose was celebrated in the temple reliefs erected by Hatshepsut, who ruled from 1473 to 1458 b. c.e. The temple is at deir el-bahri on the western shore of the Nile at Thebes. These inscriptions and a portrait were designed to validate Hatshepsut’s usurpation of the throne. ’Ahmose is described as having been visited by the god AMUN, who fathered Hatshepsut in a shower of gold. She did not live to see her daughter raised to the throne, as she died at a young age. The portraits of Queen ’Ahmose depict a vigorous, handsome woman.
’Ahmose (2) (fl. 15th century b. c.e.) Prince of the Eighteenth Dynasty
The son of amenhotep ii (r. 1427-1401 b. c.e.), he was not the designated heir to the throne and served as the high priest of the god re at Heliopolis. A burial stela at the cemetery of the mnevis bulls, the theophanies of the god Re in some eras, was discovered bearing his name. His burial site remains undocumented.
’Ahmose-ankh (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Prince of the Eighteenth Dynasty
The son of ’ahmose (r. 1550-1525 b. c.e.), this prince is an obscure figure but is reported in some lists to have been the original heir to the throne. When ’Ahmose-ankh died, ’ahmose-sipair became the heir and possibly coregent, also dying before ’Ahmose. amenhotep i became the second king of the dynasty. It is possible that Queen ’ahmose (1), the consort of tuthmosis i (1504-1492 b. c.e.), was a daughter of Prince ’Ahmose-ankh.
’Ahmose-Hetempet (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Royal woman of the Seventeenth Dynasty
’Ahmose-Hetempet was a daughter of Sekenenre ta’o ii (c. 1560 b. c.e.) and Queen ah’hotep (1). Her mummified remains were discovered in deir el-bahri in 1881. ’Ahmose-Hetempet had dark hair and was discovered in a sycamore coffin. Her original tomb has not been located.
’Ahmose-Hettinehu (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Royal woman of the Seventeenth Dynasty
She was a daughter of Sekenenre ta’o ii (c. 1560 b. c.e.) and Queen ’ahmose-in-hapi. Her remains were found at DEIR el-bahri, damaged and refurbished. ’Ahmose-Het-tinehu’s coffin was made of acacia and saved from her original vandalized tomb.
’Ahmose-In-Hapi (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Royal woman of the Seventeenth Dynasty
She was a secondary consort of Sekenenre ta’o ii (c. 1560 b. c.e.) and the mother of Princess ’ahmose-hettinehu. ’Ahmose-In-Hapi’s remains are those of a strong woman, and her dark hair was in plaits. She was a daughter of Senakhtenre ta’o i.
’Ahmose-Merytamon (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty
She was a lesser-ranked consort of amenhotep i (1525-1504 b. c.e.) and the daughter of ’ahmose and the half sister of Amenhotep I. Little is known of her life, but her remains provide extensive evidence of arthritis and scoliosis, diseases prominent in her royal line. Her mummy was discovered in a cache of royal remains at DEIR el-bahri, moved from her original tomb on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes. The mummy of an infant prince, amunemhet (1), her nephew, was found beside her remains. ’Ahmose-Merytamon’s body was badly damaged, and her arms were broken off her body
’Ahmose-Nefertari (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty
She was the daughter of Sekenenre ta’o ii and Queen ah’hotep (1) and the wife of ’ahmose (r. 1550-1525 b. c.e.). ’Ahmose-Nefertari probably married her brother, KAMOSE, the last ruler of the Seventeenth Dynasty, who died in 1550 b. c.e. while engaged in a war with the hyksos, or Asiatics, in the northeastern delta. When ’Ahmose came to the throne at a young age, she became his Great Wife, or ranking queen. She was ’Ahmose’s sister.
’Ahmose-Nefertari played a unique role in founding the Eighteenth Dynasty and the New Kingdom historical period with her husband. She was visible to Egyptian society in all phases of rebuilding the nation after the expulsion of the Hyksos by ’Ahmose and his forces. Inscriptions in the sinai Peninsula and on sal island at the third cataract of the Nile, in modern Sudan, include her name and rank. The “building inscription” erected in abydos relates how ’Ahmose and ’Ahmose-Nefertari sat together to plan the great mortuary complexes for their mother, Ah’hotep (1), and their grandmother, Queen tetisheri. Their recorded conversation is tenderly described, concerned with fulfilling obligations to these deceased women who had guided Egypt during the Hyksos crisis.
’Ahmose-Nefertari bore the heir, amenhotep i; Prince ’ahmose-sipair (one of the original heirs); Prince Ramose; Princess ah’hotep (2); and other daughters. She survived ’Ahmose and counseled Amenhotep I (r. 1525-1504 B. C.E.) during the early years of his reign, having the title “Female Chieftain of Upper and Lower Egypt.” Many honors were bestowed upon ’Ahmose-Nefertari by the court because of her prior role as queen regent. When she died at the age of 70, she was given a portion of Amen-hotep’s mortuary temple on the western shore of the Nile at THEBES. Her mortuary cult—the daily offerings and ceremonies made at her tomb—remained popular for almost a century.
’Ahmose-Nefertari was the first Egyptian royal woman to be designated the “god’s wife of amun.” This title, associated with the deity amun, assumed powerful attributes in later eras, providing dynasties with unique political powers. Some lists indicate that she was alive when TUTHMOSIS I came to the throne as Amenhotep I’s heir. At the death of Amenhotep I in 1504 B. C.E., he and ’Ahmose-Nefertari were deified as the patrons of Thebes. ’Ahmose-Nefertari also founded an order of upper-class women, called the “Divine Votaresses of Karnak.” The unusual depictions of ’Ahmose-Nefertari in blue-black tones of deification reflect her status and cult, which remained popular for centuries. The mummified remains of ’Ahmose-Nefertari were discovered in deir el-bahri in damaged condition. She was almost bald and had on a human-hair wig. Her front teeth were prominent, a physical trait inherited from her line, and her right hand had been removed.
’Ahmose-Pen Nekhebet (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Courtier and military officer of the Eighteenth Dynasty He served in the reign of ’ahmose (r. 1550-1525 b. c.e.), and, like ’ahmose, son of ebana, another military chronicler of the era, ’Ahmose-Pen Nekhebet was a noble from Nekheb (modern elkab). The military campaigns that led to the expulsion of the hyksos, or Asiatics, from Egypt by ’Ahmose are clearly recorded in ’Ahmose-Pen Nekhebet’s tomb. On the walls of the tomb in Elkab, he chronicles ’Ahmose’s campaigns, including the battle with A’ATA and the Nubian forces south of Aswan in modern Sudan.
He lived to take part in at least one campaign conducted by amenhotep i (r. 1525-1504 b. c.e.). ’Ahmose-Pen Nekhebet received many honors during his lifetime, and his tomb chronicles have served succeeding generations by providing a precise and clear firsthand account of his tumultuous era. Some records indicate that he lived until the reign of hatshepsut (r. 1473-1458 b. c.e.)
’Ahmose-Sipair (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Prince and possible coruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty He was the son of ’ahmose (r. 1550-1525 b. c.e.) and Queen ’ahmose-nefertari, and possibly served as coruler with his father. His tomb, which was erected on the western shore of thebes, displays insignias reserved for kings. ’Ahmose-Sipair died before he could inherit the throne, and AMENHOTEP I, his brother, became the second ruler of the New Kingdom Period. Another brother, Prince ’ahmose-ankh, had been the original heir but had died young. The mummified remains of Prince ’Ahmose-Sipair were found in deir el-bahri, tied to a stick and in a sycamore coffin, having been recovered from his vandalized tomb.
’Ahmose Sitayet (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Vizier of the Eighteenth Dynasty
’Ahmose Sitayet was appointed by ’ahmose (r. 1550-1525 B. C.E.) as the viceroy of Kush, or nubia, the territory south of ASWAN (in modern Sudan). He accompanied ’Ahmose in the military campaigns against a’ata and the Nubian rebellion, and after the Egyptian victory he was appointed vizier, or governor, of the region, a post that carried the title “King’s Son of Kush.” In this capacity ’Ahmose Sitayet lived at Aswan on the elephantine island. There he administered the mines and quarries of the region and supervised the extensive trade campaigns conducted by the Egyptians from forts extending southward on the Nile, outposts dating to the Middle Kingdom era (2040-1640 b. c.e.). His son, Tjuroy, succeeded him in the post.
’Ahmose, son of Ebana (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Military and court official of the Eighteenth Dynasty
’Ahmose, son of Ebana, served the dynastic founder, ’ahmose (r. 1550-1525 b. c.e.), and then amenhotep i (r. 1525-1504 B. C.E.) and later rulers. A noble of Nekheb (modern elkab), he was involved in military campaigns of Egypt which he described on the walls of his tomb (as did ’ahmose-pen nekhebet). Personalized and dramatic, these accounts provide a rare insight into the military procedures of the era and the religious and social processes.
He was in the campaign against a’ata, in the Nubian area (modern Sudan), receiving slaves and lands as his
I8 'Ahmose Tumerisy
Share in the victory of the Egyptians under ’Ahmose. ’Ahmose, son of Ebana, was the grandfather of paheri.
’Ahmose Tumerisy (fl. 16th century b. c.e.) Royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty
She was the daughter of amenhotep i (r. 1525-1504 b. c.e.) and Queen ah’hotep (2). During the reign of TUTHMOSIS I (1504-1492 b. c.e.), ’Ahmose Tumerisy lived in the royal residence of thebes, serving perhaps as an “auntie” to the royal children or being married to an official. A favorite of the court, she was honored by the pharaoh and his family ’Ahmose Tumerisy was buried in a platform at deir el-bahri, on the Theban shore of the Nile, in the complex erected by montuhotep ii (r. 2061-2010 b. c.e.). Some records indicate that she was originally buried in dra-abu el-naga.
Aigyptos The Greek word that gave rise to the modern name Egypt, it was derived from the term Hiku-Ptah, which denoted the city of MEMPHIS as “the Mansion of the Soul of PTAH.”
Aion A deity of the Greco-Roman Period in Egypt from 332 B. C.E. to 395 c. e., he was believed to be a personification of Time. A solar deity, associated with serapis and the Roman deity Mithras, the god was depicted in a relief found in oxyrrhynchus (1) (modern el-Bahnasa). The panel shows a winged creature with the head of a lion, the torso of a human, and the legs of a goat. An aura or nimbus surrounds the god’s head. He holds keys, a torch, and a bolt of lightning. His cult was popular only in local
Aker An ancient deity of Egypt in the form of a lion, usually depicted in pairs, back to back, and called Akeru in the plural, Aker was originally an earth god but became involved in the cult of re, which was solar in origin. He represented the eastern and western horizons of the Underworld, or tuat, and faced both the sunrise and the sunset. The Akeru guarded the solar bark of Re on his daily sojourns across the sky. A lion cult in Aker’s honor was started at To Remu or leontopolis (the modern Tel Migdam). Akeru were depicted in the tomb of Queen NEFERTARI, the Great Wife, or first consort, of ramesses ii (r. 1290-1224 b. c.e.).
World History
