Amenmesse

Sat on the throne during a period known for dynastic intrigue and short reigns

Amenmesse (also Amenmesses or Amenmose) was presumably Merneptah’s and Queen Takhat’s son. Others assume him to be one of Ramesses II’s numerous sons. This monarch, who governed Egypt for barely three to four years, is scarcely known. Various Egyptologists place his rule between 1202 BC and 1199 BC or 1203 BC and 1200 BC, with some putting it at 1200 BC. In Egyptian, Amenmesse means “born of or fashioned by Amun.” His name is also known with the epithet Heqa-waset, which means “Ruler of Thebes.”

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It was not unusual in ancient Egypt for the successful, long reign of a king to be followed by succession problems.

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Jar inscribed with the prenomen and nomen of Amenmesse

Reign

Menmire Setepenre was his royal name. He was most likely not Merneptah’s planned heir. Kenneth Kitchen and Jürgen von Beckerath think Amenmesse took the throne from Seti-MerneptahMerneptah’s son and crown prince, who should have been the next in line to the throne. It’s impossible to say how this may have happened. According to Kitchen, Amenmesse may have taken advantage of Seti-sudden Merneptah’s weakness or seized power when the crown prince was travelling in Asia. Seti-Merneptah was almost certainly the same person as King Seti II, whose reign was considered to have succeeded that of Amenmesse.
Seti II’s tomb cartouches in Upper Egypt were purposefully removed and then repainted, implying that Seti’s power in Upper Egypt was briefly disrupted by agents of his half-brother. Amenmesse’s reign and place in Egypt’s 19th Dynasty are both shrouded in mystery. However, a growing number of Egyptologists, like Rolf Krauss and Aidan Dodson, believe that Seti II was Merneptah’s direct successor “without any interim administration by Amenmesse.” In this scenario, Amenmesse was not Merneptah’s successor on the Egyptian throne, but rather a rival king who stole power in Upper Egypt and Nubia during Seti II’s reign, where his authority is monumentally proven.
Amenmesse was in power at Thebes throughout his third and fourth years (and maybe earlier in Nubia), but Seti II’s third and fourth years are clearly missing. The portrayal of Amenmesse as a rival king also explains the sequence of damage at Seti II’s tomb, which was first looted and then reconstructed by Seti II’s officials. This suggests that Amenmesse’s and Seti II’s reigns ran concurrently; Seti II must have ruled Thebes during his first and second years, during which time his tomb was dug and partially painted. Then, in Upper Egypt, Seti was deposed by Amenmesse, whose agents desecrated Seti II’s tomb. Seti would eventually vanquish Amenmesse and triumphantly return to Thebes, where he ordered the rebuilding of his ruined tomb.

Amenmesse

Death and burial

Amenmesse was buried in the Valley of the Kings in a rock-cut tomb now known as Tomb KV10. Seti II’s agents, on the other hand, destroyed or usurped practically all of the text and scenes. There was no mention of Amenmesse. Theban High Priest of Amun, Roma nicknamed Roy, and Kha-em-ter, a former viceroy of Kush, who may have aided Amenmesse’s takeover, were among those targeted or replaced.
In antiquity, Amenmesse’s tomb was also opened. While the bones of three mummies, two ladies and one male, were discovered in this tomb, it is unclear whether any of them belong to Amenmesse, Takhat, or the later Baketwerel without additional testing or whether they were later intrusions. Since his mummy was never recovered “in either of the two big caches of royal mummies unearthed in 1881 and 1901,” it appears more plausible that Seti II had Amenmesse’s bones desecrated. Inscriptions that mention Takhat’s name, as well as wall inscriptions, indicate that she was buried in Amenmesse’s tomb.
The KV10 tomb also included artefacts from the graves of Seti I and Rameses VI, adding to the mystery. Seti II similarly waged a damnatio memoriae campaign against the memory of Amenmesse’s Vizier, Kha-em-ter, after his death. Seti II’s agents destroyed all of Kha-em-representations ter’s and inscriptions, including those that Kha-em-ter had engraved while serving as Viceroy in Nubia.

F.A.Q

Where was Amenmesse power?

Amenmesse was in power at Thebes throughout his third and fourth years (and maybe earlier in Nubia), but Seti II’s third and fourth years are clearly missing. The portrayal of Amenmesse as a rival king also explains the sequence of damage at Seti II’s tomb, which was first looted and then reconstructed by Seti II’s officials.

What is Amenmesses family tree?

Amenmesses was a son of Merneptah by a queen Takhat

What was found in Amenmesse tomb?

In antiquity, Amenmesse’s tomb was also opened. While the bones of three mummies, two ladies and one male, were discovered in this tomb, it is unclear whether any of them belong to Amenmesse

Where was Amenmesse buried?

KV10

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