During the Middle Kingdom Period, having a daughter appointed as a God’s Wife in your local temple meant that you were a member of the upper crust of Egyptian society. But at the dawn of the New Kingdom, Pharaoh Ahmose I drafted a legal contract that made the God’s Wife of Amun arguably the second most powerful person in the kingdom. Before all was said and done, one God’s Wife would use the office to become the most powerful person in the kingdom.
With Amun now the King of the Gods, his earthly consort came into her own wealth and authority in a way that would ultimately shatter the glass ceiling of Egyptian politics, at least for a while…
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Ahhotep I, Ahmose I, Ahmose-Nefertari, Amun, Benefactor Stele, Donation Stele, Eighteenth Dynasty, Gods Wife of Amun, House of the Adoratrice, Karnak, Khabekhnet, Middle Kingdom Period, New Kingdom, Second Intermediate Period, Second Priesthood of Amun, Seventeenth Dynasty, Tempest Stele, Thebes
The story of Amun’s rise to supremacy over the Egyptian pantheon is inseparable from the story of how Thebes rose from an insignificant speck on the map to the spiritual center of the Egyptian universe.
This account of the ascent of Thebes and the god Amun sets the background for a series that will investigate an order of female pontiffs called the God’s Wives of Amun and how these tributaries converge into the ethos, or pathos, of the Heretic King, Akhenaten.
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Ahhotep I, Ahmose I, Amun, Apepi, Avaris, Eleventh Dynasty, Fifteenth Dynasty, First Intermediate Period, Gods Wife of Amun, Herakleopolis, Hyksos, Intef II, Kamose, Karnak, Khamudi, Mentuhotep II, Middle Kingdom Period, Montu, New Kingdom, Second Intermediate Period, Seqenenre Tao II, Sixteenth Dynasty, Thebes, Thirteenth Dynasty, Tjaru
Edfu is most often associated with the Temple of Horus built there during the Ptolemaic Period, but the Tell Edfu Project, directed by the Oriental Institute’s Dr. Nadine Moeller, is literally uncovering a much older story. Ancient Edfu was a persistent city that took a two-fisted approach to adversity and not only survived the first two Intermediate Periods, but flourished.
In Edfu Part One: Ancient Djeba we will look at the history of this ancient mid-sized town that shattered the myth of Egypt being a “civilization without cities.”
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Djeba, Djedkare, Edfu, Fifth Dynasty, First Intermediate Period, Harsomtus, Hathor, Henri Henne, Horus, Isi of Edfu, Middle Kingdom Period, Nadine Moeller, Old Kingdom, Oriental Institute, Osiris Chapel at Edfu, Psamtik I, Ptolemaic Dynasty, Second Intermediate Period, Seventeenth Dynasty, Sixth Dynasty, Tell Edfu, Tell Edfu Project, Temple of Horus at Edfu, Teti, Thebes, Thirteenth Dynasty, Twelfth Dynasty, Unas, Wetjeset-Hor
Comments Off on Edfu Part One: Ancient Djeba
Posted by: Keith Payne
in
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Aumn Priesthood, Djehutiemhat, Herakleopolis, Hermopolis, Iuput I, Iuput II, Leontopolis, Libyan Faction, Neferkare-Pepi, Nimlot III, Osorkon III, Osorkon IV, Pedubast I, Pedubast II, Peftjauwybast, Rudamun, Shoshenq IV, Takelot III, Tanis, Thebes, Third Intermediate Period, Thotemhat, Twenty-Third Dynasty
Posted by: Keith Payne
in
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Amun Priesthood, Libyan Dynasty, Libyan Faction, Osorkon I, Osorkon II, Osorkon IV, Pami, Shoshenq I, Shoshenq II, Shoshenq III, Shoshenq V, Takelot I, Takelot II, Tanis, Thebes, Third Intermediate Period, Twenty-Second Dynasty
Posted by: Keith Payne
in
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Amun Priesthood, Memphis, Ramesses III, Ramesses IV, Ramesses IX, Ramesses V, Ramesses VI, Ramesses VII, Ramesses VIII, Ramesses X, Ramesses XI, Ramesside Period, Setnakhte, Smendes, Tanis, Tanite Faction, Thebes
Posted by: Keith Payne
in
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Djehuti, Intef V, Intef VI, Intef VII, Kamose, Mentuhotep VI, Nebirau I, Nebirau II, Nebiriau I, Nebiriau II, Rahotep, Saite Faction, Second Intermediate Period, Semenenre, Senakhtenre, Senwosret V, Seqenenre, Seuserenre, Seventeenth Dynasty, Sobekemsaf I, Sobekemsaf II, Susserenre, Tao I, Tao II, Thebes
Posted by: Keith Payne
in
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Amenemhat VI, Amenemhet V, Amenemhet VII, Amenemhet-senebef, Ay I, Dedumes I, Hor I, Hor II, Hori, Iaib, Ibi II, Imira-mesha, Ined, Intef IV, Inyotef IV, Iufeni, Iufni, Khendjer, Mentuemsaf, Mentuhotep V, Merikare, Merkheperre, Merneferre Ay, Montuhotep V, Nedjemibre, Neferhotep I, Neferhotep II, Neferhotep III, Reniseneb, Saite Faction, Second Intermediate Period, Sehetepibre I, Sehetepibre II, Sekhanre I, Sekhemre-Khutawi, Semenkare, Senebmiu, Senwosret IV, Seth, Sewadjkare, Sewadjtu, Sihathor, Sobekhotep I, Sobekhotep II, Sobekhotep III, Sobekhotep IV, Sobekhotep V, Sobekhotep VI, Sobekhotep VII, Sobekhotep VIII, Sweadjkare, Thebes, Thirteenth Dynasty, Wegaf
Posted by: Keith Payne
in
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Amenemhat I, Amenemhat II, Amenemhat III, Amenemhat IV, Middle Kingdom Period, Queen Sobeknefru, Senusret I, Senusret II, Senusret III, Sesostris I, Sesostris II, Sesostris III, Sobekneferu, Thebes, Twelfth Dynasty
Posted by: Keith Payne
in
Read the rest of this article »
Tags: Eleventh Dynasty, First Intermediate Period, Intef I, Intef II, Intef III, Mentuhotep I, Mentuhotep II, Mentuhotep III, Mentuhotep IV, Middle Kingdom Period, Thebes
