|
|
|
Pharaoh Ahmose the Great 1539-1514 BC
The Son of King
Tao II (Djehuty) (Sekenenre)
(reigned c. 1539-14 BC), founder of the 18th dynasty, who completed his brother Ka Mose's expulsion of the Hyksos (Asiatic rulers of Egypt), invaded Palestine, and re-exerted Egypt's hegemony over Nubia, to the south.
King Ah Mose After his borders were secure, Ahmose established an administration loyal to him in Egypt and granted lands to distinguished veterans of his campaigns and to members of the royal family. He reactivated the copper mines at Sinai and resumed trade with the cities of the Syrian coast, as attested by inscriptions recording the use of cedar found in Syria and by the rich jewelry from his reign. He restored neglected temples, erected chapels for his family, and planned more ambitious works, but he died soon afterward, leaving a prosperous and reunited Egypt.
References King Tao II (Djehuty) (Sekenenre) King Ka Mose The Quarrel of Apophis and Sekenenre Ah Mos Memorial The Autobiography of Admiral Ahmose, Son of Abana Biography of General Ahmose Pen-Nekhbet Menatho Josephus Flavuis Royal Mummies XVII Dynasty Royal Mummies XVIII Dynasty Royal Mummies XVII Dynasty Royal Mummies XVIII Dynasty Family Tree
At the time of his succession Ahmose was only young and the Queen Mother, Ahotep ruled. Ahmose followed up the attack on Avaris eleven years after the initial confrontation by his predecessor (Kamose). Ahmose took his army north through Heliopolis to Tjaru (the fortress town of Tell El - Aba). By doing this the Hyksos were unable to retreat to Palestine via Sinai. Some details of the war on Avaris that followed have been discovered at the temple built by Ahmose at Abydos. The city of Avaris was under siege for a considerable time after which the Hyksos surrendered and agreed to a treaty which forced the exodus of all Hyksos from Egypt. Following the capture of Avaris Ahmose led a further campaign to Southern Palestine and then into Lebanon. Ahmose then took his army south to Khent-Hen-Nefer (south of the second cataract) in order to destroy the threat of the Nubian bowmen. He then regained control of Buhen. There were a further two confrontations that Ahmose then had to deal with. The first was with a small group of Nubians that went into Upper Egypt on a raid .This was not a significant problem as the perpetrators did not even attack the army. The other was led by Teti-An, an Egyptian. He had gathered together a group of people who had previously served the Hyksos king to attempt to overthrow King Ahmose. Ahmose`s army killed Teti-An and his rebel supporters. During the rest of his reign Ahmose had many temples and monuments erected at Memphis,Karnak,Heliopolis,Abydos,Avaris and Buhen. Following the re-unification of Egypt there was an increase in wealth and a development of skills by artists. The style of art that had developed by the end of Ahmose`s reign set the standard of artwork found in the remainder of the 18th Dynasty. There appears to have ben some contact with the peoples of the Aegean as, a palace built by Ahmose in Avaris,was decorate with Minoan frescoes. Memphis was also the center of further building work in the early 18th Dynasty. During Ahmose`s reign temples were built in honor of the gods, Ptah, Amun, Montu and Osiris. Two stele have been found in the third pylon of the Karnak temple. One stele called the "Tempest Stele" states that Ahmose rebuilt tombs and pyramids in Thebes that had been damaged "by a storm sent to Upper Egypt by the power of Amun",whose statue had been left in a state of decay. It also states that the land was covered with water,this may mean that the usual Nile flood had ben excessive. Ahmose supplied expensive goods in order to restore the area. The second stele, the "Donation stelle",tells of how Ahmose bought the "Second Priesthood of Amun" for his wife, Ahmose-Nefertari. The king paid for this from the wealth of his office, restoring him as the benefactor and linking Amun with the royal line. A further stele, found in the eighth pylon court of Karnak from year 18 of Ahmose`s reign, stresses the power of the royal family and lists equipment Ahmose had made and dedicated to the cult of the Karnak Temple. Items such as gold offering tables, gold and silver libation vessels and drinking cups for the statue of Amun,musical instruments, jewellery for the statues and a new wooden processional boat for the temple`s statues were provided. |
Send mail to Ziad
with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
