35 Facts About Amenhotep I

Amenhotep I's reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC.

Amenhotep I was a son of Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari, but had at least two elder brothers, Ahmose-ankh and Ahmose Sapair, and was not expected to inherit the throne.

However, sometime in the eight years between Ahmose I's 17th regnal year and his death, his heir apparent died and Amenhotep became crown prince.

Amenhotep I then acceded to the throne and ruled for about 21 years.

Amenhotep I inherited the kingdom formed by his father's military conquests and maintained dominance over Nubia and the Nile Delta but probably did not attempt to maintain Egyptian power in the Levant.

Amenhotep I continued the rebuilding of temples in Upper Egypt and revolutionized mortuary complex design by separating his tomb from his mortuary temple, setting a trend in royal funerary monuments which would persist throughout the New Kingdom.

Amenhotep I was the son of Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari.

Amenhotep I probably came to power while he was still young himself, and his mother, Ahmose-Nefertari, appears to have been regent for him for at least a short time.

Amenhotep I took his older sister, Ahmose-Meritamon, as his Great Royal Wife.

Amenhotep I is thought to have had one son by Ahhotep II, Amenemhat, who died while still very young.

The latter choice is usually accepted as correct since Thebes was the capital during the early 18th dynasty: hence, Amenhotep I is usually given an accession date in 1526 BC, although the possibility of 1546 BC is not entirely dismissed.

Manetho's Epitome states that Amenhotep I ruled Egypt for twenty years and seven months or twenty-one years, depending on the source.

Amenhotep I built a temple at Sai, showing that he had established Egyptian settlements almost as far as the Third Cataract.

Nubia is a possibility, since Amenhotep I did campaign there, and the western desert and the oases have been suggested, since these seem to have fallen under Egyptian control .

One of the candidates for Amenhotep I's tomb contains a reference to Qedmi, which is somewhere in Canaan or the Transjordan, and Amenemhet's tomb contains a hostile reference to Mitanni.

The location of Amenhotep I's tomb is not certain, and Amenemhet lived to serve under multiple kings who are known to have attacked Mitanni.

Records from Amenhotep I's reign are simply altogether too scant and too vague to reach a conclusion about any Syrian campaign.

Large numbers of statues of Amenhotep I have been found, but they are mostly from the Ramesside period and relate to his continuing funerary cult, made for his posthumous funerary cult.

Art in the early 18th dynasty was particularly similar to that of the early Middle Kingdom, and the statues produced by Amenhotep I clearly copied those of Mentuhotep II and Senusret I The two types are so similar that modern Egyptologists have had trouble telling the two apart.

The earliest name found there is that of Thutmose I, however Amenhotep I was clearly an important figure to the city's workmen since he and his mother were both its patron deities.

Amenhotep I began or continued a number of building projects at temple sites in Upper Egypt but most of the structures he built were later dismantled or obliterated by his successors.

Amenhotep I constructed a sacred barque chapel of Amun out of alabaster and a copy of the White Chapel of Senusret III.

Amenhotep I built structures at Karnak for his Sed festival, a festival by which a pharaoh's strength and vigour was renewed after reigning 30 years, but it seems likely that he died before he could use them.

Amenhotep I was the first king of Egypt to separate his mortuary temple from his tomb, probably in an attempt to keep his tomb safe from robbers.

The original location of Amenhotep I's tomb has not been securely identified.

Amenhotep I's mummy had apparently not been looted by the 21st dynasty, and the priests who moved the mummy took care to keep the cartonnage face-mask intact.

Amenhotep I's is the only royal mummy which has not been unwrapped and examined by modern Egyptologists.

Amenhotep I was x-rayed again in 1967, resulting in a much lower age estimate of 25 years at death based on the good condition of his teeth.

Amenhotep I's mummy was investigated using non-invasive CT scanning on 4 May 2019 to gain insights into his physical appearance, health, cause of death, and mummification style.

Amenhotep I's organs were removed through a vertical embalming incision and the body cavity stuffed with linen; the heart is present in the chest cavity.

Amenhotep I is thought to have had only one child, a son who died in infancy, although some sources indicate he had no children.

Amenhotep I was succeeded by Thutmose I, apparently a senior military figure.

One text has been interpreted to mean that Amenhotep I appointed his infant son as coregent, who then predeceased him.

Amenhotep I was deified upon his death and made the patron deity of the village which he opened at Deir el-Medina.

Amenhotep I had a number of feasts dedicated to him which were held throughout the year.