31 Facts About Amenhotep I

1.

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.

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2.

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

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3.

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.

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4.

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.

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5.

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.

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6.

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

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7.

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

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8.

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.

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9.

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

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10.

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

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11.

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 .

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12.

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.

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13.

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.

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14.

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

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15.

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.

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16.

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.

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17.

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.

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18.

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.

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19.

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

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20.

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.

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21.

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.

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22.

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.

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23.

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

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24.

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.

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25.

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.

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26.

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.

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27.

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

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28.

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

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29.

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

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30.

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

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31.

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

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