Amenhotep III facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Amenhotep III |
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| Nibmu(`w)areya, Mimureya, Amenophis III | |
Statue of Amenhotep III, British Museum
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| Pharaoh | |
| Reign | 1391–1353 or 1388–1351 BC (18th Dynasty) |
| Predecessor | Thutmose IV |
| Successor | Akhenaten |
| Consort | Tiye Gilukhepa Tadukhepa Sitamun Iset |
| Children | Thutmose Amunhotep IV/Akhenaten Sitamun Iset Henuttaneb Nebetah "The Younger Lady" Beketaten (theorized) Smenkhkare (theorized) Tutankhamun (theorized) |
| Father | Thutmose IV |
| Mother | Mutemwiya |
| Died | 1353 BC or 1351 BC |
| Burial | WV22 |
| Monuments | Malkata, Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, Colossi of Memnon |
Amenhotep III, also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great, was a powerful pharaoh of ancient Egypt. His name means "Amun is Satisfied." He was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. He ruled Egypt for about 38 years, from around 1388 BC to 1351 BC.
Amenhotep III became pharaoh after his father, Thutmose IV, passed away. His mother was a minor wife named Mutemwiya. His time as pharaoh was a golden age for Egypt. It was a period of great wealth, beautiful art, and strong international connections. After his long reign, his son, Amenhotep IV, took over. This son later changed his name to Akhenaten.
Contents
Who Was Amenhotep III?
His Family and Early Life
Amenhotep III was the son of Pharaoh Thutmose IV and his wife, Mutemwiya. He was probably born around 1401 BC. Later in his life, Amenhotep claimed that the god Amun was his true father. He said Amun had appeared as Thutmose IV to be with Mutemwiya.
When he was about two years into his reign, Amenhotep married Tiye. She was the daughter of important people named Yuya and Thuya. Tiye became his Great Royal Wife and stayed by his side throughout his rule. Many special "marriage scarabs" (small carved beetles) were made during his reign. These scarabs showed his power and that his marriage to Tiye was official and important.
Amenhotep and Tiye had at least two sons: Crown Prince Thutmose and Amenhotep IV. They also had several daughters: Sitamun, Henuttaneb, Iset, and Nebetah. Most of these daughters are seen in statues and carvings from his time.
Amenhotep also had other wives from different countries. In his 10th year as pharaoh, he married Gilukhepa, a princess from Mitanni. Later, around his 36th year, he married Tadukhepa, another princess from Mitanni. He also married daughters of kings from Babylon and Arzawa. Following tradition, he also married two of his own daughters, Sitamun and Iset, later in his reign.
Life as Pharaoh
Amenhotep likely became pharaoh when he was between 6 and 12 years old. Even though he was young, there's no record of someone else ruling for him.
In his 11th year, Amenhotep ordered a large artificial lake to be built near Tiye's hometown. He celebrated the opening of this lake with a special festival. This event was so important that it was recorded on many commemorative scarabs.
He was also known for his hunting skills. Records show he hunted and killed over 100 lions in the first ten years of his reign!
Despite his hunting prowess, Amenhotep only led one military campaign. In his fifth year, he led a successful fight against a rebellion in Kush (an area south of Egypt). This victory was carved into rocks near Aswan and Saï in Nubia. These carvings praised his strength and success.
Important Officials in His Court
Many important officials served Amenhotep III. We know about them from their tombs found in the Theban Necropolis. Some of these officials included:
- Viziers (like prime ministers): Ramose, Amenhotep, Aperel, and Ptahmose.
- Treasurers: Ptahmose and Merire.
- High Stewards: Amenemhat Surer and Amenhotep (Huy).
- Viceroy of Kush: Merimose.
One very special official was Amenhotep, son of Hapu. He held many important jobs. He was even allowed to build his own temple behind the pharaoh's. After he died, Amenhotep, son of Hapu, was honored like a god, which was very rare for someone who wasn't royal.
The Malkata Palace
Amenhotep III built a huge palace called Malkata. Its ancient name was "House of Rejoicing." It was mostly made of mud-brick and became his main home for the last part of his reign. Building started around his 11th year and he moved in permanently around his 29th year. Once finished, it was the largest royal home in Egypt.
Sed Festivals: Celebrating His Rule
Amenhotep celebrated three special events called Sed Festivals in his 30th, 34th, and 37th years as pharaoh. These festivals took place at his Malkata palace. A special temple and hall were built just for these celebrations.
The Sed Festival was a very old tradition. It was a series of tests to show that the pharaoh was still strong and fit to rule Egypt. Amenhotep wanted his festivals to be grander than any before. He put Amenhotep, son of Hapu in charge of planning everything.
During the festival, the pharaoh would change his clothes for each activity. A major part was his double coronation. He was crowned separately for Upper and Lower Egypt, wearing a white crown for Upper Egypt and a red crown for Lower Egypt. After the Sed Festival, Amenhotep was seen as even more divine, almost like a god.
International Connections
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We know about Amenhotep's dealings with other countries from the Amarna Letters. These are a collection of clay tablets found near the city of Amarna. They contain letters from rulers of places like Assyria, Mitanni, and Babylon. These rulers often asked Amenhotep for gold and other gifts.
In one letter, the Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil I asked to marry one of Amenhotep's daughters. But Amenhotep firmly refused, saying that no Egyptian king's daughter had ever been given to a foreign ruler. This showed Egypt's high status in the world. Even though he didn't send his daughters abroad, Amenhotep himself married several foreign princesses.
The Amarna Letters also mention a statue of a healing goddess, Ishtar of Nineveh, being sent to Egypt late in Amenhotep's reign. Some scholars thought it was to heal Amenhotep, who had tooth problems. However, it's more likely the statue was sent to bless his marriage to Tadukhepa, a Mitanni princess.
Who Ruled Next?
Amenhotep's oldest son with Queen Tiye was named Thutmose. He was the Crown Prince for a while. However, Thutmose died before his father. So, Amenhotep III was eventually followed by his second son, who was also named Amenhotep. This son later changed his name to Akhenaten.
Some historians have wondered if Amenhotep III and his son Akhenaten ruled together for a few years. However, most experts now believe that if they did rule together, it was only for a very short time, perhaps no more than two years.
His Last Years
Amenhotep III's last known year of rule was his 38th. He might have lived a little into his 39th year. Carvings from temples and tombs show him looking weak and sick in his final years. Scientists who studied his mummy believe he suffered from arthritis and was overweight. His teeth were also very worn and had cavities, which likely caused him constant pain. Experts think he was between 40 and 50 years old when he died.
His wife, Queen Tiye, lived longer than him, by at least twelve years. She is mentioned in letters from her son Akhenaten's reign. Other rulers sent messages of sadness when Amenhotep died. The Mitanni king Tushratta wrote, "When I heard that my brother Nimmureya had gone to his fate, on that day I sat down and wept. On that day I took no food, I took no water."
Amenhotep III was buried in the Western Valley of the Valley of the Kings, in a tomb called WV22. Later, his mummy was moved to another tomb, KV35, for safekeeping. It was found there in 1898. In 2021, his mummy was moved again to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in a grand parade of pharaohs.
His Monuments and Legacy
Amenhotep III has more surviving statues than any other Egyptian pharaoh, with over 250 found! These statues show him at different ages throughout his life.
When Amenhotep III died, Egypt was at the peak of its power and respected by other nations. However, his son Akhenaten later caused big changes. Akhenaten tried to change Egypt's traditional religion, focusing on one god, the Aten, instead of many gods like Amun. He even moved the capital city away from Thebes to a new city called Amarna (originally Akhetaten).
Amenhotep built many impressive structures, especially at the temple of Karnak. He added to the Luxor Temple, building new gateways and a grand hall with columns. He also started work on other parts of the Karnak complex. He opened new quarries to get the stone for his many building projects. He built temples in Nubia as well.
His huge mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile was once the largest religious complex in Thebes. Unfortunately, he built it too close to the river, and it fell into ruins within 200 years. Other pharaohs later took stones from it for their own buildings.
The Colossi of Memnon are two massive stone statues, about 18 meters (59 feet) tall, that stood at the entrance of his mortuary temple. They are the only parts of the temple that are still standing today. Amenhotep also placed 600 statues of the goddess Sekhmet in the Temple of Mut. Many beautiful statues from the New Kingdom period come from his reign, including two large granite lions and several black granite statues of him.
In 1989, a hidden collection of statues was found at the Luxor Temple. This included a 6-foot-tall pink quartzite statue of Amenhotep wearing the Double Crown, in almost perfect condition. The name of the god Amun had been removed from the statue, likely by his son Akhenaten, who tried to erase Amun's name from monuments.
In 2021, archaeologists found a settlement near Amenhotep's mortuary temple called the Dazzling Aten. It's believed this city housed the workers and craftsmen who built the royal monuments in Thebes.
One of Amenhotep's popular titles was Aten-tjehen, meaning "the Dazzling Sun Disk." This name was used for one of his palaces, his royal boat, and even a group of soldiers in his army.
A small stone tablet called a Sed Festival Stela of Amenhotep III was taken from Egypt long ago. It shows the god Heh holding palm leaves, symbolizing a million years, supporting Amenhotep's name. It also has symbols for the Sed Festival. The stela shows damage where Amenhotep's name and the god Amun's name were chipped away. This was likely done by Akhenaten, who wanted to remove all references to Amun.
Another interesting part of Amenhotep's reign is the more than 200 large stone scarabs that have been found. These scarabs were like special commemorative coins. Some of them mention that his wife Gilukhepa arrived in Egypt with 317 women, showing the grand scale of his royal court.
Gallery
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Granodiorite seated statue of Amenhotep at the British Museum, from its left side.
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Granodiorite statue of Amenhotep at the British Museum, Left of Statue above.
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Granodiorie Amenhotep (Right Statue) Northeast side, British Museum
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Granodiorie Amenhotep (Left Statue) Close up, British Museum
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Bulls Tail (Left Statue), British Museum
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Belt (Left Statue), British Museum
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Feet (Left Statue), British Museum
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Left Inscriptions (Left Statue), British Museum
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Right Inscriptions (Left Statue), British Museum
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Red Granite Statue, North East side, British Museum
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Red Granite Statue, Left side, British Museum
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Limestone Amenhotep, British Museum
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Amenhotep wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt, c. 1400 BC. From Thebes, Egypt. British Museum. EA6
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Amenhotep wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt, c. 1400 BC. From Thebes, Egypt. British Museum. EA7
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Amenhotep III from KV 22 tomb of Amenhotep III Louvre Museum N 521 A, Other inventory number: LP 2114
See also
In Spanish: Amenofis III para niños
