Amenken(fl. 15th century B.C.E.)Financial official of
the Eighteenth Dynasty
He served AMENHOTEP II(r. 1427–1401 B.C.E.) as a high
official in the royal treasury of Egypt, concerned with
the tabulation and the distribution of gifts to court
favorites and NOME officials. The pharaohs presented
outstanding servants with golden collars and other
costly insignias of honor on feast days. Amenken was
buried in THEBES.
Amenmesses (Menmiré)(fl. c. 1214 B.C.E.) Sixth ruler
of the Nineteenth Dynasty, recorded as a usurper
He took the throne of SETI II(r. 1214–c. 1204 B.C.E.). His
name, Amenmesses, meant “Fashioned by Amun, God of
Thebes.” He ruled only four years, possibly as an inter-
lude ruler between MERENPTAHand Seti II, who was the
crown prince and designated heir. Amenmesses was pos-
sibly the son of MERENPTAH and Queen TAKHAT (1).
Records give her only the title of “King’s Mother,” not
that of a royal wife of rank. He is believed to have mar-
ried BAKETWEREL, but no documentation supports this.
Three bodies discovered in Amenmesses’ tomb in the VAL-
LEY OF THE KINGSon the western shore of Thebes have
not been identified. He is also recorded as marrying TIA
(2),the mother of SIPTAH. Amenmesses did not rule in
the north, where Seti II controlled the Delta and the
dynastic capital of PER-RAMESSES.
He had the backing of the Theban priests, including
the high priest, Roma-Ray, who had considerable power
in the name of the god AMUN. Amenmesses also con-
trolled NUBIA, modern Sudan. How he died at the end of
four years is unknown. He simply disappeared from the
scene, and Seti II usurped his statues and monuments.
Some cartouches were even removed from his tomb in
Thebes, at BIBAN EL-MOLUK, and some chambers were
vandalized. The tomb has three corridors, a square cham-
ber, and four pillared halls.
Amenmose(fl. 16th centuryB.C.E.)Prince of the Eigh-
teenth Dynasty
He was the son of TUTHMOSIS I(r. 1504–1492 B.C.E.) and
Queen ’AHMOSE (1),and an older brother of Queen-
Pharaoh HATSHEPSUT(r. 1473–1458 B.C.E.). Records indi-
cate that he was general of Egypt’s armies. He
predeceased Tuthmosis I. Amenmose had a brother, WADJ-
MOSE, who also died before he could inherit the throne
from his father. Amenmose was buried in the royal
necropolis on the western shore of THEBES.
Amennakht(fl. 12th century B.C.E.) Official of the
Twentieth Dynasty
Amennakht served RAMESSES III(r. 1194–1163 B.C.E.) as a
supervisor of tomb artists and craftsmen. These artists
resided in a special community near the VALLEY OF THE
KINGSon the western shore of the Nile at THEBES. The
community was called DEIR EL-MEDINA, once known as
“the Place of the Servitors of Truth.” Amennakht was a
trained scribe who served as an overseer for the workers
in the royal tombs. He and his fellow SERVITORS OF THE
PLACE OF TRUTHwere able to build personal tombs of
unusual size, ornately decorated. They donated their
skills in providing one another with exquisitely painted
gravesites.Amenpanefer(fl. 11th century B.C.E.)Tomb robber of
the Twentieth Dynasty
Amenpanefer committed his crimes in the reign of
RAMESSES XI(r. 1100–1070 B.C.E.) in THEBES. A stone
carver who labored in the tombs of the VALLEY OF THE
KINGSat Thebes, he was arrested by authorities and taken
in for questioning after a rash of tomb robberies. Amen-
panefer confessed to being part of a nefarious gang that
preyed upon the mummies of Egypt’s dead pharaohs. He
described how he and eight coconspirators dug a tunnel
and broke into the tomb of SOBEKEMSAF III(a Seventeenth
Dynasty ruler). They stole jewels and then set fire to the
royal mummy. Queen NUBKHAS(2) (Seventeenth Dynasty)
received the same destructive treatment from Amenpane-
fer and his fellow criminals. Amenpanefer and his cohorts
faced harsh sentences when condemned. Most grave rob-
bers were executed, not just for stealing and vandalism,
but also for the crimes of blasphemy and impiety.
See also TOMB ROBBERY TRIAL.Amenti The mythological domain of the dead
described as located spiritually in the West, considered to
be the residence of the god OSIRIS, this was a luxurious
paradise of lakes, trees, and flowers, an abode of peace for
all eternity for those deemed worthy of such rewards.
See also ETERNITY;MORTUARY RITUALS.Amenti, Lord of See OSIRIS.Amenwah(fl. 12th century B.C.E.) Tomb robber of the
Twentieth Dynasty
Amenwah reportedly invaded the tomb of RAMESSES III(r.
1194–1163 B.C.E.). The desecration came in a troubled
era following the pharaoh’s death, in which temple priests
and entire villages plundered gravesites. Amenwah was
associated with DEIR EL-MEDINA, an ancient village hous-
ing artisans who worked in the tombs in the VALLEY OF
THE KINGSon the western shore of the Nile at THEBES.He
was rounded up in a sweeping raid on tomb robbers of
that era. Pleading innocent to all charges brought against
him, he was eventually released for lack of evidence.
Modern excavations of Amenwah’s tomb established his
guilt. He not only robbed Ramesses III’s tomb but also
placed his ill-gotten goods in his own burial chamber for
all eternity.
See also TOMB ROBBERY TRIAL.Amenwah 33