Ancient Egypt

Egypt's Treasures: Assessing the Damage (Very Terrible!)

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:59:59 PST

Concern about Egypt’s priceless antiquities continues to grow, and Egyptologists around the world are issuing high-alert statements about the risk of Egyptian antiquities being smuggled abroad. “It would be a wonderful gesture if people who are in the antiquity business do not buy any Egyptian artifact at the moment, particularly if they look Old Kingdom antiquities or if they appear to come from the Memphite Necropolis of the New Kingdom,” Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, told Discovery News in a phone interview from Cairo.
According to Ikram, a leading expert on animal mummies, the Egyptian National Museum is safe at the moment, thanks to the Egyptian people who have bravely defended their national treasures.
“The people and the army are united and helping one another. The people are doing astonishing things, taking responsibility for the maintenance of the areas themselves,” Ikram said.
Meanwhile, holding together on social networks, the Egyptologist’s community is trying to assess the damage at the Egyptian National Museum by scrutinizing the footage shot just after looters broke into the building on Friday.
Watching the footage, experts have been able to produce a map of the museum rooms where looting and vandalism took place, showing that the attack occurred on three sides.

According to a faxed statement by Zahi Hawass, who on Monday has been appointed Minister of State Antiquities in the new government named by President Hosni Mubarak, 13 Late Period cases where smashed, and several antiquities were thrown on the floor.
“Then the criminals went to the King Tutankhamun galleries. Thank God they opened only one case! The criminals found a statue of the king on a panther, broke it, and threw it on the floor,” Hawass said.
He added that all of the antiquities that were damaged can be restored.
Some experts fear that the Late Period cases mentioned by Hawass, and not shown in the footage, could belong to the collection of precious jewels and gold known as the Treasure of Tanis.
“So far it’s only speculation. As for the items shown in the footage, some objects are very difficult to identify because of the poor quality of the images combined with the fact that they don't appear to be ‘unique’ objects,” Margaret Maitland, a doctoral candidate in Egyptology at the University of Oxford, told Discovery News.
Maitland has identified several damaged objects, including a large wooden boat from the tomb of Meseti at Asyut.
Dating to approximately 2000 B.C., the over 4,000-year-old artifact is one of the largest model boats in existence.
“A figure shown in the footage, kneeling and armless, also appears to be from the model boat. Other objects appear to be a smashed shabti figurine, a bronze statuette of the Apis bull, a travertine calcite (alabaster) vessel, faience jewelry, and a faience hippo figurine from Lisht,” Maitland said.
Much mystery remains around the beheaded mummies.

Amenhotep III, the Ninth King of Egypt's 18th Dynasty

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:21:05 PDT

We believe that Amenhotep III ruled for almost 40 years during the 18th Dynasty of Egypt's history that represented one of its most prosperous and stable periods. We must grant to Amenhotep III's grandfather, Tuthmosis III, who is sometimes referred to as the Napoleon of ancient Egypt, the foundation of this success by dominating through military action Egypt's Syrian, Nubian and Libyan neighbors. Because of that, little or no military actions were called for during his grandson's reign. The small police actions in Nubia that did take place were directed by his son and viceroy of Kush, Merymose (or perhaps an earlier viceroy) .

Amenhotep (or heqawaset) was this kings birth name, meaning "Amun is Pleased, Ruler of Thebes. His throne name was Nub-maat-re, which means "Lord of Truth is Re. Amenhotep III's birth is splendidly depicted in a series of reliefs inside a room on the east side of the temple of Luxor. Built by Amenhotep III, the room was dedicated to Amun. However, it portrays the creator god, Khnum of Elephantine (at modern Aswan) with his ram head, fashioning the child and his ka on a potter's wheel under the supervision of the goddess Isis. The god Amun is then led to Amenhotep III's mother by Thoth, god of wisdom, after which Amun is shown in the presence of the goddesses Hathor and Mut while they nurse the future king.

Tuya, mother of Amenhotep III's wife, Tiy

His father was Tuthmosis IV by one of that king's chief queens, Mutemwiya. She may have, though mostly in doubt now, been the daughter of the Mitannian king, Artatama. That queen was indeed probably sent to Egypt for the purposes of a diplomatic marriage.

It is more than likely that Amenhotep III succeeded to the throne of Egypt as a child, sometime between the ages of two and twelve years of age. There is a statue of the treasurer Sobekhotep holding a prince Amenhotep-mer-khepseh that was most likely executed shortly before Tuthmosis IV's death, as well as a painting in the tomb of the royal nurse, Hekarnehhe (TT64) portraying the prince as a young boy, though not a small child. This, and the fact that his mother is not so very prominently visible, along with other factors, suggests that he was more likely between six and twelve years of age at the time of his father's death.

It is unlikely that his mother, Mutemwiya, served as a regent for the young king, and whoever may have been in charge at the beginning of his reign seems to have remained in the background.

Monumental statue of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiy, along with daughters

Amenhotep III's own chief queen, who he married in year two of his reign, was not of royal blood, but came from a very substantial family. She was Tiy, the daughter of Yuya and his wife, Tuya, who owned vast holdings in the Delta. Yuya was also a powerful military leader. Their tomb, numbered KV46 in the Valley of the Kings, is well known. His brother-in-law by this marriage, Anen, would during his reign also rise to great power as Chancellor of Lower Egypt, Second Prophet of Amun, sem-priest of Heliopolis, and Divine Father. It is possible that the king's early regency was carried out by his wife's family.

However, it would seem that Amenhotep collected a large harem of ladies over the years, including several from diplomatic marriages, including Gilukhepa, a princess of Naharin, as well as two of his daughters (Isis and in year 30 of his reign, Sitamun or Satamun, who bore the title "great royal wife" simultaneously with her mother). We can document at least six of his children consisting of two sons and four daughters (other daughters including Henuttaneb and Nebetiah). However, his probable oldest son, Tuthmosis who was a sem-priest, died early leaving the future heretic king, Amenhotep IV, otherwise known as Akhenaten, as the crown prince.

The King's Early Years

In essence, we may split Amenhotep III's reign into two parts, with his earliest years given much to sportsmanship with a few minor military activities. While as usual, an expedition into Nubia in year five of his reign was given grandiose attention on some reliefs, it probably amounted to nothing more than a low key police action. However, it may have pushed as for as south of the fifth cataract. It was recorded on inscriptions near Aswan and at Konosso in Nubia. There is also a stele in the British Museum recording a Nubian campaign, but it is unclear whether it references this first action, or one later in his reign.

There was also a Nubian rebellion reported at Ibhet, crushed by his son. While Amenhotep III was almost certainly not directly involved in this conflict, he records having slaughtered many within the space of a single hour. We learn from inscriptions that this campaign resulted in the capture of 150 Nubian men, 250 women, 175 children, 110 archers and 55 servants, added to the 312 right hands of the slain. Perhaps to underscore the Kushite subjection to Egypt, he had built at Soleb, almost directly across the Nile from the Nubian capital at Kerma, a fortress known as Khaemmaat, along with a temple.

The Prosperity and International Relationships

However, by year 25 of Amenhotep III's reign, military problems seem to have been settled, and we find a long period of great building works and high art. It was also a period of lavish luxury at the royal court. The wealth needed to accomplish all of this did not come from conquests, but rather from foreign trade and an abundant supply of gold, mostly from the mines in the Wadi Hammamat and further south in Nubia.

Amenhotep III was unquestionably involved with international diplomatic efforts, which led to increased foreign trade. During his reign, we find a marked increase in Egyptian materials found on the Greek mainland. We also find many Egyptian place names, including Mycenae, Phaistos and Knossos first appearing in Egyptian inscriptions We also find letters written between Amenhotep III and his peers in Babylon, Mitanni and Arzawa preserved in cuneiform writing on clay tablets. From a stele in his mortuary temple, we further learn that he sent at least one expedition to punt.

It is rather clear that the nobility prospered during the reign of Amenhotep III. However, the plight of common Egyptians is less sure, and we have little evidence to suggest that they shared in Egypt's prosperity. Yet, Amenhotep III and his granary official Khaemhet boasted of the great crops of grain harvested in the kings 30th (jubilee) year. And while such evidence is hardly unbiased, the king was remembered even 1,000 years later as a fertility god, associated with agricultural success.

Building Projects

Though a number of Amenhotep III's building projects no longer exist, we find at Karnak almost a complete makeover of the temple, including his efforts to embellish the already monumental temple to Amun, as well as his the East Temple for the sun god and his own festival building. His impact in the Karnak temple was thematic, leaving the impression of a warrior king whose victories honored both himself and the God Amun, and he changed the face of this temple almost completely. He had his workers dismantle the peristyle court in front of the Fourth Pylon, as well as the shrines associated with it, using them as fill for a new Pylon, the Third, on the east-west axis. This created a new entrance to the temple, and he had two rows of columns with open papyrus capitals erected down the center of the newly formed forecourt. At the south end of Karnak, he began construction on the Tenth Pylon, with a slightly different orientation then that of the Seventh and Eighth, in order for it to lead to a new entrance for the percent of the goddess Mut. He may have even started a new temple for her. To balance the south temple complex, he built a new shrine to the goddess Ma'at, the daughter of the sun-god, to the north of central Karnak.

At Luxor he built a new temple to the same god, including the still standing colonnaded court. That effort is considered a masterpiece of elegance and design and particular credit must be given to his mater architect, Amenhotep son of Hapu.

The Colossi of Memnon

He also built a monumental mortuary temple on the West Bank at Thebes (modern Luxor) that is the single largest royal temple known to us from ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, it was built much too close to the flood plain and was in ruins by the 19th Dynasty, when material was quarried from it for new building projects. While some of the ground plan of the temple may be made out, the only material remains are the Colossi of Memnon. These statues were misnamed by the Greeks, but actually depict Amenhotep III. The southern of the statues also depicts the two most important women in the king's life, his mother Mutemwiya and his wife, Queen Tiy. However, it should be noted that within the grounds of the temple, more fragments of colossal statuary have been found than in any other known sacred precinct. In the fields behind the statues, also stands a great, repaired stele that was once in the sanctuary of his temple, around which are located fragments of sculptures.

The West Bank was also the site of Amenhotep III's huge palace, called Malkata. Fragments of this building remain, unlike most other royal residences. From this scant evidence, it would seem that the walls were plastered and painted with lively scenes from nature. Next to the palace complex he also built a great harbor.

Further south on the west bank at Kom el-Samak, Amenhotep III also built a jubilee pavilion of painted mud brick and at Sumenu, some twenty kilometers south of Thebes the king built a temple dedicated to the cult of the crocodile god, Sobek.

A statue of Amenhotep III and Sobek

Along with these building projects, we also know that he developed and expanded cults at a number of other locations including Amada (for Amun and Ra-Horakhty), Hebenu and Hermopolis, where we find two colossus statues of baboons and an altar. There were other building projects in Egypt proper at Memphis, where blocks of brown quartzite remain from the king's great temple called "Nebmaatra United with Ptah", Elephantine (now destroyed) and a completed chapel at Elkab. Building elements at Bubastis, Athribis, Letopolis and Heliopolis also attest to the king's interest in the eastern Delta. He also built temples are shrines in Nubia at Quban, Wadi es-Sebua, Sedinga, Soleb and Tabo Island. There were also building elements or stele in his name at Aniba, Buhen, Mirgissa, Kawa and Gebel Barkal.

Artistry of the Period

Artistically, many of the royal portraits of the king in sculptor are truly masterpieces of any historical age. After the Colossi of Memnon, the largest of these is the limestone statue of the king and queen with three small standing princesses discovered at Medinet Habu. However, many other statues give the king a look of reflection, and bringing to life emotional emphasis. We find grand statues of black granite depicting a seated Amenhotep wearing the nemes headdress, unearthed by Belzoni from behind the Colossi of Memnon and from Tanis in the Delta. Others statues and some reliefs and paintings depict the king wearing the more helmet like khepresh, sometimes referred to as the Blue, or War Crown.

Amenhotep III wearing the Blue Crown

Even in recent years, some statuary of Amenhotep III continues to be discovered, such as an incredible six foot (1.83 meter) high pink quartzite statue of the king standing on a sledge and wearing the Double Crown of Egypt. It was discovered in the courtyard of Amenhotep III colonnade of the Luxor temple in 1989. This particular statue was unearthed completely intact, with the only damage resulting from a careful removal of the name Amun during the reign of his son. This statue was probably executed late in his reign, regardless of the fact that is shows a youthful king.

So good were many of his statues that they were later usurped by kings, sometimes by them simply overwriting his cartouche with their own. At other times, such as in the case of the huge red granite head found by Belzoni and initially identified as representing Tuthmosis III, his statues were more extensively reworked (this example by Ramesses II).

We also find many other fine statues, paintings and reliefs executed during the life of Amenhotep III. Two well known portraits of his principle queen include a small ebony head now in Berlin, and a small faced and crowned head found by Petrie at the temple of Serabit el-Khadim in the Sinai. A cartouche on the front of the crown allowed precise identification as that of Tiy. We also find Tiy appearing with the king on temple walls at Soleb and west Thebes. However, there are also fine reliefs of her in some of the courtier tombs, such as TT47 belonging to Userhet and TT192 of Khereuf.

Recently discovered and almost completely undamaged statue of Amenhotep III on a sledge

There was also a proliferation of private statues, as well as many fine private tombs with excellent artwork (such as TT55, the Tomb of Ramose) during the reign of Amenhotep III, including a number representing Amenhotep son of Hapu, his well known architect, but also of other nobles and dignitaries. Other notable items include the set of rose granite lions originally placed before the temple at Soleb in Nubia, but later moved to the Temple at Gebel Barkal.

Religion and the King's Deification

It is likely that Amenhotep III was deified during his own lifetime, and that the worship of the sun god, Aten, by his son may have directly or indirectly also involved the worship of his father. Amenhotep III was somewhat insistent that he be identified with this sun god during his lifetime. From the time of his first jubilee in his 30 years of reign, we find scenes where he is depicted taking the role of Ra riding in his solar boat. Of course, the king was expected to merge with the sun after his death, but in Amenhotep III's case, we find that he named his palace complex "the gleaming Aten", and used stamp seals for commodities that may be read, "Nebmaatra (one of his names) is the gleaming Aten". He consistently identified himself with the national deities rather than his royal predecessors, even representing himself as the substitute for major gods in a few instances. We even find during his reign the solorization of many well known gods, including Nekhbet, Amun, Thoth and Horus-khenty-khety.

Scarab inscribed, "Nebmaatre, beloved of Bastet"; Below left: Queen Tiy (Tiye)

Yet, no stele or statues we know for certain were dedicated to Amenhotep III as a major deity during his lifetime.

It is notable that the deification of Ramesses II only 100 years later carried with it a significant number of monuments identifying him as a deity during his lifetime. Nevertheless, it has been argued that his son, best known as Akhenaten, may have worshipped his father as Aten. There are many arguments against this, but it is clear that at least to some degree, it is true. After all, the deceased king was identified with the Aten upon his death. But whether he was worshipped as such during his lifetime may ultimately depend on whether or not Akhenaten ruled as a co-regent before his father's death. If they did rule together, than objects venerating Amenhotep III during Akhenaten's reign could be seen as worship of a living deity, though not necessarily as the Aten. Regardless, this is all a mater of hot debate within Egyptology circles, thought the answers today seem no clearer.

The End of the Reign

From clay dockets at his Malkata palace, we believe Amenhotep III may have died in about the 39th year of his rule, perhaps when he was only 45 years old. His wife, Tiy, apparently outlived him by as many as twelve years. She is shown, along with her youngest daughter, Beket-Aten, in a relief on an Amarna Tomb that may be dated to between year nine and twelve of Akhetaten's reign. From a group of well known documents called the Amarna Letters, we find inquires about her health that lead us to believe that she may have lived in her son's capital for a time prior to her death. Regardless, upon her death, she may have first been buried at Amarna but was then returned to Thebes where she was buried along with her husband in tomb WV22 in the Valley of the Kings. However, it is also possible that she may have been buried in tomb KV55, where objects bearing her name have also been discovered. Neither the king or his queen were discovered in that tomb, but it is very possible Queen Tiy may be the "Elder Woman) from the cache of mummies found by Loret in KV35, the tomb of Amenhotep II. For many years, it was also though that Amenhotep III's body was also a part of that cache, but fairly recent analysis indicates that the body thought to be his may instead by that of his son, or possibly even Ay, one of the last kings of the 18th Dynasty.

The Great Aten The God and Disk of the Sun

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:52:12 PDT

In connection with the Sun-gods of Egypt and with their various forms which were worshipped in that country must be considered the meager facts which we possess concerning Aten, who appears to have represented both the god or spirit of the sun, and the solar disk itself. The origin of this god is wholly obscure, and nearly all that is known about him under the Middle Empire is that he was a small provincial form of the Sun-god which was worshipped in one little town in the neighborhood of Heliopolis, and it is possible that a temple was built in his honor, in Heliopolis itself. It is idle to attempt to describe the attributes which were orginally ascribed to him under the Middle or Early Empire, because the texts which were written before the XXIIIrd Dynasty give us no information on the subject. Under the XVIIIth Dynasty, and especially during the reigns of Amen-Ra-Heru-khuti, Horus, etc. but it does not follow that they orginally belonged to him. In the Theban Recesion of the Book of the Dead, which is based upon Heliopolitan, we find Aten mentioned by the deceased thus :--- "Thou, O Ra, shinest from the horizon of heaven, and Aten is adored when he resteth {or setteth} upon this mountain to give life to the two lands. Hunefer says Ra, Hail, Aten, thou the lord of beams of light, {when} thou shinest all faces {i.e., everybody} lives. Nekht says Ra, O thou beautiful being, thou doest renew thyself and make thyself young again under the form of Aten; Ani says Ra, Thou turnest thy face towards the Underworld, and thou makest the earth to shine like fine copper. The dead rise up to thee, they breath the air and they look upon thy face when Aten shineth in the horizon;------I have come before thee that I may be with thee to behold thy Aten daily: O thou who art in thine Egg, who shinest from thy Aten," etc.

These passages show that Aten, at the time when the hymns from which they are taken were composed, was regarded as the material body of the sun wherein dwelt the god Ra, and that he represented merely the solar disk and was visible emblem of the great Sun-god. In later times, coming to protection afforded to him by Amen-hetep III, the great warrior and hunter of the XVIIIth Dynasty, other views were promulgated concerning Aten, and he became the cause of one the greatest religious and social revolutions which ever convulsed Egypt. After the expulsion of Hyksos, Amen, the local god of Thebes,

as the god of the victorious princess of that city, became the head of the company of the gods of Egypt, and the early kings of the XVIIIth Dynasty endowed his shrine with possessions, and gave gifts to his priesthood with a lavish hand. In spite of this however, some of these kings maintained an affection for the forms of the Sun-god which were worshipped at Heliopolis, and Thothmes IV, it will be remembered, dug out the Sphinx from the sand which had buried him and his temple, and restored the worship of Ra-Harmachis. He was not the only monarch who viewed with disamy the great and growing power of the priests of Amen-Ra, the "king of the gods" at Thebes. Amen-hetep III, the son of Thothmes IV, held the same views as his father in this respect, and he was, apparently, urged to give effect to them by his wife Thi, the daughter of Iuaa and Thuau, who was a foreigner and who was in no way connected with the royal house of Egypt. Having married this lady, he gave her as dowry the frontier city of Tcharu, and her natural ability, coupled with the favor of her husband, made her chief of all the royal wives, and a great power in the affairs of the government of the country. It has been thought by some that she was a native of the country near Heliopolis, and it is possible that she herself was a votary of Aten, but be that as it may, she appears to have supported the king in his determation to encourage the worship of the god. At an early period in his reign he built one at Thebes, quite close to the great sanctuary of Amen-Ra, the priests of whom were, of course, powerless to resist the will of such an active and able king. Soon after his marriage with Thi, Amen-hetep III, dug, in his wife's city of Tcharu, a lake, which was about 6000 feet long by 1000 feet broad. On the day of the festival when the water was allowed to flow into it, he sailed over it in a boat called "Aten-neferu, i.e., the "Beauties of Aten ;" the name of the boat is a clear proof of his devotion to the god Aten. Amen-hetep IV, the son of Amen-hetep III. by the foreign lady Thi, not only held the religious views of his father, but held them very strongly. His life shows that he must have been from his youth of an adherent of the worship of Aten; it is supposed, and with much probability, that the intensity of his love for Aten and his hatred for Amen-Ra were due to his mother's influence.

Amen-hetep IV succeeded his father without difficulty, even though his mother was not a member of the royal family of Egypt, and for the first few years of his reign he followed the example of the earlier kings of his dynasty, and lived at Thebes, where he no doubt ruled according to his mothers wishes. He offered up sacrifices to Amen-Ra at the appointed seasons, an was, outwardly at least, a loyal servent of this god, whose name formed a part of his name as "son of the Sun." We may note in passing, that he adopted on his accession to the throne the title "High-priest of Ra-Heru-khuti, the exalted one of the horizon, in his "name of Shu who is in Aten," which is clear proof that he was not only a worshiper of Ra-Harmachis, another of the forms of the Sun-god Heliopolis, but also that he endorsed the views and held the opions of the old College of Priests at Heliopolis, which assigned the disk {Aten} to him for a dwelling-place. Amen-hetep's titles as lord of the shrines of the cities of Nekhebet and Uatchet, and as the Horus of gold also prove his devotion to a Sun-god of Heliopolis. During the early years of his reign at Thebes he built a massive Benhen, in honor of Ra-Harmachis at Thebes, and it is probable that he took the opportunity of restoring or enlarging the temple of Aten which had been built by his father. At the same time we find that he worshipped both Amen and Aten, the former in his official position as king, and the latter in his private capacity. It was, however, impossible for the priests of Amen -Ra to tolerate the presence of the new god Aten and his worship in Thebes, and the relations between the king and that powerful body soon became strained. On the one hand the king asserted the superiority of Aten over every god, and on the other the priests declared that Amen-Ra was the king of the gods. As, however, Amen-Ra was the center of the social life of Thebes, and his priests and their relatives included in their number the best and greatest families of the capitol city, it came to pass that the king found himself at the worship of Aten wholly supported by the great mass of its population, whose sympathies were with the old religion of Thebes, and by those who gained their living in connection with the worship of Amen-Ra. The king soon realized that residence in Thebes was becoming impossible , and the fifth year of his reign he began to build a new capitol on the east bank of the Nile, near a place which is marked to-day by the Arab villages of Haggi Kandil and Tell el-Amarna ; he planned that it should include a great temple to Aten, a palace for the king, and houses for those who were attached to the worship of Aten and were prepared to follow their king there.

While the new capitol was in the process of building the dispute between the king and the priests of Amen-Ra became more severe, and matters were much aggravated by Amenhetep IV. At length the king left Thebes an took up his abode in his new capitol, which he called "Khut-Aten," i.e., "Hotizon of Aten," and as a sign of the entire severance of his connection with traditions of his house in respect of Amen-Ra he discarded his name "Amen-hetep" and called himself Khut-Aten i.e., "Glory of Aten," or, "Spirit of Aten." At the time he changed his Horus name of "Exalted One of the double plumes" to "Mighty Bull, beloved of Aten" {or, lover of Aten}, and he adopted as lord of the shrines of Nekhebet and Uatchet the title of "Mighty one of sovereignity in Khut-Aten," and as the Horus of gold he styled himself, "Exalter of the name Aten."

The Worship of Aten

Nefertiti Legendary Queen of Egypt

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:49:29 PDT

Queen Nefertiti

Arguably, to those who are not very involved in the study of ancient Egypt, Queen Nefertiti is perhaps better known than her husband, the heretic king Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV). It is said that even in the ancient world, her beauty was famous, and her famous statue, found in a sculptor's workshop, is not only one of the most recognizable icons of ancient Egypt, but also the topic of some modern controversy. She was more than a pretty face however, for she seems to have taken a hitherto unprecedented level of importance in the Amarna period of Egypt's 18th Dynasty. In artwork, her status is evident and indicates that she had almost as much influence as her husband. For example, she is depicted nearly twice as often in reliefs as her husband, at least during the first five years of his reign. Indeed, she is once even shown in the conventional pose of a pharaoh smiting his (or in this case, her) enemy.

Family Line

Nefertiti may or may not have been of royal blood. She was probably a daughter of the army officer, and later pharaoh, Ay, who may in turn have been a brother of Queen Tiye. Ay sometimes referred to himself as "the God's father", suggesting that he may have been Akhenaten's father-in-law, though there is no specific references for this claim. However, Nefertiti's sister, Mutnojme, is featured prominently in the decorations of Ay's tomb in the Valley of the Kings on the West Bank at Thebes (modern Luxor). However, while we know that Mutnojme was certainly the sister of Nefertiti, her prominence in Ay's tomb clearly does not guarantee her relationship to him. Others have suggested that Nefertiti may have been a daughter of Tiye, or that she was Akhenaten's cousin. Nevertheless, as "heiress", she may have also been a descendant of Ahmose-Nefertari, though she was never described as God's wife of Amun. However, she never lays claim to King's Daughter, so we certainly know that she cannot have been an heiress in the direct line of descent.

If she was indeed the daughter of Ay, it was probably not by his chief wife, Tey, who was not referred to as a "Royal mother of the chief wife of the king", but rather 'nurse' and 'governess' of the king's chief wife. It could be that Nefertiti's actual mother died early on, and it was left to Tey to raise the young girl. However, many other explanations have also been suggested.

Personal Life and the Relationship of King and Queen

Together, we know that Akhenaten and Nefertiti has six daughters, though it was probably with another royal wife called Kiya that the king sired his successors, Smenkhkare and Tutankhamun. Nefertiti also shared her husband with two other royal wives named Mekytaten and Ankhesenpaaten, as well as later with her probable daughter, Merytaten.

Undoubtedly, Akenaten seems to have had a great love for his Chief Royal wife. They were inseparable in early reliefs, many of which showed their family in loving, almost utopian compositions. At times, the king is shown riding with her in a chariot, kissing her in public and with her sitting on his knee. One eulogy proclaims her:

"And the Heiress, Great in the Palace, Fair of Face, Adorned with the Double Plumes, Mistress of Happiness, Endowed with Favors, at hearing whose voice the King rejoices, the Chief Wife of the King, his beloved, the Lady of the Two Lands, Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, May she live for Ever and Always"

Crucially important to Akhenaten was Femininity which was not only basic to his personal life, but also to his thinking and his faith. In fact, it is indeed difficult to find another founder of a religion for whom women played a comparable role. Akhenaten had a number of different women about him, and they are depicted in virtually every representation of a cult-ritual or state ceremony conducted by the king at his new capital honoring the sun god. Nefertiti was not the only queen to be treated well.

Each of the royal women had her own sanctuary, which was frequently called a sunshade temple. They were usually situated in a parkland environment of vegetation and water pools, emphasizing the importance of female royalty in the daily renewal of creation affected by the god Aten.

However, it was the figure of Nefertiti that Akhenaten had carved onto the four corners of his granite sarcophagus and it was she who provided the protection to his mummy, a role traditionally played by the female deities Isis, Nephthys, Selket and Neith.

One influence within the personal lives of Nefertiti and Akhenaten must have been the presence of Akhenaten's mother, Tiye. Tiye would have held a special position as a wise woman in his court, and we can only surmise that this must have had some affect on the younger couple's relationship.

Queen Tiye as the "wise woman" of El Amarna was often depicted with facial features that not only signaled old age, but life experience and wisdom calling for respect and even veneration.

When Nefertiti's face is represented with the first signs of old age, this may well signify that she has assumed the position of "wise woman" following the death of Tiye, at which point her court status would have been even further elevated.

The Religion

Nefertiti and her King lived during a highly unusual period in Egyptian history. It was a time of religious controversy when the traditional gods of Egypt were more or less abandoned at least by the royal family in favor of a single god, the sun disk named Aten. However, it should be noted that the Egyptian religion did not actually become monotheistic, for cults related to the other gods did persist and they were never really erased from the Egyptian theology.

It is believed that Nefertiti was active in the religious and cultural changes initiated by her husband (some even maintain that it was she who initiated the new religion). She also had the position as a priest, and she was a devoted worshipper of the god Aten. In the royal religion, the King and Queen were viewed as "a primeval first pair". It was they who worshipped the sun disk named Aten and it was only through them that this god was accessed. Indeed, the remainder of the population was expected to worship the royal family, as the rays of the sun fell and gave life to, it would seem, only the royal pair.

However, many scholars presume that the Mutnodjme who later married King Haremhab is none other than the younger sister of Nefertiti. In Akhenaten: King of Egypt by Cyril Aldred, the author explains that a fragmentary statue of Mutnodjme discovered at Dendera describes her not only as "Chief Queen", but also "God's Wife [of Amun]", which he explains puts her in the line of
those other great consorts who traced their descent from Ahmose-Nefertari. This links both sisters to the cult of Amun, which he tells us could obviously not have been openly proclaimed at Amarna.

Yet we must be very careful with this link between Nefertiti and Amun by way of her sister's later attachment to the cult. Haremhab considered himself to be an adamant restorer of the old religion after the Amarna period, and so just because his Chief Queen took the title of God's Wife does not necessarily mean that Nefertiti held any real interest in that cult.

Doubtless though, Nefertiti may very well, and probably did participate in a similar manner as God's Wife in the cult of Re-Atum. Unlike other chief queens, she is shown taking part in the daily worship, repeating the same gestures and making similar offerings as the king. Where traditionally a relationship existed between God and King, now that relationship is expanded to include the royal pair.

She in fact exhibits the same fashion as God's Wife. From her first appearance at Karnak, she wears the same clinging robe tied with a red sash with the ends hanging in front. She also wears the short rounded hairstyle. In her case, this was exemplified by a Nubian wig, the coiffure of her earlier years, alternating with a queens tripartite wig, both secured by a diadem bearing a double uraei. Sometimes this was replaced by a a crown with double plumes and a disk, like Tiye and her later Kushite counterparts.

She dressed for appeal, and if she fulfilled a similar function as God's wife of Amun in the Amarna religion, part of this responsibility would have been to maintain a state of perpetual arousal. However, since the Aten was intangible and abstract, this appeal must be to his son the king. Ay praises her for "joining with her beauty in propitiating the Aten with her sweet voice and her fair hands holding the sistrums".

In fact, as the wife of the sun god's offspring, she took on the role of Tefnut, who was the daughter and wife of Atum. After the fourth regal year, she began to wear a mortar-shaped cap that was the headgear of Tefnut in her leonine aspect of a sphinx. She was then referred to as "Tefnut herself", at once the daughter and the wife of the sun-god. Therefore, Nefertiti played an equal role with the king who was the image of Re.

Of course, as a god, no mortal could claim to be her mother, which may be the reason why Tey must content herself with the titles of "Wet-nurse" and "Governess" In fact, it may have been that she hid her parentage to conceal the fact that the progenitors of this high and mighty princess were not also equally divine.

Nefertiti's Disappearance

Towards the end of Akhenaten's reign, Nefertiti disappeared from historical Egyptian records. For a number of years, scholars though that she had fallen from grace with the king, but this was actually a case of mistaken identity. It was Kiya's name and images that were removed from monuments, and replaced by those of Meryetaten, one of Akhenaten's daughters. It has been suggested, though there is no hard supporting evidence, that by year twelve of Akhenaten's reign, and after bearing him a son and possibly a further daughter, Kiya became too much of a rival to Nefertiti and that it was she who caused Kiya's disgrace.

It is possible that Nefertiti disappearance a number of years after that of Kiya's simply meant that she died around the age of thirty, though there are controversies on this matter as well. It may not be simple coincidence that, shortly after Nefertiti's disappearance from the archaeological record, Akhenaten took on a co-regent with whom he shared the throne of Egypt. This co-regent has been a matter of considerable speculation and controversy, with a whole range of theories. One such theory puts forward the idea that the co-regent was none other than Nefertiti herself in a new guise as a female king following the lead of women such as Sobkneferu and Hatshepsut. Another theory is that there were actually two co-regents, consisting of a male son named Smenkhkare, and Nefertiti under the name Neferneferuaten, both of whom adopted the prenomen, Ankhkheperure. Undoubtedly, like her husband who was originally named Amenhotep, she too took the new name, Neferneferuaten to honor the Aten (Neferneferuaten can be translated as "The Aten is radiant of radiance [because] the beautiful one is come" or "Perfect One of the Aten's Perfection"). Indeed, she may have even changed her name prior to her husband doing so, but rather this means she also served as co-regent is questionable.

Some scholars are considerably adamant about Nefertiti assuming the role of co-regent, and even serving as king for a short time after the death of Akhenaten. One such individual is Jacobus Van Dijk, responsible for the Amarna section of the Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. He believes that Nefertiti indeed became co-regent with her husband, and that her role as queen consort was taken over by her eldest daughter, Meryetaten (Meritaten). If this is true, then Nefertiti may have even taken up residence in Thebes, as evidenced by a graffito dated to year three in the reign of Neferneferuaten mentioning a "Mansion of Ankhkheperure". If so, there could have been an attempt made at reconciliation with the old cults. He also suggests that Smenkhkare might have also been Nefertiti, ruling after the death of her husband, with her own daughter acting in a ceremonial role of "Great Royal Wife".

However, other scholars are equally adamant against Nefertiti ever having been a co-regent or ruling after her husband's death. In his book, Akhenaten: King of Egypt, Cyril Aldred references a funerary objected called a shawabti. On it was inscribed:

"The Heiress, high and mighty in the palace, one trusted [of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt (Neferkheperure, Wa'enre), the son of Re (Akhenaten), Great in] his Lifetime, the Chief Wife of the King (Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti), Living for Ever and Ever."

Aldred claims that this shawabti, according to the above inscription, can only belong to Nefertiti, and not, as some scholars argue, a donation by her to Akhenaten's burial. Presumably, this object was made after the queen's death as it was the custom during this period to make such objects during the embalming process.

Aldred also maintains that is was the custom in orthodox funerary benedictions to follow the name of the deceased with maet kheru (justified). Akhenaten rejected this practice as part of his new religion, but even so, two of his own shawabti were nevertheless inscribed with phrase after his own death. However, even though the phrase returns to favor immediately after Akhenaten's death, it is absent from Nefertiti's shawabti, evidencing her death during his reign.

He also notes that the shawabti represents her as a queen regnant, and not as a co-regent in male attire. Though this single piece of evidence seems somewhat scanty, he believes that Nefertiti died during year 14 of Akhenanten's reign.

If he is indeed correct that Nefertiti died during the reign of her husband, his dating is probably correct. Nefertiti is depicted on a number of reliefs including that of her second daughter's burial, who is believed to have died during the thirteenth year of Akhenanten's reign. However, that is the last that we see of the queen. This is also about the time (year 14) that dockets for delivery of wine from the estate of Nefertiti also cease, so the presumption by Aldred is that Nefertiti must have died sometime very near Akhenaten's 14th year as king.

Recent Controversy

Nefertiti is perhaps best remembered for the painted limestone bust depicting her. Many consider it one of the greatest works of art of the pre-modern world.

Sometimes known as the Berlin bust, it was found in the workshop of the famed sculptor Thutmose. This bust depicts her with full lips enhanced by a bold red. Although the crystal inlay is missing from her left eye, both eyelids and brows are outlined in black. Her graceful elongated neck balances the tall, flat-top crown which adorns her sleek head. The vibrant colors of the her necklace and crown contrast the yellow-brown of her smooth skin. While everything is sculpted to perfection, the one flaw of the piece is a broken left ear. Because this remarkable sculpture is still in existence, it is no wonder why Nefertiti remains 'The Most Beautiful Woman in the World.'

However, the bust plays a part in one recent controversy. For more than eight decades, the serenely beautiful likeness of Queen Nefertiti's head has been the most celebrated exhibit in Berlin's Egyptian Museum, attracting thousands of visitors and resisting all attempts at repatriation.

But a conceptual artwork involving the 3,300-year-old limestone bust and the body of a scantily clad woman has provoked outrage in the queen's homeland and the accusation that Nefertiti is no longer safe in Germany.

The artwork is the brainchild of a Hungarian duo called Little Warsaw, and involved lowering the head of Nefertiti on to the headless bronze statue of a woman wearing a tight-fitting transparent robe.

This angered a number of officials in Egypt for several reasons. First of all, it must be remembered that Egypt is a rather conservative society and the attachment of Nefertiti's head to an almost nude statue was seen as an affront to Egyptian sensibilities. However, it was also pointed out by some Egyptian Egyptologists that such a display might give rise to some damage to the bust.

Irregardless, this controversy is probably short lived. The display apparently only lasted for a few hours and so the controversy has largely been mitigated at this point.

A recent, more enduring controversy surrounding Nefertiti is the possible discovery of her mummy, or at least the new identification of a previously known mummy. Soon after the incident involving Nefertiti's bust, Joanne Fletcher, a noted mummification expert from the University of York in England, announced that she and her team may have identified the actual mummy of the queen.

Back in 1898, the French Egyptologist Victor Loret excavated the tomb of Amenhotep II on the Theban necropolis and came upon a remarkable find. This was the first tomb ever opened in which the Pharaoh was still in his original resting place, and, moreover, eleven other mummies were also discovered in a sealed chamber in the tomb. All but three of these mummies, due to their critical state of preservation, were transferred to the Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo.

One of the three mummies that were left behind became known among Egyptologists as the "Younger Lady" and since then Egyptologists have swayed between believing this corpse to be either Nefertiti or Princess Sitamun, a daughter of Amenhotep III. Fletcher was drawn to the tomb during an expedition in June 2002 after identifying a Nubian style wig worn by royal women during Akhenaten's reign. She also pointed to other clues that suggest that this mummy might indeed be Nefertiti, such as a doubled- pierced ear lobe, which she claims was a rare fashion statement in Ancient Egypt; a shaven head; and the clear impression of the tight-fitting brow-band worn by royalty. "Think of the tight-fitting, tall blue crown worn by Nefertiti, something that would have required a shaven head to fit properly," said Fletcher.

"There is a puzzle," she conceded, and explained that in 1907, when Egyptologist Grafton Elliot Smith first examined the three mummies, he reported that the Younger Lady was lacking a right arm. Nearby, however, he had found a detached right forearm, bent at the elbow and with clenched fingers. She said that the mummy had deteriorated badly; that the skull was pierced with a large hole, and the chest hacked away. Worse still, the face, which would otherwise have been excellently preserved, had been cruelly mutilated, the mouth and cheek no more than a gaping hole. Further examination using cutting- edge Canon digital X-ray machinery, the team spotted jewelry within the smashed chest cavity of the mummy. They also noticed a woman's severed arm beneath the remaining wrappings. The arm was bent at the elbow in Pharaonic style with its fingers still clutching a long-vanished royal scepter.

Following Discovery Channel's coverage of the events, the identification of the Younger Lady's mummy as Nefertiti immediately attracted an eager audience and made headlines around the world. But Egyptologists are not so convinced. In fact, they are divided into two schools of thought. Salima Ikram, author of The Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity, sees the identification as "interesting" and one that will doubtless cause endless speculation.

Others express doubt that the remains are those of the legendary queen of beauty. Egyptologist Susan James, who trained at Cambridge University and who spent a long time studying the three mummies, told Discovery Channel, who financed the expedition, " What we know about mummy 61072 would indicate that it is one of the young females of the late 18th dynasty, very probably a member of the royal family. However, physical evidence known and published prior to this expedition indicates the unlikelihood of this being the mummy of Nefertiti. Without any comparative DNA studies, statements of certainty are wishful thinking."

For his part, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Zahi Hawass totally refutes the idea, and describes it as "pure fiction". He accuses Fletcher of lacking in experience, as "a new PhD recipient", and that Fletcher's theory was not based on facts or solid evidence, "only on facial resemblance between the mummy and Nefertiti's bust, and on artistic representations of the Amarna period in which the queen lived".

Hawass asserted, moreover, that the physical resemblance is not significant, "because all the statues of the Amarna era have the same characteristics. Amarna art was idealistic and not realistic," he said, and pointed out that in the Egyptian Museum, there were five of six mummies with the same characteristics. Mamdouh El-Damati, director of the Egyptian Museum, mentioned that this theory was not new, this being the second time that a claim to have discovered Nefertiti's mummy within this group of mummies had been made.

So controversy swirls around Nefertiti as surely as it always has, and probably always might. At best, perhaps someday we may know more about this intriguing queen, but until then we can only make guesses about her life, as well as her remains.

A Big Mystery About The Boy King Tutankhamun

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:54:42 PDT

WAS TUTANKHAMUN THE PROTOTYPE FOR THE "HISTORICAL JESUS"? #1

My ongoing search for the "historical Jesus" is finally coming to a close. I have been searching since my graduation from Seminary for the "Jesus Jesus" and not being able to find any demonstrable evidence for a Jewish Rabbi who lived in the first century in Palestine which was the "expected Messiah" I have looked almost everywhere and read and studied everything available in my efforts to find the clues that will reveal this "Jesus" as a historical personage. My search has been tedious and exhausting and fruitless. Only when I began to trace the roots of Judaism back to Egypt was I finally rewarded for my efforts all these 15 or more years for it is there, in Ancient Egypt that I finally found the "historical Jesus". The only problem is that he is only "half-Hebrew" and was a "murdered" Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. This statement sounds almost impossible and many will begin to doubt my sanity upon reading it but let me warn the reader to not make any hasty decisions until he, like myself, has sifted through the evidence which proves without a doubt that the "historical Jesus" stories we find scattered down through history and applied to various "redeemers" had their origin with the life and death of Tutankamun in Egypt. My search for the truth behind our Bibles and the stories surrounding the "historical Jesus" that we cherish finally culminated in the necessary acquired knowledge that puts all these puzzle pieces together surrounding the "historical Jesus" where I could finally see the whole convoluted picture surrounding the "historical Jesus" of Egypt. Such a view of the evidence convinced me for certain that the identification of Pharaoh Tutankamun as the "historical Jesus" is certain. This article will give the reader the required information to see how this information was concealed from all but those with the most "inquiring" eyes and the time necessary to do the required investigation and study. Before we begin I want the reader to view a cover of a book I read many years ago by Richard Cassaro entitled The Deeper Truth. In this we have the figure of an Egyptian Pharaoh and a typical representative image of Jesus imposed upon each other, both split down the middle. It serves perfectly what this article will teach the reader: namely, that the "historical Jesus Story" in the New Testament finds its origin with the Osiris-Horus myths of Egypt personified in the lives of the Pharaohs; in particular the Pharaoh Tutankhamun as you will come to see.

Before the nineteenth century, when Christians sought to understand Jesus and the ancient world depicted in the gospels, they adhered to naturalistic literalism. Southwestern Theological Seminary taught the same approach to the Christian Scriptures and the "historical Jesus". "Naturalistic literalism" is the practice of reading the Scriptures and accepting the events that are described therein as the literal truth. In so doing we expect to find a "historical Jesus" in first century Palestine. No one had ever given much thought to reading the New Testament (NT) any other way. Things have changed dramatically since then. Today, the only Christians that still hold to a natural-literal reading of the NT are Fundamentalists who believe it to be "plenary," which is to say that every word is inspired by God. However, even a quick glance at the NT reveals inconsistencies.

But there is one major problem with this "naturalistic literalism" as the approach to the Christian Scriptures; there is no evidence existing today outside of this one New Testament that proves that such a Jewish Rabbi and expected Messiah existed in the first century and was a real person. Let me repeat there is NOT one shred of contemporary evidence to support the New Testament story of the birth, life, and death of a Jesus of Nazareth. However, there is an expanse of evidence that exits which will prove that this "Jesus Story" in the New Testament is but a retelling of the life and death of another who lived many, many centuries earlier in Egypt; that one being the Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

The only problem for the reader at present is that he has not seen this evidence that both reveals conclusively that there is not a "historical Jesus" of the First Century in Palestine and the clumsy forgeries and vain attempts by overzealous early Christians when challenged over this problem in the early centuries A.D. where they attempted to create one and "write a Jesus" into later writings by the Christian Church as well as the formation of their Bibles. Lacking as well is the readers acquaintance with the corresponding evidence that supports this very same "Jesus Story" as taken from the 18th Dynasty of Egypt.

Many went down this road in search for the "historical Jesus before, but most of them pulled back because they reached areas of conflict between history and religion which is usually a touchy area. Besides no one like to trash what he has grown up revering and I understand that so well but let never forget that if it not the truth it is a LIE! Surely our God and Creator is not glorified in a lie; especially when we are commanded in the Ten Commandments to "not bear false witness". Thus our search for truth should be ruthless and sought with all our might as we run after the God of all Truth. Amen!

Answer for yourself: What were some of these stumbling blocks to finding a "historical Jesus"? Well there were many but one is most important as I see it.

Many Pagan religious belief systems permeated the Mediterranean region during the 1st century CE. There were numerous male heroes, saviors and god-men within Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Hindu, and other pantheons of Gods whose lives had many points of similarities to Jesus. Of these, the Egyptian God Horus probably had life events attributed to him which were closest match to those of Jesus. Yet, Horus was worshipped in Egypt thousands of years before the first century CE when Jesus is believed to have been ministering in Palestine. The more I studied the more I saw "Egypt" coming up in my studies and it began to appear that behind both Judaism and Christianity lie source for all later "redeemers" and that source continually turned out to be Egypt so there I had to begin a 5 year study in order to check out all the possibilities. In so doing I would come upon the evidence that would show me why these "Osiris" and "Horus" stories were replayed down through history and attached to a host or "redeemers" like Tutankhamun, Chrishna of Hindostan, Budha Sakia of India, Odin of the Scaudinavians, Zoroaster and Mithra of Persia, Baal and Taut, "the only Begotten of God," of Phenicia, Indra of Thibet, Bali of Afghanistan. Jao of Nepaul, Wittoba of the Bilingones, Thammuz of Syria, Atys of Phrygia, Xaniolxis of Thrace, Zoar of the Bonzes, Adad of Assyria, Thor, son of Odin, of the Gauls, Cadmus of Greece, Quexalcote of Mexico, the Divine Teacher of Plato, Adonis, son of the virgin Io of Greece, Quirinus of Rome, Prometheus of Caucasus, Mohamud, or Mahomet, of Arabia, and finally Jesus of Nazareth.

Answer for yourself: What should all these above "redeemer stories" which overlap abundantly in similarities teach us? Is this just a coincidence?

There has been a pattern for this "redeemer story" motif that has existed since the origin of the myths of Osiris and Horus and has been applied to both historical and non-historical personages very since. Bet Emet Ministries has devoted several websites dealing with this pattern "redeemer story" as applied to the mythical like Osiris and Horus. Behind this we found that Astronomy was the backbone of these concepts and this is quite a "mind blowing" study as you find that God's Divine Patterns and Cycles in the Heavens and in Nature were understood on a "deep spiritual level" by the Ancients which we have no clue today. They in my estimation wee "spiritual masters" par excellence and really knew the depth of this God like hardly none today. Of interest to us in our current study is the application of this "redeemer pattern" to the earliest of the "historical examples" in which we find this "redeemer motif" applied and we have only to look at the Pharaoh Tutankhamun who serves perfectly as the prototype for the later "historical figure of Jesus".Both follow this same "pattern"; one historical (Tutankhamun) and the other mythical (Jesus of Nazareth).

Answer for yourself: If we make the identification of Tutankhamun with the historical Jesus you should ask "How can that be since the two characters Jesus and Tutankhamun supposedly lived "apparently" in different places and different times"? Let us go through the evidence.

I stated above that there is not a shred of contemporary evidence to support the New Testament story of the birth, life or death of Jesus. However, there is an expanse of evidence proving that Jesus had lived many centuries earlier.

Answer for yourself: One wonders, if Jesus lived, suffered and died during the period of Roman rule in Palestine, as the New Testament states, then why did not his name appear in the writings of three distinguished contemporary authors of that time: Philo Judaeus, Justus of Tiberias and Flavius Josephus?

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that absolutely no reference is made to a "historical Jesus" in the thirty-eight works left behind by Philo Judaeus, who was born c. 15 B.C.E. and died about twenty years after the supposed date of the Crucifixion? This is very problematic since he lived in the same years of this supposed historical Jesus and given the account in the New Testament one would have to think that at least one reference to such a dynamic person who stirred up Roman ire would be found somewhere in all his writings. Well there is not one reference.

Philo's brother was the head of the Jewish community living in Alexandria. His son was married to a granddaughter of King Herod.

Answer for yourself: How can we expect a man like Philo Judaeus with all his family connections not to mention Jesus in all his voluminous writings, if Jesus ever existed? This should alert you to the idea that something is wrong and amiss here.

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that the Talmudic rabbis do not relate or report of a "historical Jesus" at the time of Herod or Pontius Pilate? Now we have two great voices of the first century who are absolutely silent on this supposed "historical Jesus".

Answer for yourself: Do these Talmudic rabbis mention at all the name of "Jesus"? Well yes they do but our problem now blows up in our face. Instead of mentioning this "Jesus" as existing in the first century they write and say that a priest named Pinhas killed him.

Answer for yourself: What? Who is this Pinhas? Well here we got to Egypt for Pinhas was a contemporary of Moses and his Priest.

There was no Israelite priesthood before the time of Moses. Moses arranged the priesthood in two main levels, the high priest and the ordinary priests. Across the Nile from Tell-el-Amarna, there is the city of Mallawi, which means literally "The City of the Levites". The Levites held priestly positions with Akhenaten, the father of Tutankhamun at Amarna. Now pay close attention.

Akhenaten's two highest priestly officials were:

Meryre II...who was the High Priest of the Aten, at the Amarna temple
Panehesy...was the Chief Servitor of the Aten at Akhenaten's temple

Likewise, Moses' two highest priestly officials were:

Merari, who is described in Genesis, 46:11, as one of the sons of Levi. The Egyptian equivalent of his name is Meryre.
Phinehas, who was the son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron according to Exodus 6:25. His name in the Talmud is Pinhas. The Egyptian equivalent of his name is Panhesy.

Answer for yourself: What should this startling piece of knowledge teach us?

It is therefor evident that we are dealing with the same high officials who served Akhenaten (the Biblical Moses) at Amarna and then accompanied him to Sinai afterwards. Yet another confirmation that Moses and Akhenaten are one and same person. So it appears that Moses' son might be crucial in helping identify the "historical Jesus" since the Talmudic rabbis tell us that a "Jesus" was killed by Pinhas who we now know was a Priest to the Pharaoh Akhenaten (the Biblical Moses). Now in previous articles we have already proved that the Biblical Moses is the Pharaoh Akhenaten as well as the fact that the Biblical King David is the Pharaoh Tuthmose III and the Biblical Solomon is Amenhotep III, the father of the Biblical Moses. It seems the deception continues and we find that we have a "Jesus" being killed all right, but not in the first century but more than likely at Sinai in the time and days of Moses.

Answer for yourself: How is this possible? Is there evidence for a "Jesus" being killed in the time of Moses not only in the Rabbinic records of the Talmud but in Egyptian records and history? Well yes there is.

Answer for yourself: Was this "Jesus" someone important and possibly could this "Jesus" have been Moses' son known as Tutankhamun?

Already we are seeing that many things recorded in the Old Testament are written in order to confuse the events and identities of personages in many of the stories we read.

Answer for yourself: The Bible is full of names; people as well as places but were you aware that not one time is any Pharaoh mentioned by name? If the Bible will give us the name of a "well" from which to drink water then why not the name of the Pharaoh of the Exodus? Is something being hid from us?

Well it would appear in light of the lack of disclosure at places in the Bible as well as its mixed up chronology where "Jesus" is placed in Egypt some 1400 years before we should expect then we definitely need to look into matters for ourselves; especially Tutankhamun if we want to get on the trail of the possible "historical Jesus" since many scholars like A. Osman and M. Gadalla tell us that Tutankamun is the "historical Jesus".

We will begin with his birth. Tutankhamun was born in the city of Amarna, which was named after the biblical name of Moses' father. A linen shirt found in Tutankhamun's tomb and dated to Year 7 of Akhenaton, indicates that this was the year of his birth. Of major importance for our study is the fact that he belonged to the Tuthmosside royal family of which Tuthmose III (King David) reigned four generations earlier.

Answer for yourself: Why is Tutankhamun being the in family line of Tuthmose III, the Biblical David, so important for us? Simply because the Bible tells us that the Messiah will come from the family of David and Tutankhamun is from the family of Tuthmose III, the Biblical David.

Answer for yourself: Could this Tutankhamun be the possible Messiah whom we read about as "Jesus" in the New Testament and the writers of the New Testament tell an older Egyptian Messiah story out of its time period? Well it is too early to say that for sure so let us keep reading.

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that the "virgin birth" teaching began thousands of years ago in Egypt? Are you aware that although Pharaohs had "natural" parents it was believed that they has "spiritual virgin births?

Answer for yourself: Was this doctrine applied to the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, the Son of God? It sure was. Let us look into this as it became the "example" for all other "Messiah-Kings"; not only in Egypt but in successive nations culminating with the "Joshua/Jesus" of the New Testament as well.

We must begin with the birth of Tut-Ankh-Amen in order to see how this was applied not only to the Egyptian Son of God but to the "Joshua/Jesus" of Egyptian history. First of all Tutankhamun was born in the city of Amarna, the capital city of his father, Akhenaton (the Biblical Moses).

Answer for yourself: What makes this city of "Amarna" so important? Its immense importance is because "Amarna", the city, was named after Amran (or Imran), which is not only the name of Akhenaton's god (father) but which is also the name given in the Bible for Moses' father.

Answer for yourself: Is this city connected with a link to the Biblical Moses in other ways? Yes it is. Across the Nile from Tell-el Amarna, or the city of Amarna, there is the city of Mal-lawi (Mal-Levi), which means literally The City of the Levites. The Levites, according to the Bible, not only held priestly positions with Moses, but they also held the very same positions with Akhenaton (Tutankhamun's father).

Now we move on to the "virgin birth" doctrine in Egypt. We have previously seen that the idea of a "messiah" began in Egypt. The idea of the birth of this Messiah without sexual intercourse originated in ancient Egypt as well. What you will find is that many dogmas and religious beliefs connected with "Jesus" and the New Testament find their origin with Egypt.

When assessing the validity of a Savior or Messiah, two major events are consistently mentioned:

Immaculate Conception or virgin birth, and
The Resurrection or rising from the dead and ascending into Heaven or Paradise.

Nothing supersedes these two occurrences as the most important in classifying one as a "Savior".

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that the first Messianic promise of a Savior is given to Egypt in the Book of Isaiah?

Isa 19:19-20 19 In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. 20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. (KJV)

Answer for yourself: Who was this "savior"? Could this have been the "Jesus" that the Talmudic Rabbis spoke of who was killed in Egypt by the Priest Pinhas?

The problem we face here, particularly in the western world, is associating these events, the virgin birth and the resurrection from the death with only one being, Jesus, the Christ of the New Testament, when history teaches us that these same events have been applied literally to numerous characters down through history.

Things become very difficult for the western mind when looking at these two events from other parts of the world, during different historical periods, even before the birth of Jesus. These two events, the virgin birth and the resurrection from the dead have been associated with various other beings in different cultures for thousands of years prior to the New Testament "Jesus"; in fact going all the way back to the very "neteroo" of Egypt which is explained best by understanding that these events (virgin birth, resurrection) stood for "forces" and "powers" and "concepts" that consist in God and that operate in the metaphysical realm and which man experiences in this pilgrimage of the soul we call life.

The first human recording of these two events are found in northeast Africa, Kemet, which the Greeks called Egypt, around 4100 B.C.E. It focuses on Ausar (Osiris), Auset (Isis) and Heru (Horus), reputably known as the original trinity; the father, the mother, the son [parentheses indicates Greek names].

Let us first focus on the virgin birth before we deal with the resurrection. There are temples in Egypt where these events are carved in stone thousands of years before the birth of the Jesus of the New Testament. The Temple of Luxor, inscribed by King Amenhotep III (1538-1501 B.C.E.) shows four scenes on the birth of Horus):

The Annunciation,
The Immaculate Conception and Virgin Birth
The Birth and
Adoration.

These same 4 "religious doctrines" are repeated identically as applied to many "historical saviors" and find their culmination with the Jesus of the New Testament.

Let me say in passing that in the Temple of Seti I, in Abydos, the home of Ausar (Osiris), and in the temple at Denderah, one can see this Resurrection of Horus which was applied to the later Pharaoh-kings of Egypt.

Answer for yourself: Then are we to understand that the teaching of the virgin birth and resurrection from the dead was applied to Pharaohs like Tutankhamun which many scholars believe today provided the "historical" account for the later "historical Jesus Story" in the New Testament even when there is not one shred of evidence for the existence of a "historical Jesus" in the first century? We certainly are.

Books such as: The Egyptian Book of the Dead (originally titled The Book of Coming Forth by Day and by Night) by E. A. Wallis Budge; The Coffin Text and The Pyramid Text; The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Kersey Graves; and Christianity Before Christ by John G. Jackson, among others, have recorded these various stories and all you have to do is read them to see this evidence for yourself. Some Egyptologists feel that the triad of deities: Amon, Mut and Khonsu, at the temple in Karnak, was copied by the early Christians to form the present Holy Trinity. I kid you not when I say that "all roads lead to Egypt and not Rome". Rome has just lied about it.

As a side note, according to most Christian scriptures, Jesus was said to have been born in Bethlehem, or Nazareth. In the Coptic writings, where the oldest Christians called Copts still reside (Kemet and Ethiopia), and according to Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan, a Kemetologist, born in Ethiopia, Jesus was said to have been born in Kemet (Egypt). In Matthew 2:15, it still says, "Out of Egypt shall I call my son!" Contrary to written sources, Kemet (Egypt) is where Christianity was born, while Ethiopia built the first Christian Church and was the world’s first and oldest Christian nation. Christianity was originally an African religion, as was the Hebrew African religion called Judaism.

When the Roman Empire converted to Christianity (312 A.D.), and wrestled it from Africa, the story was changed. This was further confirmed at the Council of Nicea, on May 20th, 325 A.D., called by the Roman Emperor Constantine, and attended by 318 bishops and religious scholars. Together, they formed a new Imperial State Religion, known today as The Roman Catholic Church.

As mentioned earlier, other beings were associated with the Immaculate Conception and Resurrection story. Their life stories parallel that of Jesus, which parallel that of Horus. In Mexico, in the Codex Vaticanus, this being is called Quexalcote. In China, in the History of the Rajahs, the name Xaca is mentioned, and also Yu. In India they are called Buddha and Krishna. Sakia, Scipio, Arion, Zulis, Bacchus, Alcides, and Hesus are some of the beings associated with the two events previously mentioned. In actuality, the virgin birth/resurrection story has floated all over the world, in various cultures, various interpretations, before, during and after the Mary Jesus version. But it began with Horus, the son of Osiris. Isis is said to have conceived her son Horus after her husband's (Osiris) death. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father but understand such a New Testament teaching is a "carbon-copy" of the events of Osiris-Isis written at least ten thousand years ago or more.

Answer for yourself: What is this really then? This is the earliest record on this planet of a "non-sexual" birth of a child which we call the "virgin birth" today. The cosmic force responsible for her impregnation was MeSSeh, the crocodile star, as per Spell 148 of the Coffin Texts: The crocodile star (MeSSeH) strikes ... isis wakes pregnant with the seed of Osiris." And this I remind you occurred after the death of Osiris and was thus considered a miracle often repeated down through history.

As mentioned above this holy (virgin) birth of the Egyptian king is a recurring theme in temples and writings throughout ancient Egypt. In ancient Egypt, divine birth was looked upon as an aspect of royal birth. Although the child was regarded spiritually as the son of the deity, this did not exclude the human father or the sexual relationship between the parents. In symbolic terms, the Egyptian King was considered to be the Son of God.

So in an understandable way not we see how connected with Egyptian kings is the teaching of the "holy virgin birth" of their Pharaohs and it was "symbolic" ONLY and never was understood as if a "literal" occurrence.This is why this theme of the "holy virgin birth" of the Egyptian king is a recurring theme in temples and writings throughout ancient Egypt. In symbolic terms, the spirit of the deity (the Holy Spirit) used the physical body of the king to produce the child. In Christian belief, however, no human father is involved: the mother is a virgin, and the child is conceived by the Holy Spirit without any sexual relationship.

This holy birth of the king-Pharaoh is documented in scenes as well as texts found in many places, such as on the north wall of the central colonnade of Queen Hatshepshut's mortuary temple at Deir el Bahari, as well as at the Luxor Temple. In the Luxor Temple, at the Birth chamber, as called by classical Egyptologists, we find the scene of the spiritual conception and birth of the king. The reliefs on the west wall depict a scene with many similarities to the familiar Christian's Immaculate Conception and Virgin Birth which is applied to the New Testament Jesus just the way it is to Tutankamun! The king was a royal, conscientious man, with divine potential. The Egyptian king is therefore considered to be the spiritual Son of God, the son of the neteru, the divine principles of the Cosmos that constitute the whole of God, our Creator.

The Pharaoh, as seen as the "son of God", was in the service of Horus and ruled over the whole of Egypt as his servant. In this role he had to keep his people safe, ensure the adequate rising of the Nile, care for the continued existence of those in the beyond by bringing them offerings to feed on, i.e. he had to uphold the divine order of all creation. Egypt called this "Maat". It was, perhaps, not so much the man who was identified with Horus himself, but rather the ka of the pharaoh, which while it was the body's twin, was also an expression of the life force, more than just an aspect of his personality.

Answer for yourself: What exactly is the "ka"?

The Ka, represented by two raised arms, is one of the many spiritual components of gods and humans. The word "Ka" has regularly been translated as "life-force" or "life-energy" for lack of a better translation. In ancient times it may have referred to the "male potency", but it soon must have come to mean intellectual and spiritual power. There is a difference between the Ka of the gods and the kings on one hand, and the Ka of the common people on the other. Where the Ka of the gods and the kings represent some kind of individuality, the Ka of the common people relates the individual to his or her family. The Kas of common people are there ancestors which are passed on from generation to generation. From the Old Kingdom on, the Ka is represented as a "double" of the human it is part of, which may be yet another example of the Egyptian dualism. The Ka of the kings was created at the same time as his or her body: in the scenes representing the divine birth of Hatshepsut in her temple at Deir el-Bahari, the god Khnum can be seen fashioning the body and the Ka of the Queen on a potter's wheel. This, however, does not mean that the Ka and the body are inseparable. When the body died, the Ka left the body and joined its divine creator. The phrase "going to one's Ka" is a euphemism for "dying".

The Pharaoh-king was above all the carer of his people, the representation of the Good God and the Good Shepherd, a role often also played by the God Amen (representative and symbol for this "Invisible Creative Force or Spirit"). So likewise we must understand correctly that the Pharaoh was as the "Son of God" only His representative and the term again was not to be understood "literally" as if born "virginally" by being impregnated "literally" by God. This concept is totally debased by Christianity as you can tell as they teach that the Jesus of the New Testament is not the biological seed of Joseph. This is totally opposite from what Egypt taught yet similar in "terms". Basically, the Egyptians seem to have thought of their pharaohs as touched by the divine, sons and servants of the gods rather than equals of Re or Amen: they were their bridge to the gods and this "Creative Force" we call God today. Importantly as well these Pharaohs were also the first humans to achieve eternal life after death, joining the gods in the heavens. They were in reality the "first fruits of the Dead" as have come to think about being "in Christ". The Pharaoh being identified with Osiris in death is like being "in Christ" when we die as well. Being a "Living Horus" was like being "in Christ" as we live. The spiritual concepts are the same. By the New Kingdom any Egyptian could hope to identify with Osiris in death as has his Pharaoh-king and thereby perpetuate the immortal constituents which were part of his being for all eternity and be resurrected from the dead as was his Pharaoh-king thanks to the rituals developed in the Old Kingdom for his kings.

We have spoken of the birth of Tutankamun so now let us now focus for a second on the New Testament Jesus. The writer of the Gospel of Luke describes the forthcoming birth of Jesus in the following terms:

Luke 1:32-33 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (KJV)

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that Tutankhamun, like Jesus, can also be described as "Son of the Highest" and was "seated upon the throne of his father Akhenaten (the Biblical Moses who was of the same family of the Biblical David whom we see is the historical Tuthmose III? Is this again another coincidence?

Answer for yourself: Since we know for sure that the Biblical King David is Tuthmose III and the Biblical Moses then should we begin now to look for the "house of Jacob" in Egypt as well?

Answer for yourself: Since the writer of Luke is speaking of the New Testament Jesus and three other items mentioned in these two verses in look refer to "hidden Egyptian identities" then is it a safe bet to begin to think that behind his "Jesus" is possibly another Egyptian identity? You bet it is.

I would be amiss if I failed to mention to the reader that the birth of Jesus is not mentioned in New Testament writings of the first century C.E. let alone is not mentioned in the first New Testament given to the world by Marcion in 150 A.D. as this "first New Testament" only spoke of the "Mystical Christ Jesus" within each of God's children. This is the "risen Christ" in all men once they are awakened to the God within which we call today "that still small voice".

Col 1:27 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (KJV)

This is the real Paul we seek, the Gnostic master of the first century who is made into a Frankenstein by Rome whose writings are so contradictory today that almost no one can make any sense out of them. Rome will counter such a teaching of the Gnostics by not only killing millions of these "Gnostic Chrestians" later called "Christians" but by writing their own version of Marcion's "first New Testament". In so doing the world was given a gross forgery known today as the "Second New Testament"; added of course are maze of conflicting genealogies that open the Gospels of Matthew and was inserted in Luke's Gospel to this life of Rome's "historical Jesus" which was but the retelling of the life and tragic death of the Egyptian Messiah Tutankhamun, the Son of God. In so doing as well as inserting references to a "historical Jesus in the flesh" under the name of Paul we have completely lost the "gnosis" of the Christ or "Karast" as taught by Egypt thousands of years ago. Interestingly only the later Gospel-writers refer to this virgin birth; a birth by the way that is never mentioned once by Paul in all of his seven authentic writings and the host of others penned in his name which are but Roman lies and forgeries.

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that two of the four Gospels refer to his birth, yet they differ in their details?

His death and resurrection were the main focus of interest rather than his birth but ironically it has always been that way; the death of our lower selves and resurrection of our higher self when the Christ and "Karast" within us all is awakened to the God within our flesh as we awaken to the descent of the soul within this matter we call "flesh". God, this Spiritual Force and Power, this Ka is hidden within.

Eph 5:14-15 14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead (awaken to the fact that we are divine and that we are the manifestations of the creator; the soul descended into physical matter-flesh) and Christ shall give thee light. 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise (knowing that we are divine in this flesh and believing to life and act like it by obeying the laws of God which bring harmony and as Egypt called it ..."Ma'at") (KJV)

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that by the year 200 CE, the Church issued a Creed for its members. The Creed stated that Jesus Christ was "conceived by the Holy Ghost" and "born of the Virgin Mary"?

The virgin concept evolved further, when the Council of Trullo in 692 C.E. declared that Mary, the mother of Jesus was "ever-virgin'.

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that this declaration contradicts Matthew 1:25 and 12:46, Mark 3:31 and 6:3, Luke 8:19, and John 2:12.?

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that the virgin concept evolved further, when the Council of Trullo in 692 C.D. declared that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was "ever-virgin"? This declaration contradicts the following verses of the Bible, stating that Jesus had brothers and sisters:

Matt 1:25 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. (KJV) Matt 12:46 46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. (KJV)

Matt 13:56 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? (KJV)

Mark 3:31-32 31 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. 32 And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. (KJV)

Mark 6:3 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. (KJV)

Luke 8:19 19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. (KJV)

John 2:12 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. (KJV)

The virgin idea reached its peak, in the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, in the thirteenth century. The church endorsed his writing:

"Because she conceived Christ without the defilement of sin (Immaculate Conception), and without the stain of sexual mingling, therefore did she bring him forth without pain, without violation of her virginal integrity (Virgin Birth), without detriment to the purity of her maidenhood."

Answer for yourself: Are you aware that the released Dead Sea Scrolls did not mention a virgin mother either?

Answer for yourself: Are you also aware that story found in the book of Matthew, about the three wise men who came from foreign countries to offer tribute and presents to the newborn king, is of Egyptian origin?

During the time of the Empire such visits and gifts were common practice. A box was found, in the Valley of the Kings, which contained several pieces of gold leaf, bearing the names of Tutankhamun and Aye (the Biblical Ephraim). One of these pieces of gold leaf has the two royal cartouches of Aye on one side, faced on the other side by three foreigners whose arms are raised in a position of reverence towards the king's names (shown above).

The first man looks like a typical Syrian from the Mediterranean coast.
The second man is undoubtedly from the Sudan.
The third man represents the white-skinned races of the North, such as Libyans and inhabitants of the Mediterranean islands.

Answer for yourself: What are we to make of this ? Here, then, is a representation of the three biblical races, Shem, Ham and Japhet. This, therefore, is the original idea of the three wise men, who represented the different people of the ancient known world who came to listen to the wisdom of Solomon and other Pharaohs who were the "Sons of God" and who showered others in the wisdom of Egypt; both scientific and spiritual.

Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun a Great Royal Love

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:56:29 PDT

In the tradition of ancient Egypt's ruling families, King Tut married his sister Ankhesenamun who seems to have been the great love of his life. More Videos Online

In the tradition of ancient Egypt's ruling families, King Tut married his sister Ankhesenamun who seems to have been the great love of his life.

Added: Feb 17, 2010
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EGYPTIAN KINGS (PHARAOHS) AND THEIR RULE DYNASTIES

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:55:11 PDT

EGYPTIAN KINGS (PHARAOHS) AND THEIR RULE DYNASTIES

Egyptian Kings (Pharaohs), Governors and other Rulers

The Kings of Egypt were not called Pharaohs by the ancient Egyptians. This word was used by the Greeks and Hebrews, and today is commonly used for the ancient Kings of Egypt. We really do not know how many kings ruled in Egypt, for at times in its ancient past the country was split up, and there were at least several kings at the same time. There was also probably kings who ruled regions of Egypt before recorded history, and in fact, several ancient historians record legendary Pharaohs who became Egyptian gods.

See also from our Feature Articles:

General Topics Related to Kings

Topics Related to Specific Kings

For the Earliest known Kings prior to the 1st Dynasty, see

Naqada III: Dynasty 0

EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD

1st Dynasty
(3050 - 2890)

Little actual history is known of the pharaohs of the early dynasties. Their monuments, however, are some of the most studied artifacts in the world.

Horus Aha
Djer (Itit)
Djet (Wadj)
Den (Udimu)
Anendjib
Semerkhet
Qa'a

2nd Dynasty
(3890-2686)

Hetepsekhemwy (Hotepsekhemwy)
Reneb (Nebra)
Ninetjer (Nynetjer)
Peribsen (Seth-Peribsen)
Khasekhemwy

OLD KINGDOM

The age of the Pyramid. The pyramids of Giza and Dahshur are built during this period.

3rd Dynasty

Sanakhte (Nebka) 2650 - 2630
Netjerykhet (Djoser) 2630 - 2611
Sekhemkhet (Djoser Teti) 2611 - 2603
Khaba 2603 - 2599
Huni 2599 - 2575

4th Dynasty

Snefru 2575 - 2551
Khufu (Cheops) 2551 - 2528
Djedefre 2528 - 2520
Khafre (Chephren) 2520 - 2494
Menkaure (Mycerinus) 2490 - 2472
Shepseskaf 2472 - 2467

5th Dynasty

Userkaf 2465 - 2458
Sahure 2458 - 2446
Neferirkare Kakai 2477-2467
Shepseskare Ini 2426 - 2419
Neferefre 2419 - 2416
Niuserre Izi 2453 - 2422
Menkauhor 2422 - 2414
Djedkare Izezi 2388 - 2356
Unas 2375-2345

6th Dynasty

Teti 2345 - 2333
Pepy I (Meryre) 2332 - 2283
Merenre Nemtyemzaf 2283 2278
Pepy II (Neferkare) 2278 - 2184

FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

This was a very troubled time. There was a breakdown of centralized government, with many kings having overlapping reigns. Montuhotep established order from his capital at Thebes.

7th and 8th Dynasties

2150 - 2135
Netrikare
Menkare
Neferkare II
Neferkare III
Djedkare II
Neferkare IV
Merenhor
Menkamin I
Nikare
Neferkare V
Neferkahor
Neferkare VI
Neferkamin II
Ibi I
Neferkaure
Neferkauhor
Neferirkare II

Attested Kings about whom nothing more is known

Wadjkare
Sekhemkare
Iti
Imhotep
Isu
Iytenu

9th and 10th Dynasties

2135 - 1986
Neferkare
several kings named Kheti
Meri-Hathor (?)

Merikare 11th Dynasty

Inyotef I (Sehertawy) 2134 - 2117
Inyotef II (Wahankh) 2117-2069
Inyotef III (Nakhtnebtepnefer) 2069 - 2060

MIDDLE KINGDOM

This period is marked with foreign trade and enormous building projects. There is a refinement in the making of jewelry. Prosperity and renaissance existed for a long period of time, but eventually, internal problems become apparent.

11th Dynasty

Mentuhotep II 2055 -2004
Mentuhotep III (Sankhkare) 2004 - 1992
Mentuhotep IV (Nebtawyre) 1992 - 1987

12th Dynasty

Amenemhet I (Sehetepibre) 1991 - 1962
Senusret I (Kheperkare) 1956 - 1911
Amenemhet II (Nubkaure) 1911 - 1877
Senusret II (Khakheperre) 1877 - 1870
Senusret III (Khakaure) 1836 - 1817
Amenemhet III (Nimaatre) 1817 - 1772
Amenemhet IV (Maakherure) 1772 - 1763
Neferusobek (Sobekkare) 1763 - 1759

SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

The Hyksos invade and conquer.
Eventually the Theban princes regain power.
Kamose defeats the Hyksos. 13th Dynasty
Wegaf 1783-1779
Amenemhat-senebef
Sekhemre-khutawi
Amenemhat V
Sehetepibre I
Iufni
Amenemhat VI
Semenkare
Sehetepibre II
Sewadjkare
Nedjemibre
Sobekhotep I
Reniseneb
Hor I
Amenemhat VII
Sobekhotep II
Khendjer
Imira-mesha
Antef IV
Seth
Sobekhotep III
Neferhotep I 1696 - 1686
Sihathor 1685 - 1685
Sobekhotep IV 1685 - 1678
Sobekhotep V 1678 - 1674
Iaib 1674 - 1664
Ay 1664 - 1641
Ini I
Sewadjtu
Ined
Hori
Sobekhotep VI
Dedumes I
Ibi II
Hor II
Senebmiu
Sekhanre I
Merkheperre
Merikare

14th Dynasty

Nehesi
Khatire
Nebfaure
Sehabre
Meridjefare
Sewadjkare
Heribre
Sankhibre
Kanefertemre
Neferibre
Ankhkare, ...

15th Dynasty

Salitis
Bnon
Apachnan (Khian)
Apophis (Auserre Apepi)
Khamudi

16th Dynasty

Anat-Her
User-anat
Semqen
Zaket
Wasa
Qar
Pepi III
Bebankh
Nebmaatre
Nikare II
Aahotepre
Aaneterire
Nubankhre
Nubuserre
Khauserre
Khamure
Jacob-Baal
Yakbam
Yoam
Amu, ...

17th Dynasty

Antef V
Rahotep
Sobekemzaf I
Djehuti
Mentuhotep VII
Nebirau I
Nebirau II
Semenenre
Suserenre
Sobekemzaf II
Antef VI
Antef VII
Tao I (Senakhtenre)
Tao II (Sekenenre)
Kamose (Wadjkheperre)

NEW KINGDOM

Extreme prosperity and renaissance in art and building projects mark the beginning of this period. Towards the end of the 19th Dynasty the increasing power of the priesthood corrupts the central government. During the 20th Dynasty tomb robbing is done by officials. The priesthood becomes hereditary and begins to assume secular power. The government breaks down.

18th Dynasty

Ahmose (Nebpehtyre) 1539 - 1514
Amenhotep I (Djeserkare) 1514 - 1493
Thutmose I (Akheperkare) 1493 - 1481
Thutmose II (Akheperenre) 1491 - 1479
Hatshepsut (Maatkare) 1473 - 1458
Thutmose III (Menkheperre) 1504 - 1450
Amenhotep II (Akheperure) 1427 - 1392
Thutmose IV (Menkheperure) 1419 - 1386
Amenhotep III (Nebmaatre) 1382 - 1344
Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten 1350 - 1334
Smenkhkare (Ankhkheperure) 1336-1334
Tutankhamun (Nebkheperure) 1334 - 1325
Ay (Kheperkheperure) 1325 - 1321
Horemheb (Djeserkheperure) 1323 - 1295

19th Dynasty

Ramesses I (Menpehtyre) 1295 - 1294
Seti I (Menmaatre) 1394 - 1279
Ramesses II (Usermaatresetepenre) 1279 - 1213
Merenptah (Baenrehotephirmaat) 1213 - 1203
Amenmesse (Menmire) 1203 - 1200
Seti II (Userkheperuresetepenre) 1200 - 1194
Siptah (Akhenresetepenre) 1194 - 1188
Tausert (Sitremeritamun) 1185-1187

20th Dynasty

Setakht (Userkhauremeryamun) 1186 - 1184
Ramesses III (Usermaatremeryamun) 1184 - 1153
Ramesses IV (Hekamaatresetepenamun) 1153 - 1147
Ramesses V (Usermaatresekheperenre) 1147 - 1143
Ramesses VI (Nebmaatremeryamun) 1143 - 1136
Ramesses VII (Usermaatresetepenre) 1136 - 1129
Ramesses VIII (Usermaatreakhenamun) 1129 - 1126
Ramesses IX (Neferkaresetepenre) 1126 - 1108
Ramesses X (Khepermaatresetepenre) 1108 - 1099
Ramesses XI (Menmaatresetepenptah) 1099 - 1069

THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

The capital moves from Tanis to Libyan, to Nubia, to Thebes, to SAIS, and then back to Nubia and Thebes.

21st Dynasty

Northern Kings	Southern Rulers at Thebes
Smedes 1070-1044	Herihor 1080-1074
Amenemnisu 1040	Piankh 1074-1070
Psusennes I 1040-992	Pinedjem I 1070-1032
Amenope 993-984	Masaherta 1054-1046
Osochor 984-978	Menkheperre 1045-992
Siamun 978-959	Smendes II 992-990
Psusennes II 959-945	Pinedjem II 990-969
	Psusennes III 969-945

22nd Dynasty

Shoshenq I 945-924
Osorkon I 924-909
Takelot 909--?
Shoshenq II ?--883
Osorkon II 883-855
Takelot II 860-835
Shoshenq III 835-783
Pami 783-773
Shoshenq IV 773-735
Osorkon IV 735-712

23rd Dynasty

Pedubaste I 828-803
Osorkon IV 777-749
Peftjauwybast 740-725

24th Dynasty

Shepsesre Tefnakht I 725-720
Wahkare Bakenranef 720-715

LATE KINGDOM

The Nubians fall under the Assyrians invasion.
The Greeks help re-establish order. A renaissance in the arts of the 25th Dynasty shows a return to the Old Kingdom style.

25th Dynasty

Piye 747-716 BC
Shebaka 712-698
Shebitku 698-690
Taharqa 690-664
Tantamani 664-657

26th Dynasty

Psammetichus I (Psam-tik) 664-610
Nekau (Necho) II 610-595
Psammetichus II 595-589
Apries 589-570
Amasis 570-526
Psammetichus III 526-525

27th Dynasty

Cambyses 525-522
Darius I 521-486
Xerxes I 486-466
Artaxerxes I 465-424
Darius II 424-404

28th Dynasty

Amyrtaios 404-399

29th Dynasty

Nepherites I 399-393
Psammuthis 393
Hakoris 393-380
Nepherites II 380

30th Dynasty

The 30th Dynasty contains the last of the Egyptian-born Pharaohs. Nectanebo I 380-362
Teos 365-360
Nectanebo II 360-343

SECOND PERSIAN PERIOD (343-332 B.C.)

31st Dynasty

The 31st Dynasty in also known as the Second Persian Period and was added after Manetho created his list of kings..

Ochus (Artaxerxes III) 343-338
Arses 338-336
Darius III Codomannus 335-332

GRECO-ROMAN PERIOD (332 B.C. - 395 A.D.)

Macedonian Kings - Alexandria

Alexander the Great 332-323
Philip Arrhidaeus 323-316
Alexander IV 316-304

Ptolemaic Dynasty

This period is confusing due to all of the co-regencies. Scholars are not always in agreement on the order of reigns and, in some case, the reigns themselves, from Ptolemy VI through Ptolemy XI. In any event, Egypt's authority and wealth was intact until the death of Cleopatra, at which time, Egypt was overpowered by Rome.

Ptolemy I Soter I 323-285
Ptolemy II Philadelphus 282-246
Ptolemy III Euergeter I 246-222
Ptolemy IV Philopator 222-205
Ptolemy V Epiphanes 205-180
Ptolemy VI Philometor 180-164 163-145
Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator 145
Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II 170-163 &
145-116
Cleopatra III & Ptolemy IX Soter II 116-107 &
88-80
Cleopatra III & Ptolemy X Alexander I 107-88
Cleopatra Berenice 81-80
Ptolemy XI Alexander II 80
Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos 80-58 &
55-51
Berenice IV 58-55
Cleopatra VII & Ptolemy XIII 51-47
Cleopatra & Ptolemy XIV 47-44
Cleopatra VII & Ptolemy XV Cesarion 44-30 BC

Roman Emperors

Augustus 30 B.C. - 14 A.D.
Tiberius 14-37
Gaius Caligula 37-41
Claudius 41-54
Nero 54-68
Galba 68-69
Otho 69
Vitellius 69
Vespasianus 69-79
Titus 79-81
Domitianus (Domitian) 81-96
Nerva 96-98
Trajanus (Trajan) 98-117
Hadrianus (Hadrian) 117-138
Antoninus Pius 138-161
Marcus Aurelius 161-180
Lucius Verrus
Commodus 180-192
Pertinax 193
Didius Julianus 193
Septimus Severus 193-211
Caracalla 211-217
Macrinus 217-218
Heliogabalus 218-222
Alexander Severus 222-235
Maximinus 235-238
Pupienus 238
Gordianus 238-244
Philippus 244-249
Decius 249-251
Gallus 251-253
Valerianus 253-260
Gallienus 260-268
Claudius II 268-270
Aurelianus 270-275
Tacitus 275-276
Florianus 276
Probus 276-282
Carus 282-283
Numerianus 283-284
Diocletian 284-305
Galerius 305-311
Licinius 308-324

Tutankhamun

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Sun, 09 May 2010 11:04:50 PDT

TUTANKHAMUN
The most famous Egyptian pharaoh today is, without doubt, Tutankhamun. The boy king died in his late teens and remained at rest in Egypt's Valley of the Kings for over 3,300 years.
Tutakhamun's Gold MaskAll that changed in November 1922, when Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered by the British Egyptologist Howard Carter who was excavating on behalf of his patron Lord Carnarvon. His tomb almost escaped discovery and could have been undiscovered to this day.
Carter had been searching for the tomb for a number of years and Carnarvon had decided that enough time and money had been expended with little return. However, Carter managed to persaude his patron to fund one more season and within days of resuming the tomb was found.
Today, the tomb still contains the pharaoh's remains, hidden from view inside the outermost of three coffins. He is the only pharaoh still residing in the Valley of the Kings - as far as we know!
The tomb itself is very small and appears to have been destined for someone of lesser importance. Tutankhamun's unexpected early demise saw the tomb's rushed modification to accommodate the pharaoh. (Colour tomb layout illustration copyright by M. Rigby.)

Tutakhamun's Tomb Layout
The only part of the complex that contains wall paintings is the Burial Chamber. One of the scenes, shown below, depicts the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony where the senses are restored to the deceased Tutankhamun. In this case the person performing this duty is Ay, who became the next pharaoh. (Photograph of wall painting - non-copyright postcard.)

Painting
It contained four gilded shrines nested one inside the other. The innermost of these covered a stone sarcophagus. Inside that were three coffins - the innermost being made of 110 kilograms of solid gold. Inside that lay the pharaoh himself wearing the famous gold mask.

Innermost Coffin
Innermost Coffin
Adjacent to the Burial Chamber was the so-called Treasury which was home to much of the supporting equipment for Tutankhamun's afterlife. It contained a dazzling array of boats, gilded figures and the canopic chest within which were various internal organs belonging to the ancient king. Gathered around the chest in their protective stance were four beautiful gilded figures of goddesses. Just inside the entrance to the room was the protective black figure of Anubis in the form of a recumbant jackal.
The Antechamber contained dismantled chariots, containers of food, various funeral couches, thrones, and two black guardian figures at the entrance of the Burial Chamber. It was this area that was first seen when Carter made a hole in the blocked-off far end of the entry passage. A small Annex was a jumble of other equipment.
Carter concluded that the tomb had been broken into on two occasions soon after the pharaoh was buried. After each break-in the tomb was resealed by officials of the necropolis. Fortunately, the tomb robbers did not get away with too much and much of the material sealed in with Tutankhamun may now be viewed in Cairo's Egyptian Museum with a few items in the Luxor Museum.

News about King Tutankhamun

noreply@blogger.com (IrisB) — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:46:34 PDT

'Malaria and weak bones' may have killed Tutankhamun

By Michelle Roberts
Health reporter, BBC News

Drilling into the king's bones (Footage courtesy of Discovery Channel )

The Egyptian "boy king" Tutankhamun may well have died of malaria after the disease ravaged a body crippled by a rare bone disorder, experts say.

The findings could lay to rest conspiracy theories of murder.
The scientists in Egypt spent the last two years scrutinising the mummified remains of the 19-year old pharaoh to extract his blood and DNA.
This revealed traces of the malaria parasite in his blood, the Journal of the American Medical Association says.
Shrouded in mystery
Ever since Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922, scholars have speculated over why the 19-year old 'boy king' died so young.
Some believe he was killed by a fall from his chariot. Others suspect foul play.

A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might have resulted in a life-threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred

Dr Hawass

Because he died so young, and left no heirs, scholars have speculated that, instead, he may have suffered from a disease that ran in his family.
Artifacts have shown the royalty of that era as having a somewhat curvaceous and rather feminine appearance, which some say would be typical of inherited conditions like Marfan syndrome.
But Egypt's chief archaeologist Dr Zahi Hawass rejects these explanations.
He and his team have painstakingly picked over the remains of Tutankhamun and 10 other royal mummies from his family - two of which they have now confirmed using genetic fingerprinting to be the young king's grandmother and most probably his father.
They say there is no compelling evidence to suggest King Tut or indeed any of his royal ancestors had Marfan's - the voluptuous artefacts, they believe, are a red herring and merely reflect the fashion of the time.
But they did confirm that the king may have had some form of inherited disease, a rare bone disorder affecting the foot called Kohler disease II, as well as a club foot and a curvature of the spine.
Scientific 'proof'
Although this was not his ultimate downfall, it would explain why among his possessions there were sticks and staves that could have been used as walking canes, say the researchers.
Not long before his death, the king fractured his leg, and the scientists think this was important.
The bone did not heal properly and began to die. This would have left the young king frail and susceptible to infection.
What finished him off, they believe, was a bout of malaria on top of his general ill health.

His is not a beautifully preserved mummy. It's a charred wreck. Hawass and his team have been incredibly clever and lucky to do this

Dr Bob Connolly, who has studied King Tut's remains

The scientists found traces of the malaria parasite in the pharaoh's blood - the oldest mummified genetic proof for malaria in ancient populations that we have.
Dr Hawass and his team say: "A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might have resulted in a life-threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred.
"Seeds, fruits and leaves found in the tomb, and possibly used as medical treatment, support this diagnosis."
Dr Bob Connolly, a senior lecturer in physical anthropology at Liverpool University, has examined Tutankhamun himself.
He said the researchers had been incredibly lucky to be able to extract the DNA for study.
"His is not a beautifully preserved mummy. It's a charred wreck. Hawass and his team have been incredibly clever and lucky to do this."
He said it was possible that the king died from malaria, but he personally doubted it.
"Just because he had the parasite in his blood does not necessarily mean he suffered from malaria or died from it. It may not have caused him any trouble."
"I still think he died from a fall from his chariot. His chest cavity was also caved in and he had broken ribs."

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Watch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkNpqOOzC7k

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Tutankhamun

News about King Tutankhamun

'Malaria and weak bones' may have killed Tutankhamun