by
Damien F. Mackey
The career of Amenhotep son
of Hapu appears to have been
modelled closely on that of the
great man, Senenmut.
Amenhotep
son of Hapu was a highly influential figure, whose fame reached down even into
Ptolemaïc times. Horemheb, for one, may have been stylistically influenced by
Amenhotep. For according to W. Smith and W. Simpson (The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt,
Yale UP, 1998, p. 195):
“The large grey granite statue of Horemheb in the pose of a scribe … is related
stylistically to those of Amenhotep son of Hapu … Horemheb has the same plump,
well-fed body and wears a long wig similar to that of the aged wise man …”.
Who really was
this Amenhotep son of Hapu, upon whom there were bestowed “unprecedented”
honours, investing him with virtually regal status?
Statuary and
Privileges
Egyptologist Joann
Fletcher offers us a glimpse of his extraordinary power (Egypt’s Sun King.
Amenhotep III, Duncan Baird, 2000, p. 51):
In an unprecedented move,
Amenhotep III gave extensive religious powers to his closest official and
namesake, Amenhotep son of Hapu, not only placing the scribe’s statuary
throughout Amun’s temple, but also granting his servant powers almost equal to
his own: inscriptions on the statues state that Amenhotep son of Hapu would
intercede with Amun himself on behalf of those who approached. The king’s
chosen man, who was not a member of Amun’s clergy, could act as intermediary
between the people and the gods on the king’s behalf, bypassing the priesthood
altogether.
[End of quote]
In light of what
we learned, however, in:
Solomon and Sheba
the powers
accorded by pharaoh Amenhotep III to his namesake, the son of Hapu, were not
“unprecedented”. All of this - and perhaps even more - had already been
bestowed upon Senenmut, the ‘power behind the throne’ of Pharaoh Hatshepsut.
I have
identified this Senenmut as King Solomon in Egypt.
We read in “Solomon
and Sheba” of Senenmut’s quasi-royal honours (compare the son of Hapu’s “virtually
regal status” above):
- SENENMUT IN HATSHEPSUT'S
KINGSHIP (REGNAL YEARS 7-16)
Hatshepsut's
Coronation
In about the 7th year of
Thutmose III, according to Dorman [52], Hatshepsut had herself crowned king,
assuming the name Maatkare or Make-ra (‘True is the heart of Ra’). In the
present scheme, this would be close to Solomon's 30th regnal year. From then
on, Hatshepsut is referred to as ‘king’, sometimes with the pronoun ‘she’ and
sometimes ‘he’, and depicted in the raiment of a king. She is called the
daughter of Amon-Ra - but in the picture of her birth a boy is moulded by
Khnum, the shaper of human beings (i.e. Amon-Ra) [53].
According to Dorman, Senenmut
was present at Hatshepsut's coronation and played a major rôle there [54]. On
one statue [55] he is given some unique titles, which Berlandini-Grenier [56]
identifies with the official responsible for the ritual clothing of the Queen
‘the stolist of Horus in privacy’, ‘keeper of the diadem in adorning the king’
and ‘he who covers the double crown with red linen’. Winlock was startled that
Senenmut had held so many unique offices in Egypt, including ‘more intimate
ones like those of the great nobles of France who were honored in being allowed
to assist in the most intimate details of the royal toilet at the king's
levees’ [57]. The rarity of the stolist titles suggested to Dorman [58] ‘a
one-time exercise of Senenmut's function of stolist and that prosopographical
conclusions might be drawn’, i.e., he had participated in Hatshepsut's
coronation.
….
And even more
startling is this:
…. of special interest is the
astronomical information in tomb 353, particularly the ceiling of Chamber A
[75]. Senenmut's ceiling is the earliest astronomical ceiling known. We are
reminded again of Solomon's encyclopaedic knowledge of astronomy and calendars
(Wisdom 7:17-19). The ceiling is divided into two parts by transverse bands of
texts, the central section of which contains the names ‘Hatshepsut’ and
‘Senenmut’ [76]. The southern half contains a list of decans derived from
coffins of the Middle Kingdom period that had served as ‘a prototype’ for a
family of decanal lists that survived until the Ptolemaïc period; whilst ‘The
northern half is decorated with the earliest preserved depiction of the
northern constellations; four planets (Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn) are also
portrayed with them, and the lunar calendar is represented by twelve large
circles’. [77]
In tomb 71 at Sheikh Abd
el-Qurna, · the sarcophagus itself is carved of quartzite in a unique oval form
adapted from the royal cartouche shape. Dorman [78] says ‘... the sarcophagus
seemed to be yet another proof ... of the pretensions Senenmut dares to
exhibit, skirting dangerously close to prerogatives considered to be
exclusively royal’. Winlock [79] would similarly note that it was
‘significantly designed as almost a replica of royal sarcophagi of
the time’,
- one of the painted scenes features a procession of Aegean (Greek) tribute bearers, the first known representation of these people [80] - the only coherent scene on the north wall of the axial corridor portrays three registers of men dragging sledges that provide shelter for statues of Senenmut, who faces the procession of statues.
Senenmut had presented to
Hatshepsut ‘an extraordinary request’ for ‘many statues of every kind of
precious hard stone’, to be placed in every temple and shrine of Amon-Ra [81]. His
request was granted. Meyer [82] pointed to it as an indication of his power.
[End of quotes]
Titles
Amenhotep son of
Hapu, likewise, had some most imposing titles
Hereditary prince, count, sole
companion, fan-bearer on the king's right hand, chief of the king's works even
all the great monuments which are brought, of every excellent costly stone;
steward of the King's-daughter of the king's-wife, Sitamen, who liveth;
overseer of the cattle of Amon in the South and North, chief of the prophets of
Horus, lord of Athribis, festival leader of Amon. ….
Several inscriptions outline
his career and show how he rose through the ranks.
Amenhotep started off as a
king's scribe as mentioned on his statue:
I was appointed to be
inferior king's-scribe; I was introduced into the divine book, I
beheld the excellent things of Thoth; I was equipped with their secrets; I
opened all their [passages (?)]; one took counsel with me on all their
matters.
After distinguishing himself,
Amenhotep was promoted to the position of Scribe of Recruits.
... he put all the people
subject to me, and the listing of their number under my control, as superior
king's-scribe over recruits. I levied the (military) classes of my
lord, my pen reckoned the numbers of millions; I put them in [classes (?)] in
the place of their [elders (?)]; the staff of old age as his beloved son. I
taxed the houses with the numbers belonging thereto, I divided the troops (of
workmen) and their houses, I filled out the subjects with the best of the captivity,
which his majesty had captured on the battlefield. I appointed all
their troops (Tz.t), I levied -------. I placed troops at the heads of
the way(s) to turn back the foreigners in their places.
Amenhotep mentions being on a
campaign to Nubia.
I was the chief at the head
of the mighty men, to smite the Nubians [and the Asiatics (?)], the
plans of my lord were a refuge behind me; [when I wandered (?)] his command
surrounded me; his plans embraced all lands and all foreigners who
were by his side. I reckoned up the captives of the victories of his majesty,
being in charge of them.
Later he was promoted to
"Chief of all works", thereby overseeing the building program of
Pharaoh Amenhotep III
His connections to court
finally led to Amenhotep being appointed as Steward to Princess-Queen Sitamen.
[End of quotes]
Official
Relationship to Amon
The son of Hapu
was, as we read above, “overseer of the cattle of Amon in the South and North …
[and] festival leader of Amon”. ….
Now regarding
Senenmut, as I wrote in “Solomon and Sheba”:
Historians claim ‘Steward of
Amon’ was the most illustrious of all Senenmut's titles. This would be fitting
if he were Solomon, and Amon-Ra were the Supreme God, the ‘King of Gods’, as
the Egyptians called him. Senenmut was also ‘overseer of the garden of Amon’
(see Appendix A). Like Solomon, a king who also acted as a priest, Senenmut's
chief rôle was religious. He was in charge of things pertaining to Amon and was
‘chief of all the prophets’. Solomon, at the beginning of his co-regency with
David, had prayed for wisdom and a discerning mind (I Kings 3:9). On the
completion of the Temple, he stood ‘before the altar of the Lord in the
presence of all the assembly of Israel, [he] spread forth his hands towards
heaven’ (I Kings 8:22). Likewise, Senenmut is depicted in Hatshepsut's temple
with arms up-stretched to heaven, praying to Hathor, the personification of
wisdom.
Thomas C.
Hamilton has provided this most perceptive comment about Amonism (Amunism) in a
revised context (http://kabane52.tumblr.com/post/132812715270/amunism-and-atenism):
Amunism and Atenism
Akhenhaten is widely known as
the “monotheistic Pharaoh” and his cult of the Aten has absurdly been
described as the “first monotheism.” This ignores the abundant evidence
that monotheism is the earliest religion of the human race, as was documented
in detail by Wilhelm Schmidt in his twelve volume work on the subject,
popularly summarized lately by Winfried Corduan. My intent, however, is not to
complain about that. Instead, it is to present a revised view of what Atenism
was on a revised chronology, largely drawing on the fascinating work of
traditional Catholic scholar Damien Mackey.
I have pointed out in the past
that the descriptions of Amun in Egyptian literature converge in fascinating
ways with the biblical description of God. Amun-Re is a sun-god. The sun, of
course, is one of the Lord’s chief symbols in Scripture, and the nations
worshiped God as the “God of Heaven.” This is why the phenomenon of original
monotheism is called the “sky-god” phenomenon. That a god was associated
with the sun does not mean that he had always been identified with the sun.
Indeed, I think the “fusion” of Amun and Re was the recovery of a pristine
monotheistic religion. Just as Yahweh and El were two titles for one God, so
also Amun and Re. Imhotep, whom I have identified with Joseph, served as High
Priest of Re at Heliopolis.
[End of quote]
The career of
Amenhotep son of Hapu in relation to Egypt reminds me in many ways of that of
that other quasi-royal (but supposed commoner), Senenmut, or Senmut, at the
time of Pharaoh Hatshepsut. Amenhotep son of Hapu is in fact so close a replica
of Senenmut that I would have to think that he had modelled himself greatly on
the latter.
Senenmut was to
pharaoh Hatshepsut also a Great Steward, and he was to princess Neferure her
mentor and steward.
So was Amenhotep
son of Hapu to pharaoh Amenhotep III a Great Steward, and he was to princess
Sitamun (Sitamen) her mentor and steward.
Again, as
Senenmut is considered by scholars to have been a commoner, who, due to his
great skills and character, rose up through the ranks to become scribe and
architect and steward of Amun, so is exactly the same said about Amenhotep son
of Hapu.
Each seemed to
be a real ‘power behind the throne’.
Son of Hapu,
like Senenmut, is thought not to have (married or to have) had any children.
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