(1) (fl. 12th century B.C.E.) Prince of the Twentieth Dynasty
Amenhirkhopshef was the son of RAMESSES III (r. 1194–1163 B.C.E.) and Queen ISET (2). The prince died at the age of nine. Queen Iset is reported to have miscarried a baby when she heard of Amenhirkhopshef’s death, and the unborn infant was mummified and entombed in the prince’s own crypt. In Amenhirkhopshef’s burial chamber, Ramesses III is depicted leading his son to the god ANUBIS, the jackal-headed deity associated with OSIRIS and funerary rituals. The prince served as a royal scribe during his brief life. He was buried in the VALLEY OF THE QUEENS on the western shore of the Nile at THEBES, the site used for the tombs of princes in the New Kingdom
(1550–1070 B.C.E.). The walls of some chambers of this tomb are exquisitely painted.
Amenhirkhopshef (2) (fl. 13th century B.C.E.) Prince of the Nineteenth Dynasty
The son of RAMESSES II (1290–1224 B.C.E.) and Queen NEFERTARI MERYMUT, he was called Amenhirwonmef (“Amun is at his right hand”) originally and then Amenhirkhopshef (“Amun wields his sword”). This prince is shown in the procession of Ramessid royal heirs in LUXOR Temple, and in ABU SIMBEL, the site of his father’s great monument. He is also depicted in KV5, the recently opened tomb of the sons of Ramesses II. This tomb, the largest ever found in Egypt, was designed to house the remains of more than 100 of Ramesses II’s sons in the valley. There is another lavish tomb bearing his name in the VALLEY OF THE QUEENS on the western shore of the Nile at THEBES.
Amenhirkhopshef was the commanding general of Egypt’s armies and heir apparent of the throne. He was active in Ramesses II’s campaigns, punishing city-states such as Moab that had accepted the protection of the HITTITES, the enemies of Egypt at the time. When a treaty was signed between the Hittites and the Egyptians, Amenhirkhopshef was mentioned in royal correspondence. The Hittite King HATTUSILIS III and his queen, PEDUKHIPA, sent greetings to Nefertari Merymut and the crown prince Amenhirkhopshef. He died in the 20th year of Ramesses II’s reign. Eleven other brothers would precede their father in death. MERENPTAH, his eventual heir, was 13th in the line of succession.
