(Akheprure) (d. 1401 B.C.E.) Seventh ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty
The son of TUTHMOSIS III and Queen MERYT-RE-HATSHEPSUT, Amenhotep II reigned from 1427 B.C.E. until his death. He was reportedly not the original heir. A brother, Amenemhet, believed to be the son of Tuthmosis III and Queen NEFERU-RE, died before he could inherit the throne. Amenhotep II was handsome, tall, and athletic. He was a warrior delighting in hand-to-hand combat, executing prisoners personally in elaborate ceremonies. When he was made coregent, Amenhotep added Hegaiunu to his name, meaning “the ruler of Iunu,” HELIOPOLIS.
His entire life was spent in preparing for his reign as he underwent the usual education for princes and heirs. He excelled in archery and horsemanship, and he commanded the vast Egyptian naval base at PERU-NEFER near Memphis. Experienced in war, Amenhotep II moved quickly in the second year of his reign against the cities on the Mediterranean Sea that were in open revolt. He marched into Palestine to Shemesh-Edom and subdued each city-state all the way to the Orontes River, to modern Lebanon and Syria. At Tikishi he captured seven princes and brought them to Egypt. Amenhotep moved on to the Euphrates River in modern Iraq, where he erected a stela alongside the ones raised up there by his father and great grandfather (TUTHMOSIS I, r. 1504–1492 B.C.E.), the founders of the empire. He also rescued Egyptian troops surrounded at another battle site in the area. Returning to Egypt, Amenhotep brought prisoners and considerable booty to THEBES.
In Egypt, Amenhotep II left monuments at DENDEREH, HELIOPOLIS, GEBEL EL-SILSILEH, TOD, ELKAB, GIZA, ERMENT, and MEDAMUD. In his third year, Nubian rebellions brought Amenhotep to ASWAN and the ELEPHANTINE Island. The princes captured in the region of the Orontes River the year before accompanied Amenhotep on this voyage. All seven of them hung head downward from the prow of his ship. The bodies were later displayed in other prominent sites. Amenhotep II reportedly delighted in the slaughter of his enemies. In his seventh year he went to CARCHEMISH, in Syria, to subdue another revolt.
Amenhotep II’s consorts were SITAMON and then MERYT-AMUN (2), his sister, but another consort, Queen TEO, bore his heir, TUTHMOSIS IV. His mother, Meryt-Re- Hatshepsut, however, remained the Great Wife, or ranking queen. Amenhotep II had several sons and daughters. Amenhotep’s mummy was discovered in his tomb in the VALLEY OF THE KINGS on the western shore of the Nile at Thebes. He had wavy brown hair, graying at the temples. His mummified skin was studded with small tubercules, possibly the result of embalming. Believed to have died at the age of 45, Amenhotep suffered from rheumatism and some sort of systemic disease, no doubt from tooth problems. Signs of severe dental decay are evident in his mummy.
His tomb in the Valley of the Kings proved to be a treasure house of Egyptian history. The AM DUAT prayers are depicted on the walls in compelling reliefs. The burial chamber of his tomb, found undisturbed, was used by priests of later dynasties as a storehouse for other rescued mummies of the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.). This tomb had an early styled entry stairwell, corridors, antechambers, pillared halls, and a decorated sunken burial chamber. Magazines and well shafts were included in the design. One of Amenhotep II’s sons shared the tomb.
