(fl. 12th century B.C.E.) Tomb robber of the Twentieth Dynasty
Amenwah reportedly invaded the tomb of RAMESSES III (r. 1194–1163 B.C.E.). The desecration came in a troubled era following the pharaoh’s death, in which temple priests and entire villages plundered gravesites. Amenwah was associated with DEIR EL-MEDINA, an ancient village housing artisans who worked in the tombs in the VALLEY OF THE KINGS on the western shore of the Nile at THEBES.He was rounded up in a sweeping raid on tomb robbers of that era. Pleading innocent to all charges brought against him, he was eventually released for lack of evidence. Modern excavations of Amenwah’s tomb established his guilt. He not only robbed Ramesses III’s tomb but also placed his ill-gotten goods in his own burial chamber for all eternity.
