by
Damien F. Mackey
The career of
Amenhotep son of Hapu seems to have been
closely
modelled on that of 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, 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
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 that article of Senenmut’s
quasi-royal honours (compare son of Hapu’s “virtually regal status” above):
3. 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:
…. 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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