Butehamun

Last updated
Butehamun
Sarcofago interno e falso coperchio di Butehamon 8SA0710-Modifica.tif
Inner coffin lid of Butehamun, now in Museo Egizio, Turin
BornBefore 1070 BC
In or around Deir el-Medina, Egypt
DiedBefore 960 BC
OccupationScribe
Years activec.  11th century BC
ButehamunButehamunButehamun
Butehamun		ButehamunButehamunButehamunButehamunButehamun
Butehamun
Butehamun [1]
in hieroglyphs
Era: New Kingdom
(1550–1069 BC)

Butehamun (fl. 11th century BC) was an Egyptian scribe born and raised in or around Deir el-Medina [2] during the reign of Ramesses XI, the tenth and final pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. Butehamun was the son of Thutmose [3] [4] (or Dhutmose) [5] of Deir el-Medina, who was also a scribe, and a member of a family of scribes dating back to the early Twentieth Dynasty.

Contents

Under the orders of the High Priests of Amun who maintained the temple complex of Karnak in Thebes, Butehamun was involved in the relocation and reburial of royal mummies from the Valley of the Kings to the Royal Cache (TT320). [6] Throughout his life, Butehamun earned several titles, including "Scribe of the Necropolis", "Opener of the Gates of the Necropolis", "Overseer of Works in the House of Eternity", and "Overseer of the Treasuries of the Kings". [4]

Much of what is known about Butehamun is derived from graffiti and from letters between Butehamun and his father. [7] Though Polish archaeologist Andrzej Niwiński proposed the existence of three scribes, each named Butehamun, connected to the Theban Necropolis, [8] this view is considered discredited. [9] Butehamun died during the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt. [10]

Home

Butehamun's residence was located at Medinet Habu, [11] [12] a site near the foot of the Theban Hills on the west bank of the Nile River. Four columns of the adobe remain, bearing inscriptions and images of the god Amun and the pharaoh Amenhotep I, as well as Amenhotep I's mother, the Great Royal Wife Ahmose-Nefertari. [12]

Death and burial

Butehamun died during the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt, [10] which lasted from 1077 BC to 943 BC. The whereabouts of Butehamun's mummy are unknown. [13] A set of coffins belonging to Butehamun—an outer coffin, an inner coffin, and a "false lid"—were probably [13] found in the tomb of Nakhte-Min (TT291), a workman from the Eighteenth Dynasty. [10] Butehamun's outer and inner coffins are housed at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meretseger</span> Ancient Egyptian cobra-goddess

Meretseger was a Theban cobra-goddess in ancient Egyptian religion, in charge with guarding and protecting the vast Theban Necropolis — on the west bank of the Nile, in front of Thebes — and especially the heavily guarded Valley of the Kings. Her cult was typical of the New Kingdom of Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amenhotep I</span> Second Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

Amenhotep I or Amenophis I, was the second Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. His reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses XI</span> Egyptian pharaoh of the 20th dynasty

Menmaatre Ramesses XI reigned from 1107 BC to 1078 BC or 1077 BC and was the tenth and final pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt and as such, was the last king of the New Kingdom period. He ruled Egypt for at least 29 years although some Egyptologists think he could have ruled for as long as 30. The latter figure would be up to 2 years beyond this king's highest known date of Year 10 of the Whm Mswt era or Year 28 of his reign. One scholar, Ad Thijs, has suggested that Ramesses XI could even have reigned as long as 33 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deir el-Bahari</span> Part of the Theban Necropolis in Luxor, Egypt

Deir el-Bahari or Dayr al-Bahri is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt. This is a part of the Theban Necropolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piankh</span>

Piankh was a High Priest of Amun during the 21st Dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dra' Abu el-Naga'</span> Village and archaeological site in Egypt

The necropolis of Draʻ Abu el-Naga' is located on the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes, Egypt, just by the entrance of the dry bay that leads up to Deir el-Bahari and north of the necropolis of el-Assasif. The necropolis is located near the Valley of the Kings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Cache</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The Royal Cache, technically known as TT320, is an Ancient Egyptian tomb located next to Deir el-Bahari, in the Theban Necropolis, opposite the modern city of Luxor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thuya</span> Ancient Egyptian noblewoman of the Eighteenth Dynasty

Thuya was an Egyptian noblewoman and the mother of queen Tiye, and the wife of Yuya. She is the grandmother of Akhenaten, and great grandmother of Tutankhamun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Abd el-Qurna</span> Necropolis of ancient Egypt

The necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna is located on the West Bank at Thebes in Upper Egypt. It is part of the archaeological area of Deir el-Bahari, and named after the domed tomb of the local saint. This is the most frequently visited cemetery on the Theban west bank, with the largest concentration of private tombs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El-Khokha</span> Necropolis of ancient Thebes, Egypt

The necropolis of El-Khokha is located on the west bank of the river Nile at Thebes, Egypt. The necropolis is surrounds a hill and has five Old Kingdom tombs and over 50 tombs from the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties as well as some from the First Intermediate Period and the Late Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley of the Kings</span> Necropolis in ancient Egypt

The Valley of the Kings, also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings, is an area in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth Dynasty, rock-cut tombs were excavated for pharaohs and powerful nobles under the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmose-Meritamun</span>

Ahmose-Meritamun was a Queen of Egypt during the early Eighteenth Dynasty. She was both the older sister and the wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep I. She died fairly young and was buried in tomb TT358 in Deir el-Bahari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masaharta</span>

Masaharta or Masaherta was the High Priest of Amun at Thebes between 1054 and 1045 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anen</span> Ancient Egyptian priest, Second Prophet of Amun

Anen or Aanen was an ancient Egyptian nobleman and official of the Eighteenth Dynasty. A priest and administrator, his period of royal service occurred largely during the reign of his brother-in-law, Amenhotep III.

The ancient Egyptian official named Menna carried a number of titles associated with the agricultural estates of the temple of Karnak and the king. Information about Menna comes primarily from his richly decorated tomb in the necropolis of Sheikh Abd al-Qurna at Thebes. Though his tomb has traditionally been dated to the reign of Thutmose IV, stylistic analysis of the decoration places the majority of construction and decoration of the tomb to the reign of Amenhotep III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomb of Kha and Merit</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The tomb of Kha and Merit, also known by its tomb number Theban Tomb 8 or TT8, is the funerary chapel and burial place of the ancient Egyptian foreman Kha and his wife Merit, in the northern cemetery of the workmen's village of Deir el-Medina. Kha supervised the workforce who constructed royal tombs during the reigns of the pharaohs Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III in the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty of the early New Kingdom of Egypt. Of unknown background, he probably rose to his position through skill and was rewarded by at least one king. He and his wife Merit had three known children. Kha died in his 60s, while Merit died before him, seemingly unexpectedly, in her 20s or 30s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isetemkheb D</span> Chief of the Harem of Amun-Re

Isetemkheb D was the sister-wife of the Theban High Priest of Amun Pinedjem II during the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT32</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The Theban Tomb TT32 is located in El-Khokha, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. It is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian official, Djehutymose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT97</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The Theban Tomb TT97 is located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. The tomb belongs to an ancient Egyptian named Amenemhat, who was the High Priest of Amun at Karnak, during the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep II of the 18th Dynasty. Amenemhat was the son of the wab-priest and "Overseer of the sandal makers of Amun", Djehutyhotep.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT358</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb

The Theban Tomb TT358 is located in Deir el-Bahari, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. The tomb belongs to the king's wife Ahmose-Meritamun, the sister and the wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep I. The tomb was later used for the additional burial of the King's daughter Nany, who was a daughter of Pharaoh Pinedjem I.

References

  1. ↑ Ranke 1935, p. 94.
  2. ↑ van Heel, Koenraad Donker (2012). Djekhy & Son: Doing Business in Ancient Egypt. American University in Cairo Press. p. 160. ISBN   978-977-416-477-4.
  3. ↑ Jasnow, Richard; Cooney, Kathlyn M., eds. (2015). Joyful in Thebes: Egyptological Studies in Honor of Betsy M. Bryan. Lockwood Press. p. 420. ISBN   978-1-937040-40-6.
  4. 1 2 Wilkinson, Toby (2015). The Nile: Travelling Downriver Through Egypt's Past and Present. Vintage Books. ISBN   978-0804168908.
  5. ↑ @GettyMuseum (6 October 2020). "We know quite a lot about Dhutmose's son, Butehamun, who was also a Scribe of the Necropolis like his father. Butehamun was tasked with relocating the royal mummies in the Valley of the Kings in order to protect them against tomb robbers" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 May 2023– via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Joann, Fletcher (2016). "Zenith". Immortal Egypt. BBC Two . Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  7. ↑ Taylor 1995, p. 19.
  8. ↑ Davies, Benedict G. (1997). "Two Many Butehamuns? Additional Observations on Their Identity". Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur . 24: 49–68. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  9. ↑ Thijs, Ad (2020). "Butehamun and the God's Wife of Amun Maatkare Mutemhat: Two Problematic Burials". Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde. 147 (1): 92–105. doi:10.1515/zaes-2020-0028 . Retrieved 30 May 2023. In 1984 A. Niwiński published an article in which he postulated the existence of no less than three scribes called Butehamun. Although his hypothesis was very soon afterwards falsified, the problems with the funeral equipment of Butehamun which led him to his remarkable theory have never been adequately dealt with.
  10. 1 2 3 McDowell, A.G. (2002). Village Life in Ancient Egypt: Laundry Lists and Love Songs. Oxford University Press. p. 73. ISBN   0-19-814998-0.
  11. ↑ Taylor 1995, p. 47.
  12. 1 2 Radner, Karen; Moeller, Nadine; Potts, D. T., eds. (2023). The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East: Volume IV: The Age of Assyria. Oxford University Press. p. 37. ISBN   978-0-19-068763-2.
  13. 1 2 3 "Outer coffin of Butehamon". Museo Egizio . Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Inner coffin of Butehamon". Museo Egizio . Retrieved 1 June 2023.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.