Wehem Mesut

Last updated

The period of ancient Egyptian history known as wehem mesut or, more commonly, Whm Mswt (Manuel de Codage transliteration: wHm msw.t) can be literally translated as Repetition of Births, but is usually referred to as the (Era of the) Renaissance. [1]

Contents

Date

The Whm Mswt forms part of the reign of Ramesses XI, a king who ruled around the end of the New Kingdom and the start of the Third Intermediate Period. [2] In his 19th year he began to count anew, with year 1 of the Whm Mswt perhaps identical to, but at least partly overlapping with his 19th regnal year, as can be seen from the headings of two lists of thieves, known as the Abbott Dockets. [3] These read:

For a long time it was unclear where the Whm Mswt should be placed chronologically. Since the reign of Ramesses IX lasted into its 19th year, the Abbott Dockets were sometimes taken as evidence that the era immediately followed his reign and might perhaps even have been identical to (a phase of) the reign of Ramesses X. [4] This seemed to be confirmed by the fact that both the years 16 and 17 of Ramesses IX and the first two years of the Whm Mswt saw a series of court sessions connected with tomb-robbery. [5] It was Jaroslav Černý who convincingly showed that the era started in year 19 of Ramesses XI. [6] Although generally accepted, as a side effect his solution created an interval of over two decades between the two series of tomb-robbery trials, which created some anomalies for the tomb-robbery papyri. [7]

Starting date

It is often (tacitly) assumed that the start of the Whm Mswt coincided with the accession date of Ramses XI, but this is nothing more than a hypothesis. Whereas it now seems beyond doubt that the accession date of Ramses XI (that is, the date on which his regnal year changed) fell on "month 11, day 20", [8] [9] [10] it does not automatically follow that the year change for the Renaissance coincided with this date as well. It is safer to recognize that we simply don't know the precise date on which the Whm Mswt was inaugurated. [11]

Nature

The exact nature of the Whm Mswt is still unknown. It is often believed to mark a final waning of the power of the centralised monarchy, with Ramesses XI still nominally pharaoh, but with Herihor as High Priest of Amun in Thebes and Smendes in Tanis ruling respectively Upper and Lower Egypt. [12] However, this interpretation rests on the theory that the career of the High Priest Herihor preceded that of Piankh, which has been challenged by Jansen-Winkeln. [13] Since his reversal of high priests (he put the pontificate of Piankh before that of Herihor) other models have been proposed. E.g. the Whm Mswt has been interpreted as marking the restoration of order by Ramses XI following his expulsion of the Viceroy of Kush Pinehesy, after the latter suppressed the Theban High Priest of Amun Amenhotep. [14] [15]

Sources

During the first two years of the era a series of tomb-robbery trials took place. These are well documented due to the survival of several papyri, most notably Pap. B.M. 10052, Pap. Mayer A, Pap. B.M. 10403, Pap. B.M. 10383 [16] and Papyrus Rochester MAG 51.346.1. [17] [18]

Other sources dating from the Whm Mswt are Pap. Ambras (an inventory of stolen papyri, explicitly dated to year 6 of the Whm Mswt); [19] [20] an oracle mentioning the High Priest of Amun Piankh, explicitly dated to year 7 Whm Mswt under Ramesses XI, [21] and the corpus known as the Late Ramesside Letters. [22]

Length of the era

The era was traditionally thought to have ended around its Year 10 (or Year 28 proper of Ramesses XI) when a letter from the corpus of Late Ramesside Letters shows that the High Priest Piankh was campaigning in Nubia. [23] A graffito in Upper Egypt dates the return of Piankh to Thebes to the third month of Shemu day 23, i.e. 3 days after the start of Ramesses XI's 29th regnal year, which would (on the assumption that the years of the Whm Mswt fully coincided with the original regnal years of Ramesses XI) prove that the Whm Mswt reached into a year 11.

In 2007, Professor Kenneth A. Kitchen argued that the combination of Late Ramesside Letter 41 (undated) [24] with a reference to a Year 12 in West Theban graffito No.1393 (which mentioned the necropolis scribe Ankhefenamun visiting the mountains with the senior scribe Butehamun, Dhutmose's son) likely shows that the Whm Mswt reached a Year 12 or Year 30 proper of Ramesses XI. [25] However, Kitchen's own standard book on the Third Intermediate Period previously attributed the anonymous West Theban graffito No.1393 to the reign of king Smendes and not to the Whm Mswt period. [26] Attributing this date to the Whm Mswt would create enormous problems for his own reconstruction of Egyptian history since West Theban graffito No.1393 forms part of a whole corpus of sources which Kitchen would never be willing to ascribe to the Whm Mswt since this would upset his whole chronology for the period. [27]

It has been proposed by Ad Thijs, followed by Aidan Dodson, that the era may have lasted into its year 15. [28] [29] This theory requires the reascription of papyri normally ascribed to the phase of the reign of Ramesses XI predating the Whm Mswt to the Whm Mswt itself. This move is based on [1] the promotion of several individuals mentioned in those papyri. [30] [31] and [2] the identification of several tomb robbery papyri from the reign of Ramesses XI with documents listed in P. Ambras, a papyrus which stems from year 6 of the Whm Mswt: [32] In year 6 of the Whm Mswt two jars of papyri which apparently had been stolen earlier, probably during the suppression of the High Priest of Amun Amenhotep (see above), were bought back from the people. The Egyptologist T. Eric Peet had already noted that several well-known papyri matched the description given in P. Ambras. [33] However, he also noted that with two papyri, P. BM 10053 and P. BM 10068, the additional entries on the verso (stemming from a year 9 and a year 12) were apparently omitted by the scribe of P. Ambras, which suggests that they were not yet there when the inventory of P. Ambras was composed. From this it could be deduced that the Whm Mswt must have lasted at least into a year 12.

In the Hypostyle Hall of the Temple of Khonsu, there are ample depictions of Herihor as High Priest of Amun, serving under Ramesses XI. [34] It has been pointed out that, on the theory of Jansen-Winkeln which has Herihor following Piankh, this suggests that Ramesses XI must have continued to reign at least for several years after the last attestation of Piankh in year 10 or 11. [35]

Related Research Articles

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

Neferkare Setepenre Ramesses IX was the eighth pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. He was the third longest serving king of this Dynasty after Ramesses III and Ramesses XI. He is now believed to have assumed the throne on I Akhet day 21 based on evidence presented by Jürgen von Beckerath in a 1984 GM article. According to Papyrus Turin 1932+1939, Ramesses IX enjoyed a reign of 18 years and 4 months and died in his 19th Year in the first month of Peret between day 17 and 27. His throne name, Neferkare Setepenre, means "Beautiful Is The Soul of Re, Chosen of Re." Ramesses IX is believed to be the son of Mentuherkhepeshef, a son of Ramesses III, since Mentuherkhopshef's wife, the lady Takhat bears the prominent title of King's Mother on the walls of tomb KV10, which she usurped and reused in the late 20th Dynasty; no other 20th Dynasty king is known to have had a mother with this name. Ramesses IX was, therefore, probably a grandson of Ramesses III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses IV</span> Third pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt

Usermaatre Heqamaatre Setepenamun Ramesses IV was the third pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. He was the second son of Ramesses III and became crown prince when his elder brother Amenherkhepshef died aged 15 in 1164 BC, when Ramesses was only 12 years old. His promotion to crown prince:

is suggested by his appearance in a scene of the festival of Min at the Ramesses III temple at Karnak, which may have been completed by Year 22 [of his father's reign].

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses X</span> Ninth ruler of the 20th dynasty of Ancient Egypt

Khepermaatre Ramesses X was the ninth pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. His birth name was Amonhirkhepeshef. His prenomen or throne name, Khepermaatre, means "The Justice of Re Abides."

<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">Herihor</span> Egyptian high priest

Herihor was an Egyptian army officer and High Priest of Amun at Thebes during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses XI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses V</span> Pharaoh in the ancient Egypt

Usermaatre Sekheperenre Ramesses V was the fourth pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt and was the son of Ramesses IV and Duatentopet. His mummy is now on display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesses VI</span> Fifth ruler of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt

Ramesses VI Nebmaatre-Meryamun was the fifth ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. He reigned for about eight years in the mid-to-late 12th century BC and was a son of Ramesses III and queen Iset Ta-Hemdjert. As a prince, he was known as Ramesses Amunherkhepeshef and held the titles of royal scribe and cavalry general. He was succeeded by his son, Ramesses VII Itamun, whom he had fathered with queen Nubkhesbed.

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

Pinedjem I was the High Priest of Amun at Thebes in Ancient Egypt from 1070 to 1032 BC and the de facto ruler of the south of the country from 1054 BC. He was the son of the High Priest Piankh. However, many Egyptologists today believe that the succession in the Amun priesthood actually ran from Piankh to Herihor to Pinedjem I.

<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">Smendes</span> Egyptian pharaoh

Hedjkheperre Setepenre Smendes was the founder of the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt and succeeded to the throne after burying Ramesses XI in Lower Egypt – territory which he controlled. His Egyptian nomen or birth name was actually Nesbanebdjed meaning "He of the Ram, Lord of Mendes", but it was translated into Greek as Smendes by later classical writers such as Josephus and Sextus Africanus. According to the Story of Wenamun from c. 1000 BC, Smendes was a governor of Lower Egypt during the Era of the Renaissance under the reign of Ramesses XI, however, Egyptologists have questioned the historical accuracy of that story.

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

Pinehesy, Panehesy or Panehasy, depending on the transliteration, was Viceroy of Kush during the reign of Ramesses XI, the last king of the Egyptian 20th Dynasty.

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

The Abbott Papyrus serves as an important political document concerning the tomb robberies of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom. It also gives insight into the scandal between the two rivals Pawero and Paser of Thebes.

The Mayer Papyri are two ancient Egyptian documents from the Twentieth Dynasty that contain records of court proceedings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iset Ta-Hemdjert</span> Queen consort of Egypt

Iset Ta-Hemdjert or Isis Ta-Hemdjert, simply called Isis in her tomb, was an ancient Egyptian queen of the Twentieth Dynasty; the Great Royal Wife of Ramesses III and the Royal Mother of Ramesses VI.

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

Ramessesnakht was High Priest of Amun during many years in the 20th Dynasty. He was appointed as the High Priest at Thebes under Ramesses IV. He served in office until the reign of Ramesses IX. It was during Ramessesnakht's tenure that the power and importance of the Amun priesthood grew over Egypt while the Pharaoh's power began to noticeably decline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amenhotep (High Priest of Amun)</span>

Amenhotep was the High Priest of Amun towards the end of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt, serving under Ramesses IX, Ramesses X and Ramesses XI. He was the son of Ramessesnakht, the previous high priest of Amun. It is not beyond dispute who succeeded him in office. For a long time it was assumed that he was followed by the High Priest Herihor. However, Karl Jansen-Winkeln has suggested that Amenhotep was instead succeeded by the High Priest Piankh. We know the names of several of his brothers and a sister:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt</span> Period from 1189 to 1077 BCE

The Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt is the third and last dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom period, lasting from 1189 BC to 1077 BC. The 19th and 20th Dynasties furthermore together constitute an era known as the Ramesside period. This dynasty is generally considered to be the start of the decline of Ancient Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nodjmet</span> Queen consort of Egypt

Nodjmet, Nedjmet, or Notmit was an ancient Egyptian noblewoman of the late 20th-early 21st dynasties of Egypt, mainly known for being the wife of High Priest of Amun at Thebes, Herihor.

Papyrus Ambras is a papyrus which was formerly in the collection of Ambras Castle near Inssbruck, and is now a part of the collection of the Vienna Museum. The first to draw attention to it was the Egyptologist Heinrich Karl Brugsch, who published about it in 1876.

Hrere was an ancient Egyptian noble lady of the late 20th-early 21st dynasties of Egypt. Although during her life she must have been an influential person, not much is known for certain about her family relationships. The names of her parents have not come down to us and the identity of her husband is not beyond dispute. She is often seen as either the wife or grandmother of the High Priest at Thebes, Piankh, but it has also been suggested that she may have been the wife of the High Priest Amenhotep.

References

  1. ↑ Shaw, Ian, ed. (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 309.
  2. ↑ Andrzej Niwinski, Bürgerkrieg, militärischer Staatsstreich und Ausnahmezustand in Ägypten unter Ramses XI. Ein Versuch neuer Interpretation der alten Quellen [Civil war, military coup d'etat and exceptional situations in Egypt under Rameses XI: An attempt at new interpretation of old sources]
  3. ↑ T. Eric Peet, The Great Tomb-robberies of the Twentieth Egyptian Dynasty, Oxford, 1930, 128
  4. ↑ T. Eric Peet, JEA 14 (1928), 65-73
  5. ↑ T. Eric Peet, The Great Tomb-robberies of the Twentieth Egyptian Dynasty, Oxford, 1930
  6. ↑ Jaroslav Černý, JEA 15 (1929), 194-198; ZÄS 65 (1930), 129-130
  7. ↑ Ad Thijs, Reconsidering the End of the Twentieth Dynasty, Part I, Göttinger Miszellen GM 167 (1998), 95-108; Reconsidering the End of the Twentieth Dynasty, Part II, Göttinger Miszellen 170 (1999), 83-99
  8. ↑ Gardiner, JEA 26 (1940), 23-29
  9. ↑ Ohlhafer, GM 135 (1993), 59-62
  10. ↑ Cannuyer, GM 132 (1993), 19-20
  11. ↑ A. Thijs, GM 181 (2001), 99-103
  12. ↑ José Lull, Los sumos sacerdotes de Amón tebanos de la wHm mswt y dinastía XXI [The Theban High Priests of Amun during the wHm mswt and the 21st Dynasty]
  13. ↑ K. Jansen-Winkeln, ZÄS 119 (1992), 22-37; GM 157 (1997), 49-74
  14. ↑ Ad Thijs, Reconsidering the End of the Twentieth Dynasty, Part II, Göttinger Miszellen 170 (1999), 98
  15. ↑ Ad Thijs, Introducing the Banishment Stele into the 20th Dynasty, Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde 138 (2011), 163-181
  16. ↑ T. E. Peet, The Great Tomb-robberies of the Twentieth Egyptian Dynasty, Oxford, 1930, 122-175
  17. ↑ Goelet, JEA 82 (1996), 107-127
  18. ↑ Quack, SAK 28 (2000), 219-232
  19. ↑ T. Eric Peet, The great tomb-robberies of the Twentieth Egyptian Dynasty, Oxford 1930, 177-182
  20. ↑ Ad Thijs, Reconsidering the End of the Twentieth Dynasty Part V, P. Ambras as an advocate of a shorter chronology, GM 179 (2000), 69-83
  21. ↑ Nims, JNES 7 (1948), 157-162
  22. ↑ E. Wente, Late Ramesside Letters, SAOC 33, 1967
  23. ↑ Late Ramesside Letter 9 in "Late Ramesside Letters" by Edward F. Wente, The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization (SAOC) 33, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1967. pp.11-12 & 37-38
  24. ↑ E. F. Wente, Late Ramesside Letters, Chicago 1967 [SAOC 33], 15, 75f
  25. ↑ Kenneth A. Kitchen, "The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt: An Overview of Fact and Fiction" in The Libyan Period in Egypt, Historical Studies into the 21st-24th Dynasties:Proceedings of a Conference at Leiden University, 25–27 October 2007, G.P.F. Broekman, R.J. Demarée and O.E. Kaper, (eds), Nederlands Instituut Voor Het Nabije Oosten, Leuven: Peeters, 2009. p.193
  26. ↑ K. A. Kitchen, The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100–650 BC) 2nd rev. ed. Warminster 1986, § 382, no.23
  27. ↑ Ad Thijs, Once More, the Length of the Ramesside Renaissance, GM 240 (2014), 70, footnote 8
  28. ↑ Ad Thijs, Reconsidering the End of the Twentieth Dynasty, Part III, Some hitherto unrecognised documents from the wHm mswt, Göttinger Miszellen 173 (1999), pp.175-191.
  29. ↑ Aidan Dodson, Afterglow of Empire, Egypt from the Fall of the New Kingdom to the Saite Renaissance, AUC Press 2012, p. 12.
  30. ↑ Thijs, GM 173 (1999), pp.175-191.
  31. ↑ Ad Thijs, Reconsidering the End of the Twentieth Dynasty, Part VI, Some minor adjustments and observations concerning the chronology of the last Ramessides and the whm mswt, GM 181 (2001), 96-99
  32. ↑ Ad Thijs, Reconsidering the End of the Twentieth Dynasty Part V, P. Ambras as an advocate of a shorter chronology, GM 179 (2000), 69-83
  33. ↑ T.E. Peet, o.c., 179-180
  34. ↑ The Epigraphic Survey, The Temple of Khonsu, volume 2, Chicago 1981, Oriental Institute Publications, volume 103
  35. ↑ Ad Thijs, Reconsidering the End of the Twentieth Dynasty, Part III, Some hitherto unrecognised documents from the wHm mswt, Göttinger Miszellen 173 (1999), pp.188-189.

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.