Lives of the Ancient Egyptians by Toby Wilkinson

Author:Toby Wilkinson [Wilkinson, Toby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-500-77162-4
Publisher: Thames & Hudson

55 | Amenhotep son of Hapu

THE KING’S RIGHT-HAND MAN

Although it was a society in which inherited office was the ideal, ancient Egypt none the less prided itself on giving men of talent the opportunity to rise to the very top through their own abilities. Indeed, there are examples throughout pharaonic history of individuals of humble birth achieving high office. One man, however, outdid them all: Amenhotep son of Hapu rose, not from rags to riches, but from drudgery to divinity.

Amenhotep was born in around 1435 bc, during the reign of Thutmose III (no. 45), a son to Itu and his wife Hapu. He grew up in the small provincial town of Athribis (ancient Hut-hery-ib), capital of the tenth nome (province) of Lower Egypt. As a boy, his intellectual abilities must already have been recognized, as he was sent to attend the House of Life attached to the local temple. This institution housed both the sacred library and the scriptorium where priests composed new religious texts. The young Amenhotep would have received a thorough induction in Egyptian reading and writing, an education shared with very few of his contemporaries: ‘I was inducted into the gods’ books and beheld the words of Thoth [hieroglyphs]. I penetrated their secrets and learned all their mysteries, and I was consulted on their every aspect.’

Having learned to read and write, he no doubt entered the lower ranks of the local administration, and seemed destined for a comfortable, though unspectacular career. All that changed at the accession of Amenhotep III (no. 52), by which time Amenhotep son of Hapu was already in his mid-forties. The new reign brought with it new opportunities for men of learning, and Amenhotep became a royal scribe and chief priest of his local temple of Horus-Khentikheti. Still, his world did not extend beyond the confines of his home town in the central Delta. At some point during the next decade, however, word must have reached the king about the abilities of this local administrator. For, in his fifties, Amenhotep was summoned south to Thebes – more than 400 miles (650 km) away – to take up the position of scribe of recruits, responsible for levying and deploying manpower throughout Egypt for royal construction projects. So successful was Amenhotep in this important role, that he was subsequently promoted to Overseer of All the King’s Works; he now had direct managerial responsibility for Amenhotep III’s lavish projects, ranging from the temple of Soleb in Nubia to the king’s mortuary temple and colossi on the west bank of Thebes. These last were among the largest royal statues ever commissioned, and Amenhotep was understandably proud of his part in their creation:

‘I directed the king’s likeness in every hard stone like heaven, directing the work of his statues, great of breadth. I did not imitate what had been done before… and there has never been anyone who has done the same since the founding of the Two Lands.’

As a reward for his excellent work, Amenhotep received a

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