BY DAVE RANKIN
Stepping into a great man’s shoes is no easy feat. But when your father happens to be one Kemet’s greatest nesew/pharaoh’s in history, you only do what you can to continue the legacy of the family’s name.
Stepping into his role of nesew at the tender age of eighteen was Amenhotep the 2nd. Born of a non-royal mother Merytre-Hatshepsut, Amenhotep the 2nd was raised in Memphis. He was only considered for the role of nesew because Tuthmosis the 3rd’s Royal Wife Satiah and eldest son Amenenhat died somewhere between the 24-35 years of his reign leaving him with no heir. This prompted a union between Tuthmosis the 3rd and Merytre-Hatshepsut, which of course bore Amenhotep the 2nd.
As a young prince there was a great emphasis placed on his development in archery, hunting, aquatics, and horsemanship. There are records that show Amenhotep the 2nd was trained under an expert bowman named Miny.
Amenhotep also had a great love for horses. The following text comes to us from the book When Egypt Ruled The East. “Now, indeed, when he was a still a youth he [Amenhotep] loved his horses and rejoiced in them. It made his heart strong to work with them, to learn their nature, to become skilled in taking care of them.” There’s even a part in the text where his father Tuthmosis the 3rd tells his son to, “Care for them but let them fear you. Trot them but break them if they resist you.”
Amenhotep was also known for his uncanny physical strength. Aside from his Horus or Heru name, which meant ‘Powerful bull with great strength,’ He showed his prowess in sport especially in aquatics. The text continues, “He could not be approached in fleetness. Strong was his arms, one who never wearied when he took the oar; but he rowed at the stern of his falcon-boat as the best of two hundred men.”
There was a two-year co-regency before Amenhotep the 2nd took the throne approximately in the year 1450 BCE. When he did take the throne, he was first tasked with the funeral rites of burying his father in the Valley of the Kings (KV 34). Then he set his sites to Syria in a series of three campaigns.
I’ve found that when there is a transition of power on the throne, there is usually an uprising in one of the occupied states of the empire. In year three of Amenhotep’s reign, the rebellion of Nahrim or the Mitanni, caused him to take to the battlefield. During this campaign, it was said that Amenhotep the 2nd ‘Singlehandedly killed seven princes at Kadesh’ and publicly displayed their bodies on the ‘Walls of Thebes and Napata.’
There were two other campaigns in years seven and nine of his reign against the Mitanni who were still vying for power in Syria and Palestine. Eventually the two sides came to terms, with Amenhotep the 2nd agreeing to marry the daughter of the Mitannian king, Artatama 1st.
Like other pharaohs or nesew before him, Amenhotep the 2nd erected a number of shrines and temples in about Thebes, Karnak, Armant, and other areas. At Giza, he built a temple dedicated to Horemakhet, the deity and true name of the Great Sphinx.
Amenhotep the 2nd also assisted in erasing Hatshepsut’s name from her work continuing in his father’s footsteps. His mortuary temple was built in the Valley of the Kings (KV35) and when it was excavated, it was decorated with a complete version of the Book of what is in the Underworld.
All in all, Amenhotep the 2nd’s reign was a peaceful one lasting approximately 35 years. He will be remembered as a man who loved sports, hunting animals and remaining steadfast in the traditions of his father.
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