HoremhebAfter the complete failure of Akhenaten’s Amarnian revolution, the short restoration reign of Tutankhamun, and the even shorter reign of Ay, Egypt was left exhausted by political confusion and uncertainty. Since there was no direct descendent to the glorious blood line of Dynasty 18 kings, when King Ay’s designated successor Nakhtmin failed to garner broad support among the political class, the climate was ripe for a takeover by a strong, ambitious leader. And with the Hittite military machine threatening Egypt, General Horemheb, commander in chief of the army and former royal spokesman for foreign affairs under Tutankhamun, took over the throne with little opposition in 1323 BC. We neither know how old Horemheb was when he was crowned, nor exactly how long he reigned. It is also unclear whether the General Paatenemheb, who served under Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten, was in fact Horemheb under a different name. Whether Horemheb reigned thirteen or thirty years, his time in power was dedicated to restoring order within Egypt. With energy and dedication, he sought to return the cult of Amun to its pre-Akhenaten glory, and to reverse the corruption and power imbalances brought about by Akhenaten’s over centralization of powers. Grimal (1994:243) indicates that "To this end Horemheb appointed judges and regional tribunes and reintroduced local religious authorities. Legal power was split between Upper and Lower Egypt, shared between the viziers of Thebes and Memphis respectively… the National Army was divided into two geographical entities, the north and the south”. Shaw (2000:293) reports that "the Great Edict, which he published on a stele in the temple of Karnak, enumerates a large number of legal measures enacted in order to stamp out abuse such as the unlawful requisitioning of boats and slaves, the theft of cattle hides, the illegal taxation of private farmland and fraud in assessing lawful taxes, and the extortion of local mayors by officials… " Although much of Horemheb’s building activity was focused on dismantling all traces of the Amarnian revolution (he is rumored to have ordered the destruction of the city of Amarna), and restoring to Amen that which the Amarnians had usurped, he proved to be a resourceful builder in his own right. The greatest architectural achievements of his reign were centered on Karnak, where he began work on the Great Hypostyle gallery and built three pylons, filling their hollow center with stone blocks from Akhenaten’s temple of Aten. Horemheb apparently died without child or formally appointed successor, and his tomb was left unfinished (all of which suggest that his reign may have been much shorter than the 30 years argued by some). His throne was taken over by his vizier, Ramesses I, who is conventionally seen as the first king of Dynasty 19, the Ramessid Dynasty. Ramessid kings, however, often recognized Horemheb as the founder of their dynasty. Bibliography (on Horemheb)Shaw, Ian2000 The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. |