Amenhotep III the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom ruled 40 powerful and prosperous years. Historians consider him a successful hunter and a highly cultivated leader. But who was he?
The Thutmosid royal family had ruled Egypt for almost 150 years when Amenhotep III was born to Thutmose IV and his minor wife Mutemwiya in approximately 1388 BC. Succeeding his father on the throne as the ninth king of the dynasty, Amenhotep ruled between 1386 and 1351 BC. Amenhotep was his actual birth name, meaning “Amun I Pleased, Ruler of Thebes”. Although he was often known as “Amenhotep the Magnificent”, his actual thrown name was Nub-maat-re, or “Lord of Truth is Re”. During the second year of his reign he married Tiye. Although she was not of royal blood, she came from a powerful Egyptian family. Amenhotep took many wives during his reign. His harem included at least six foreign diplomatic arrangements and two of his own daughters. Egyptologists have identified two sons and four daughters. His first son, the crown prince Thutmose, died at an early age. His second son by Queen Tiye, Amenhotep IV, succeeded him and later changed his name to Akhenaton. His grandson was the famous King Tutankhamun.
…show more content…
Amenhotep’s reign focused on expanding diplomatic contacts instead of military campaigns. Early in his reign, successful expeditions in Nubia appear to be his most significant military involvement. The majority of his accomplishments focused on building and cultivating the arts. Reliefs at his Temple of Amun at Luxor The mortuary temple of Amenhotep III was destroyed in the 19th Dynasty, yet another example of using sacred temples for quarrying in later times. This time the culprit may have been Merneptah, son of Ramesses II. All that remains on the original site of this temple are the famous huge, seated colossal statues of Amenhotep III, which later became known by the misnomer of the Colossi of