Horemheb biography

Confession time: many years ago, I read a fictional story about Nefertiti. She was a young queen trapped in the world of a deranged king who was transforming Egypt’s religion from the popular and traditional polytheistic one to a not so popular monotheistic one. At the time, I was interested in all things Egypt and that’s why I picked it up. I was also a teenager, so when the inevitable romantic link between the queen and a soldier in the army - Horemheb- rolled round, I was even more interested.

Fast forward to my mid 20s when I was in Egypt and found myself in KV57 - the royal tomb of Horemheb. Hang on! Royal tomb? I thought he was a soldier in Akhenaten’s army? (refencing a romance novel was pretty pathetic and something my travel mates did not let slide by!) Fortunately, in the very tomb of Horemheb, I learned the truth about the soldier who became pharaoh after one of the most fascinatingly tumultuous times in New Kingdom Egypt.

Fast forward to now. For the last week, I’ve been reading up on Horemheb as part of the first unit in my Masters of Ancient History. When I saw him on the list as a research option, I jumped - here was my chance to get up close and personal with the Egyptian I first discovered as a teenager and whose tomb I had visited…. many years ago!

Horemheb was the heir designate to pharaoh Tutankhamun. He was also his commander in chief. Prior to that, he probably served in the military during the reign of the ‘heretic’ pharaoh, Akhenaten - Tutankhamun’s father. So, when the rebel king died, his young son, all of nine years old, became pharaoh. Enter Horemheb as the young man’s mentor. In his tomb in Saqqara, there are a number of inscriptions like, “Hereditary Prince, Fan Bearer on the King’s Right Hand and Chief Commander of the Army…” , “…He was sent as King’s messenger as far as the sun disc shines…”, - impressive! Horemheb would have been involved in the rapid restoration of the traditional religion and reestablishment of Egypt’s borde

Horemheb brought stability and prosperity back to Ancient Egypt after the chaotic rule of the “Armana Kings” and was the final pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. Born a commoner, he built his reputation in the military under Akhenaten as a gifted scribe, administrator, and diplomat. Then, he led the army during the short reign of the boy King Tutankhamun. He governed the Egyptian people along with vizier Ay and was responsible for rebuilding the Temple of Amun at Thebes, which had been desecrated during Akhenaton’s revolution. After Tutankhamun died still in his teens, Ay used his proximity to the throne and priesthood to assume control and become pharaoh. Horemheb was a threat to Ay’s rule but kept the backing of the military and spent the next few years in political exile.

Horemheb Becomes Pharaoh

Horemheb took the throne four years later after Ay’s death, with some scholars suggesting he became king via a military coup. Ay was an elderly man well into his 60s when he became pharaoh, so it’s more likely Horemheb gained control in the power vacuum left after his death.

To help solidify his position, Horemheb married Nefertiti’s sister Mutnodjmet, one of the sole remaining members of the previous royal family. He also led festivals and celebrations at the coronation, endearing himself to the populace by restoring the tradition of polytheism Ancient Egypt had known before Akhenaten.

Horemheb’s Edict

Horemheb removed references to Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Nefertiti, and Ay in a bid to have them struck from the histories and labeled as “enemies” and “heretics.” His enmity with political rival Ay was so great Horemheb ravaged the pharaoh’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, smashing the lid of Ay’s sarcophagus into little pieces and chiseling his name from the walls.

Final Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt

Horemheb, also spelled Horemhab, Haremheb or Haremhab (Ancient Egyptian: ḥr-m-ḥb, meaning "Horus is in Jubilation"), was the last pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1550–1292 BC). He ruled for at least 14 years between 1319 BC and 1292 BC. He had no relation to the preceding royal family other than by marriage to Mutnedjmet, who is thought (though disputed) to have been the daughter of his predecessor, Ay; he is believed to have been of common birth.

Before he became pharaoh Horemheb was the commander-in-chief of the army under the reigns of Tutankhamun and Ay. After his accession to the throne, he reformed the Egyptian state and it was during his reign that official action against the preceding Amarna rulers began, which is why he is considered the ruler who restabilized his country after the troublesome and divisive Amarna Period.

Horemheb demolished monuments of Akhenaten, reusing the rubble in his own building projects, and usurped monuments of Tutankhamun and Ay. Horemheb presumably had no surviving sons, as he appointed as his successor his vizier Paramesse, who would assume the throne as Ramesses I.

Early career and accession to kingship

Horemheb is believed to have originally come from Hnes, on the west bank of the Nile, near the entrance to the Faiyum, since his coronation text formally credits the god Horus of Hnes for establishing him on the throne.

His parentage is unknown but he is believed to have been a commoner. According to the French Egyptologist Nicolas Grimal, Horemheb does not appear to be the same person as Paatenemheb (Aten Is Present In Jubilation), who was the commander-in-chief of Akhenaten's army. Grimal notes that Horemheb's political career began under Tutankhamun where he "is depicted at this king's side in his own tomb chapel at Memphis."^&#

Horemheb (died 1292 BC) was Pharaoh of Egypt from 1319 to 1292 BC, succeeding Ay II and preceding Ramesses I.

Biography[]

Horemheb was born at Hnes on the west bank of the Nile, the son of a cheesemaker. Horemheb befriended the physician Sinuhe during their youths, and the two earned the favor of Pharaoh Akhenaten by saving him from a lion that attacked him as Akhenaten prayed and as Horemheb and Sinuhe went hunting. Akhenaten rewarded Horemheb by appointing him chief of his bodyguards, enabling Horemheb to rise through the ranks of Ancient Egyptian society. He became King Tutankhamun's foreign minister and held the titles of Hereditary Prince, Fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King, and Chief Commander of the Army, and Horemheb was designated Tutankhamun's heir. He was usurped by the vizier Ay II, as Horemheb was in Asia at the time of Tutankhamun's death, but Horemheb returned to Egypt and seized power, killing Ay and vandalizing his tomb. He reigned from 1319 to 1292 BC, and he presided over administrative, military, and religious reforms to stabilize the empire. He died in 1292 BC, ending the 18th Dynasty.

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