In Regnal Year 10, Amenhotep married Gilukhepa, the daughter of Shuttarna II of Mitanni. In addition to Tiye, Amenhotep had several other wives. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.Īmenhotep is also sometimes credited as the father of Smenkhkare or Tutankhamun, with varying proposals for their mothers, but these theories are not as accepted as his other, known children. One of the many commemorative "marriage scarabs" of Amenhotep, which affirm the divine power of the king and the legitimacy of his wife, Tiye. However, Nebetah is attested only once, on a colossal limestone group of statues from Medinet Habu, and Beketaten only appears in Amarna. Most of the daughters appear frequently on statues and reliefs from Amenhotep's reign. In addition, several daughters are frequently credited to the couple: Sitamun, Henuttaneb, Iset, Nebetah, and Beketaten. With Tiye, Amenhotep fathered at least two sons, Crown Prince Thutmose and Amenhotep IV (later called Akhenaten).
On the "marriage scarabs," Amenhotep affirmed his divine power and the legitimacy of his wife. Many commemorative scarabs were commissioned and distributed during Amenhotep's reign. Tiye was Great Royal Wife throughout Amenhotep's reign. In Regnal Year 2, Amenhotep married Tiye, the daughter of Yuya and Thuya. Amenhotep claimed that his true father was the god Amun, who had taken the form of Thutmose IV to father a child with Mutemwiya. Later in his life, Amenhotep commissioned the depiction of his divine birth to be displayed at Luxor Temple. When he died in the 38th or 39th year of his reign he was succeeded by his son Amenhotep IV, who later changed his name to Akhenaten.įamily and early life Amenhotep and Tiye with one of their daughtersĪmenhotep was the son of Thutmose IV and his minor wife Mutemwiya. His reign was a period of unprecedented prosperity and splendour, when Egypt reached the peak of its artistic and international power, and as such is considered one of ancient Egypt's greatest pharaohs. Amenhotep was Thutmose's son by a minor wife, Mutemwiya.
According to different authors, he ruled Egypt from June 1386 to 1349 BC, or from June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC, after his father Thutmose IV died. Malkata, Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III, Colossi of MemnonĪmenhotep III ( Ancient Egyptian: jmn-ḥtp(.w) Amānəḥūtpū, IPA: " Amun is Satisfied" ), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great and Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. WV22 Mummy found in the KV35 royal cache (Theban Necropolis)