Ramesses VIII

Ramesses VIII
Also written Ramses and Rameses

A relief of Prince Sethiherkhepeshef II, one of Ramesses III's many sons from the latter's temple at Medinet Habu. Sethiherkhepeshef II later briefly ascended the throne as king Ramesses VIII.
Pharaoh of Egypt
Reign 1130–1129 BC, 20th Dynasty
Predecessor Ramesses VII
Successor Ramesses IX
Father Ramesses III
Died 1129 BC

Usermare Akhenamun Ramesses VIII (also written Ramses and Rameses) or Ramesses Sethherkhepshef Meryamun ('Set is his Strength, beloved of Amun')[1] (at 1130-1129 BC, or simply 1130 BC as Krauss and Warburton date his reign[2]), was the seventh Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt and was one of the last surviving sons of Ramesses III.[3]

Contents

Reign

Ramesses VIII is the most obscure ruler of this Dynasty and the current information from his brief kingship suggests that he lasted on the throne for one year at the most.[4][5] Some scholars assign him a maximum reign of two years. The fact that he succeeded to power after the death of Ramesses VII—a son of Ramesses VI—may indicate a continuing problem in the royal succession.[4] Ramesses VIII's prenomen or royal name, Usermaatre Akhenamun, means "Powerful is the Justice of Re, Helpful to Amun."[6] Monuments from his reign are scarce and consist primarily of an inscription at Medinet Habu, a mention of this ruler in one document—Berlin stela 2081 of Hori at Abydos—and one scarab. His only known date is a Year 1, I Peret day 2 graffito in the tomb of Kyenebu at Thebes.[7]

Burial

He is the sole pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty whose tomb has not been definitely identified in the Valley of the Kings, though some scholars have suggested that the tomb of Prince Mentuherkhepshef, KV19, the son of Ramesses IX, was originally started for Ramesses VIII but proved unsuitable when he became a king in his own right. Currently an all-Egyptian team of researchers headed by Afifi Rohiem under the supervision of Dr.Zahi Hawass are looking for the pharaoh's tomb.[8]

References

  1. ^ Peter Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2006 paperback, p.167
  2. ^ "Chronological Table for the Dynastic Period" in Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss & David Warburton (editors), Ancient Egyptian Chronology (Handbook of Oriental Studies), Brill, 2006. p.493
  3. ^ Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, (Blackwell Books: 1992), pp.288-289
  4. ^ a b Clayton, p.169
  5. ^ Grimal, op. cit., p.289
  6. ^ Clayton, p.167
  7. ^ Tomb No.113: see P.M. I, i (1960), pp.230-231
  8. ^ www.guardians.net

External links

Preceded by
Ramesses VII		 Pharaoh of Egypt
Twentieth Dynasty		 Succeeded by
Ramesses IX