The Second Prophet of Amun (''hm netjer sen-nu en Amun''), also called the Second Priest of Amun, was a high ranking priestly official in the cult of the ancient Egyptian god

Amun Amun (; also ''Amon'', ''Ammon'', ''Amen''; egy, jmn, reconstructed as (Old Egyptian and early Middle Egyptian) → (later Middle Egyptian) → (Late Egyptian), cop, Ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ, Amoun) romanized: ʾmn) was a major ancient Egyptian ...

. The Second Prophet of Amun office was created in the

New Kingdom New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, at the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty.

History

New Kingdom

The office of second prophet of Amun was created in the beginning of the 18th Dynasty during the reign of

Ahmose I Ahmose I ( egy, jꜥḥ ms(j .w), reconstructed /ʔaʕaħ'maːsjə/ ( MK), Egyptological pronunciation ''Ahmose'', sometimes written as ''Amosis'' or ''Aahmes'', meaning "Iah (the Moon) is born") was a pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: ...

. A donation stela from Karnak records how king Ahmose purchased the office of ''Second Prophet of Amun'' and endowed the position with land, goods and administrators. The position of Second Prophet of Amun was put under the authority of the

God's Wife of Amun God's Wife of Amun (Egyptian: ''ḥm.t nṯr n ỉmn'') was the highest-ranking priestess of the Amun cult, an important religious institution in ancient Egypt. The cult was centered in Thebes in Upper Egypt during the Twenty-fifth and Twenty ...

at its creation.O'Connor, David and Cline, Eric H. Amenhotep III: Perspectives on His Reign, University of Michigan Press. 2001, pp 209-210 :Made in the presence of the ..officials...of the territory of Thebes and the temple priesthood of Amun. What was said m hm n stp-si l.p.h. on this day,

aying Aying is a municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria, Germany. It is known for the Ayinger Brewery Ayinger Brewery ( ; german: Brauerei Aying) is in Aying, Bavaria, Germany, about 25 km south of Munich. Ayinger beers are exported ...

"The office of Second Priest of Amun

hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

belong to the God's Wife, Great Royal Wife, united with the white crown,

Ahmose-Nefertari Ahmose-Nefertari (Ancient Egyptian: '' Jꜥḥ ms Nfr trj'') was the first Great Royal Wife of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She was a daughter of Seqenenre Tao and Ahhotep I, and royal sister and wife to Ahmose I. Her son Amenhotep I b ...

, living; having been made for her in an imyt-pr, from son to son, heir to heir, ithout allowingit [to be interfered by anybody forever and ever.Gary J. Shaw, The meaning of the phrase M ḤM N STP-Sⳍ, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 96 (2010), pp. 175-190, Egypt Exploration Society, Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23269763 The endowment was given to Queen Ahmose-Nefertari and her descendants.Tyldesley, Joyce. Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2006. The record was signed and later confirmed by an oracle. Records from a later era indicate that in this position she would have been responsible for all temple properties, administration of estates, workshops, treasuries and all the associated administration staff."''The Great Goddesses of Egypt'', Barbara S. Lesko, p. 246, University of Oklahoma Press, 1999, During the reign of Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III, the Second Prophet was involved in royal constructions at Karnak. The Second Prophet Puimre oversaw the erection of an ebony shrine dedicated to Hatshepsut, the construction of two obelisks for Tuthmosis II and the construction of doors made of Tura limestone. In Puimre's tomb it is shown that he additionally was in charge of receiving goods from oases and tribute from Nubia, including captives.

Third Intermediate Period

Under the High Priests of Amun

Piankh Piankh was a High Priest of Amun during the 21st Dynasty. Chronological and genealogical position While the High Priest of Amun Piankh (or Payankh) has been assumed to be a son-in-law of Herihor and his heir to the Theban office of the High Prie ...

and

Pinedjem I Pinedjem I was the High Priest of Amun at Thebes in Ancient Egypt from 1070 to 1032 BC and the ''de facto'' ruler of the south of the country from 1054 BC. He was the son of the High Priest Piankh. However, many Egyptologists today believe that t ...

in the

Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt The Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXI, alternatively 21st Dynasty or Dynasty 21) is usually classified as the first Dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian Third Intermediate Period, lasting from 1077 BC to 943 BC. History After the r ...

the position of Second Prophet was taken up by relatives of the High Priests. From the time of

Menkheperre Menkheperre, son of Pharaoh Pinedjem I by wife Duathathor-Henuttawy (daughter of Ramesses XI by wife Tentamon), was the High Priest of Amun at Thebes in ancient Egypt from 1045 BC to 992 BC and ''de facto'' ruler of the south of the country. ...

on the positions of 2nd, 3rd and 4th Prophet of Amun were not taken up by the family of the

High Priest of Amun The High Priest of Amun or First Prophet of Amun ('' ḥm nṯr tpj n jmn'') was the highest-ranking priest in the priesthood of the ancient Egyptian god Amun. The first high priests of Amun appear in the New Kingdom of Egypt, at the beginning ...

. The positions were given to local Theban nobles, who would often marry into the family of the High Priest. During the

Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt The Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXV, alternatively 25th Dynasty or Dynasty 25), also known as the Nubian Dynasty, the Kushite Empire, the Black Pharaohs, or the Napatans, after their capital Napata, was the last dynasty of th ...

the Nubian rulers broke the hold of the local families on these priestly positions. Shabaqo appointed Kelbasken as 4th prophet and later his son

Haremakhet Haremakhet (also Horemakhet or, in Greek, Harmakhis) was an ancient Egyptian prince and High Priest of Amun during the 25th Dynasty. Biography A son of pharaoh Shabaka and possibly of his queen Tabaktenamun, he was appointed by his father as t ...

as High Priest of Amun.

Taharqa Taharqa, also spelled Taharka or Taharqo (Egyptian: 𓇿𓉔𓃭𓈎 ''tꜣ-h-rw-k'', Akkadian: ''Tar-qu-u2'', , Manetho's ''Tarakos'', Strabo's ''Tearco''), was a pharaoh of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt and qore (king) of the Kingdom of ...

appointed his son Nesishutefnut as Second Prophet of Amun.Morkot, Robert G., The Black Pharaohs: Egypt's Nubian Rulers, The Rubicon Press, 2000, pp 236-237

Notable Second Prophets of Amun

References

{{Ancient Egyptian titulary Amun * Priests of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt People of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt People of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian titles Ancient Egypt-related lists