Ahmose, son of Ebana, (''Amosis'', ''Aahmes''; meaning " Iah (the Moon) is born") served in the

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

military under the

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

Ahmose I Ahmose I (''Amosis'', ''Aahmes''; meaning "Iah (the Moon) is born") was a pharaoh and founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt in the New Kingdom of Egypt, the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. His reign is usually d ...

, Amenhotep I, and

Thutmose I Thutmose I (sometimes read as Thutmosis or Tuthmosis I, Thothmes in older history works in Latinized Greek; meaning "Thoth is born") was the third pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty of History of Ancient Egypt, Egypt. He re ...

. His

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, which is inscribed on the wall of his tomb, and remains remarkably intact, is a valuable source of information on the late 17th Dynasty and the early

18th Dynasty of Egypt The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XVIII, alternatively 18th Dynasty or Dynasty 18) is classified as the first dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. The Eighteenth Dynasty ...

. Ahmose was born in the city of Nekheb, the modern El Kab. During the war to expel the

Hyksos The Hyksos (; Egyptian language, Egyptian ''wikt:ḥqꜣ, ḥqꜣ(w)-wikt:ḫꜣst, ḫꜣswt'', Egyptological pronunciation: ''heqau khasut'', "ruler(s) of foreign lands"), in modern Egyptology, are the kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt ( ...

from Egypt, in the reign of Seqenenre Tao, his father enlisted in the navy. After the deaths of Tao and his son

Kamose Kamose was the last king of the Thebes, Egypt, Theban Seventeenth dynasty of Egypt, Seventeenth Dynasty at the end of the Second Intermediate Period. Kamose is usually ascribed a reign of three years (his highest attested regnal year), although s ...

, Ahmose began to serve as a soldier under Pharaoh Ahmose I. He participated in the battle of

Avaris Avaris (Egyptian: ḥw.t wꜥr.t, sometimes ''hut-waret''; ; ; ) was the Hyksos capital of Egypt located at the modern site of Tell el-Dab'a in the northeastern region of the Nile Delta. As the main course of the Nile migrated eastward, its po ...

(the Hyksos capital in the

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

), where he killed two Hyksos and was awarded the "gold of valor" twice. Ahmose was awarded slaves and other spoils by the pharaoh after Avaris was sacked. Ahmose also participated in the three-year

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

of Sharuhen in southern

Canaan CanaanThe current scholarly edition of the Septuagint, Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus Testamentum graece iuxta LXX interprets. 2. ed. / recogn. et emendavit Robert Hanhart. Stuttgart : D ...

for which he was rewarded. He followed his king to Nubia, where they put down three rebellions. Under Amenhotep I, he fought against the Nubians and was given gold and slaves for his bravery. During the reign of Thutmose I, Ahmose participated in a naval campaign against Nubian tribes in the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

valley and was appointed admiral. He also followed Thutmose on a campaign against Naharin all the way to the

Euphrates River The Euphrates ( ; see below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originating in Turkey, the Euphrates flows through S ...

. Ebana was the name of Ahmose's mother, who was most likely a woman of importance on Egyptian society; his father's name was Baba. Paheri, the grandson of Ahmose and a scribe and priest of the goddess

Nekhbet Nekhbet (; also spelt Nekhebet) is an early predynastic local goddess in Egyptian mythology, who was the patron of the city of Nekheb (her name meaning ''of Nekheb''). Ultimately, she became the patron of Upper Egypt and one of the two patron ...

and tutor to the prince Wadjmose, supervised the building of his grandfather's tomb.

References

Bibliography

* "Biography of Ahmose, son of Ebana" in ''Ancient Records of Egypt'' by James Henry Breasted, Part Two, sections 1 to 24, 38ff and 78f

* "The Autobiography of Ahmose Son of Abana" in ''Ancient Egyptian Literature'' by M. Lichtheim, vol.2, pp. 12ff. *

External links

The biographical inscriptions of Ahmose son of Ebana

Autobiography of Ahmose
in Lepsius, ''Denkmäler'' III, 12d.
The Autobiography of Ahmose, Son of Ebana (English Translation)
{{Authority control Ancient Egyptian soldiers Officials of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian autobiographies Ahmose I Amenhotep I Thutmose I