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 Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian god

Amun Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...

. The Second Prophet of Amun office was created in the

New Kingdom New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, at the beginning of the

Eighteenth Dynasty 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 ...

History

New Kingdom

The office of second prophet of Amun was created in the beginning of the

18th Dynasty 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 ...

during the reign of

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 ...

. 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 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 "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 the 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 gre ...

belong to the God's Wife, Great Royal Wife, united with the white crown, Ahmose-Nefertari, 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. 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 and

Pinedjem I Pinedjem I (died 1032 BC) was ruler of Southern Egypt as the High Priests of Amun at Thebes, High Priest of Amun at Thebes in Ancient Egypt from 1070 to 1055 BC, and nominal pharaoh alongside Smendes from 1054 to 1032 BC. He was the son of the Hi ...

in the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt the position of Second Prophet was taken up by relatives of the High Priests. From the time of Menkheperre 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 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 t ...

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 as High Priest of Amun.

Taharqa Taharqa, also spelled Taharka or Taharqo, Akkadian: ''Tar-qu-ú'', , Manetho's ''Tarakos'', Strabo's ''Tearco''), was a pharaoh of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt and qore (king) of the Kingdom of Kush (present day Sudan) from 690 to 664 BC. ...

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