Who’s Smenkhare?

Smenkhare

The title of this blog is as puzzling as it is simple. Who’s Smenkhare? A simple answer is that he (or she?) was a short-lived Pharaoh of the late 18th Dynasty in the aftermath of the Amarna Period, before Tutankhamun. But is that all? For millennia, his (or her?) identity has been the object of much speculation. This blog is to explore some of the possibilities and theories put forward, while challenging our fellow readers to express their opinion.

As outlined in the previous blog, around year 14 or 15 of Akhenaten’s reign, a male Pharaoh with the name of Ankhkheperure Djeser Kheperu Smenkhkare ("Holy of Manifestations, Strength is the Soul of Re") appeared. He reigned for 3 years, and seemed to have turned his back on Aten and Akhetaten. But who is thus mysterious guy? Is he the same person as a co-regent named Ankhkheperure Nefernefruaten, who appeared roughly at the same time as Nefertiti’s disappearance? The sudden appearance of these 2 enigmatic figures has caused much headache for Egyptologists.

The first reference to Smenkhare came from the tomb of Myryre II, superintendent of Nefertiti. The Pharaoh was portrayed with his wife, Merytaten, daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, offering rewards to Meryre. Later, a calcite vase was found in the tomb of Tutankhamun which carrying the full double cartouche of Akhenaten alongside the full double cartouche of Smenkhkare, confirming his position as co-regent. But who is Smenkhare? Is he a son, brother or a relative of Akhenaten? In fact, is Smenkhare even a “he” after all? An uninscribed limestone picture was discovered showing an Amarna couple some thought to be Smenkhare and Merytaten. If this is correct, then Smenkhare’s gender could no doubt be confirmed. Furthermore, evidence suggests that Smenkhare may also have been married to Ankhesenamun, the third daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, but it was the elder sister, Merytaten, who was his chief wife.

The following theories as to the true identity of Smenkhare have been put forward:

• Aidan Dodson – that Smenkhkare had a brief co-regency from year 13 of Akhenaten's reign, as suggested by a wine docket stating "Year 1, wine of the house of Smenkhkare" and another labelled "The House of Smenkhkare (deceased)". Nefertiti then took over as co-regent as King Neferneferuaten;

o Counter-argument: Hasn’t Nefertiti disappeared from the record after Year 13 because she had died? Also, if Smenkhare was co-regent in year 13-14 why was the Hall of Rejoicing (an addition to the central palace dated to year 15) filled with bricks stamped "Ankhkheperure in the House of Rejoicing in the Aten"?

• James Allen – that Nefertiti died, and her daughter became known as King Neferneferuaten. She was in turn followed by Smenkhkare after a couple of years. This means that Neferneferuaten was the chosen successor of Akhenaten and Smenkhkare used the same prenomen to usurp her position.

o Counter-argument: If Smenkhare reigned after Neferneferuaten, why are there references to his rule after year 15?

• Nicholas Reeves – that Smenkhare was actually Nefertiti, noting that there are no depictions of Nefertiti and Smenkhare together.

o Counter-argument: The clearly male Smenkhare appears with his wife Merytaten in Meryre II's tomb at Amarna. Also, the name Ankhkheperure Djeser Kheperu Smenkhkare is male in gender and the female variant has not been found on any monuments or inscriptions.

• Others – That Meritaten was Neferneferuaten and that she continued to rule as Neferneferuaten after the death of Smenkhkare.

o Counter-argument: But there is the box from Tutankhamun's tomb listing Akhenaten, Neferneferuaten and Meritaten as three separate individuals.

Some of these theories would have been greatly undermined after the discovery of an inscription dated to year 16 of Akhenate's reign confirming that Nefertiti was alive and still his consort (but not co-regent). A lot of missing pieces of puzzle remain to be found to construct the accurate picture of the succession of rulers after Akhenaten.

One of the most famous faces in the world
of Tutankhamun may not in fact belong to
its current owner after all, but the enigmatic
and illusive Smenkhare

Smenkhare’s lineage, likewise, was highly controversial. Historians have suggested that he was the son of Akhenaten and Kiya, one of his lesser wives, and the brother of Tutankhamun. However, he could also have been born to Nefertiti or another of Akhenaten’s wives. On the other hand, given some people have argued that Smenkhare was too old to be Akhenaten’s son, a theory was proposed that he might have been a son of Kiya and Amenhotep III, Akhenaten’s father (Kiya was married to Amenhotep III before she married his son Akhenaten). Others suggested that Smenkhare was not a member of the Egyptian royal family at all, but a member of a Hittite royal line as evidenced by his two (not one!) coronation names and a lack of a birth name. Gabolde proposed that Smenkhare was in fact Zannanza, the son of the Hittite King Suppiluliuma. However, this is highly unlikely given that the Hittite record showed that Zannanza was assassinated when he went to Egypt in response to the letter from an unknown royal Egyptian widow some suggested to be Ankhesenamun, Tutankhamun's widow.

Until recently, a male mummy found in tomb KV55 was thought to be Smenkhare until recent genetic testing revealed that the deceased was in his fifties when he died, leading many to the speculate that the mummy is in fact of Akhenaten himself. However, what is puzzling about the tomb is that while the body seems to have been buried along with grave goods named for Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, Akhenaten, and Queen Tiye, it appears that many of the goods buried with Tutankhamun were actually taken from the burial of Smenkhare and hastily renamed. One of the most famous images of Tutankhamun, from his middle coffin, is now generally considered to portray the face of Smenkhare with Tutankhamun's name crudely inscribed over that of the original owner. The existence of such burial goods which might originally belong to Smenkhare suggests that his tomb and, indeed, his mummy must be hidden somewhere close by, but where? Like Nefertiti’s, Smenkhare’s mummy was never found or identified. It seems that still after millennia, the identity of Smenkhare will continue to puzzle, bewilder and haunt the Egyptologists in the years to come.

Nefertiti: The Mysterious Beauty of Ancient Egypt (Part 2)

Nefertiti

Let’s kick off the New Year with our continued episode of the beautiful and enigmatic Nefertiti. We learnt that she is Akhenaten’s Chief Queen with whom he had six daughters, that she was accorded a position of great influence and power which she jointly exercised with Akhenaten, and that she herself might have been a co-regent. Despite her fame, she completely vanished from historical record later in Akhenaten’s reign. The most puzzling question is “where is she?”

It was first widely believed that the Queen disappeared around the twelfth year of Akhenaten’s reign. Her fall from the Pharaoh’s favour was a popular theory, and many historians suggested she was replaced by her daughter Merytaten and the lesser wife Kiya as Akhenaten’s Chief Consorts. There are a myriad of conflicting evidence showing that either Nefertiti’s or Kiya’s name was removed from inscriptions and replaced with that of Merytaten. If Nefertiti’s name was indeed removed, then it either supports her possible fall from grace or even death (which may cause the Pharaoh so much grief that he did not wish to be reminded of her memory).  However, all of this appears to constitute a mere speculation.

To complicate the matter further, new character(s) now enter the scene: Smenkhare and Neferneferuaten, Akhenaten’s successor(s). The reason for the “(s)” is that they may be the same person! So are Nefertiti, Smenkhare and Neferneferuaten one, two or three separate figures? A variety of theories and speculations have been put forward.

Bust of Smenkhare, whose identity remained
forever shrouded by mystery

The first theory is that Nefertiti is the same person as Smenkhare and Neferneferuaten, acting as Akhenaten’s co-regent. During such co-regency, Nefertiti’s role as Chief Queen might have been taken over by her oldest daughter, Merytaten. Moreover, this triple identity was supported by the fact that both Nefertiti and Smenkhare used the name "Neferneferuaten" ("the beautiful beauty of the Aten").

The second theory is that there were in fact two co-regents: a male son named Smenkhare and Nefertiti adopting the name of Neferneferuaten, both of whom used the praenomen Ankhkheperure. Some even suggested that Nefertiti lived on till the early reign of Tutankhamun. This is supported by the recent discovery of an inscription referring to "Great Royal Wife, His Beloved, Mistress of the Two Lands, Neferneferuaten Nefertiti" in a limestone quarry at Dayr Abu Hinnis north of Amarna (or Akhetaten) dated "Regnal Year 16, month 3 of Akhet, day 15". This proved not only that Nefertiti was alive towards the end of her husband’s reign, but also that she was still his Chief Wife and not his co-regent! This may reduce the possibility that she and Smenkhare are the one and same person, but in no way precludes her from being the female Pharaoh known as Neferneferuaten who succeeded Akhenaten after his death. Indeed, this female Pharaoh’s epithet "Effective for her husband" suggested she was either Nefertiti or Meritaten.

Merytaten, Nefertiti's daughter and possibly
Smenkhare's Chief Queen

Nefertiti’s mystery was fascinating both in life and in death. Her mummy was never found or truly identified. In 1898, the tomb of Amenhotep II was excavated and both the Pharaoh and eleven other mummies  were also discovered in intact chambers. Two of the mummies are known as the "Elder Lady" and the "Younger Lady". It is now generally believed that the "Elder Lady" is Queen Tiye, mother of Akhenaten, but there remained much speculation about the identity of the "Younger Lady". Some believed the mummy was of Nefertiti, while others believed it may be Kiya’s, Tutankhamun’s mother. The mummy’s face had been badly mutilated around the time of the burial, and an arm snapped off, but the fingers were still clasped in the position associated with a pharaoh holding a scepter. Given that the mummy was tested to be about 30 years old, it is too young at the same of embalmment to be Nefertiti (who was thought to be around 40 years of age when she died). Whatever the truth, the whereabouts of Nefertiti’s mummy remains a deep and dark mystery till this day.

There is no doubt that Nefertiti’s charm and beauty have continued to marvel all who have come across her. Those who witnessed her beautiful bust all claimed her to be of extraordinary beauty. Yet, this seemingly popular Queen remains forever shrouded by mystery both surrounding her lineage, identity, role, disappearance, and lastly death. In the end, such is the irony that the woman, whom everyone professes to know, may in fact turn out to be the one history barely knows at all.