Mihos Wrote:
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> Katherine, no where do I suggest the King HAD to
> marry anyone, I am however attempting to point out
> that on occasion, king's did marry their father's
> youngest daughters-often half sisters and I
> conjecture that this tradition is related to
> matrilinear land rights and or religious roles.

I think, if you would refer to Troy (1986), the marriage of sisters/half-sisters has to do with the mythic connections of the roles of daughter/sister/consort/mother as seen in Egyptian religion. But it was not necessary for any king to marry any of these women to secure his "land rights" to the throne of Egypt. In this Egypt as strictly a patriarchal society in choosing its leaders.

Had a system existed where the Great Royal wife must be of royal blood, and as such, give birth to the next heir, or is elevated because she did so, for example, then kings such as Thutmose I (who had no royal mother), Thutmose III (who was born from a concubine of Thutmose II), Thutmose IV (who by his own admission was not first in line to the throne), Ay (who had no known royal connection except as an official in Akhenaten's and Tutankhamun's courts), or Horemheb (same) for the 18th Dynasty alone could not have existed.

> Amenhotep II was a curious man. What happened to
> the role of Second Prophet of Amen during his
> reign? Where did it go? Why did it suddenly
> vanish?
>
> Sitamun may be the daughter of Amenhotep and Tiye
> but there is nothing definitive that disproves
> that she was in fact Amenhotep's half-sister.

If Amenhotep III is stated as the father of Satamun, as I have shown, then pray tell how could she be Amenhotep III's "half-sister"? Explain this genealogy to me.

Tiye is known to not be related to Amenhotep III's family, but comes from Yuya and Thuya who hailed from Akhmim. Tiye holds no royal titles before her marriage to Amenhotep III and he goes out of his way to acknowledge her non-royalty. Their royal children, of which Satamun is one, state their parentage clearly as well as their familial status to one another.

So, if Satamun had been a "sister of the king" (/snt nsw/) this would have added to her status and prestige in the royal family, and she would have clearly used the title (as those sisters of other Egyptian kings did as symbols of status).

But Satamun does not have, nor is it ever stated anywhere that she possessed, a /snt nsw/ title (Troy 1986: 18.27). Had she held that status, she would have clearly used the title.

So, again, explain to me how Satamun, an acknowledged and specifically titled 'daughter' of Amenhotep III was in fact Amenhotep III's "half-sister"?

> Countless genealogical lists indicate how
> important family ties were, yet Egyptian kinship
> terms lacked specific words to identify blood
> relatives beyond the nuclear family. For example,
> the word used to designate "mother" was also used
> for "grandmother," and the word for "father" was
> the same as "grandfather"; likewise, the terms for
> "son," "grandson," and "nephew" (or "daughter,"
> "granddaughter," and "niece") were identical.
> "Uncle" and "brother" (or "sister" and "aunt")
> were also designated by the same word. To make
> matters even more confusing for modern scholars,
> the term "sister" was often used for "wife,"
> perhaps an indication of the strength of the bond
> between spouses.
>
> The Ta-Seti are the forebearers of the Hadendoa
> which extend down the Horn and up to Aswan.
> They are the Oryx clan of the Beja today. They
> were considered foreigners by Ramessese.

Citation for this statement? Groups of archers from Libya, Nubia, and even nomad archers are all said to come from foreign areas called [Ta-]/sti/, so there was no distinct land or people from a land called "Ta-Seti" which was a foreign land: it appears to have been any land from which archers resided (again, see the argument in the "Black Pharaohs" thread on this).

The area called /sti/ within Egypt was always considered Egyptian territory and its people native Egyptians, since the first dynasties of Egypt.

> If the Amarna laborers are in fact native
> Egyptians, is it possible that they were soldier
> laborers? Is it possible that they were of a
> particularly poor economic stratum in society
> before they came to Amarna? Perhaps their work
> contribution was related to the sanatorium of the
> city of the Aten?

But what evidence do you have that the workers of Amarna were in fact "soldier workers" (you earlier implied foreign soldiers, BTW)? Why do you think that Egyptian soldiers were so poor they were forced into labour as the workers of Akhetaten?

The role of the Egyptian soldier in the New Kingdom, and particularly in the 18th Dynasty, was one of social and political strength, according to most studies on the subject (Gnirs 2000: 404-405; Shaw 1991: 29):

During the New Kingdom the army was to undergo an image change. No longer was it seen as an auxiliary role to the functioning of the state, but as an essential mechanism. A new era was ushered in, when a series of army generals exceeded the throne, starting with Tuthmosis III, who learning from experience, established a permanent professional army.

<...>

In contrast to the past, the army became a privileged means of improving position and status in life. At every level of command there was a clearly defined hierarchy. However, it was possible for an educated Egyptian or simple scribe to work his way up this military hierarchy to become an officer. Opportunities were available for the upper ranks to attain nobility, which as a social class were not very knowledgeable in the art of warfare. Pharaoh insisted that his high-ranking officers were not just able leaders and strategists but also well educated. Therefore, most of the officers came from the nobility, who would occupy such ranks as archery commander, divisional commander, commander of the chariot corps or overseer of the royal stables*. This last rank was the most prestigious and most highly prized.

To maintain the esteem of his officers, pharaoh would bestow generous rewards such as honorific titles, land, slaves and gold. Nothing was too good for those that contributed to Egypt's greatness. The most brilliant strategists were awarded hereditary titles associated with their rank and position. The outcome of these commendations was that a class of 'military elite' arose, who were able to command a considerable opposing force to a weak pharaoh.

Source: Army in Ancient Egypt = Egyptology Online

There's more from this same source:

What we know of life as a soldier has come from contemporary records. We know that postings were fairly lengthy, depending on circumstances, they could be as long as 6 years and contrary to popular belief, the army was well catered for and highly regarded. This is evidenced during the Theban wars under Mentuhotep I. A mass tomb contained the bodies of sixty slain soldiers, who almost certainly died whilst campaigning in Nubia. The bodies were brought back for an Egyptian burial, so that fallen could enjoy an Afterlife, and is one of the earliest known war cemeteries.

The life as a soldier is also recounted in autobiographies as a fairly successful and enriching career. The autobiography of the noble man Ahmose, who served s a soldier under three successive pharaohs of the New Kingdom: Ahmose I, Amenhotep I and Tuthmosis I, a period of 56 years, rising to the rank of officer, inscribed on his tomb walls at el-Kab:

"I will tell you, O all ye people; I will cause you to know the honours which came to me. I was presented with gold (by the king for bravery) seven times in the presence of the whole land; male female slaves like wise. I was endowed with many fields. The fame of one valiant in his achievements shall perish in this land forever".

In his campaign against the Hyksos he boasts:

"I took captive there (Avaris) one man and three women, total four heads, and his majesty gave them to me for slaves".

For his campaigns in Nubia Ahmose was decorated twice with 'Gold of Valour'. The order of the 'Golden Fly', equivalent to the British Victoria Cross. Ahmose died an old and honoured warrior, loaded down with decorations and land.

Here you are informed about a professional army, where even ordinary soliders, such as Ahmose, who served under 3 pharaohs recounts an illustrious career of over 50 years, which enriched me and granted him an elevated status by his deed as a soldier.

So, where are these soldiers of Egypt who are of the "...poor economic stratum in society before they came to Amarna..."?

Reference:

Gnirs, A. M. 2000. Military: An Overview. In D. B. Redford, Ed., The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 2: 400-406. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Shaw, I. 1991. Egyptian Warfare and Weapons. Shire Egyptology Series. B. Adams. Princes Risborough: Shire Publications Ltd.

Troy, L. 1986. Patterns of Queenship: in ancient Egyptian myth and history. BOREAS 14. Uppsala: ACTA Universitatis Upsaliensis.

Katherine Griffis-Greenberg

Doctoral Candidate
Oriental Institute
Doctoral Programme in Oriental Studies [Egyptology]
Oxford University
Oxford, United Kingdom