Amunhotep III (Part 1).
Neb-ma’at-Re Amunhotep came to power in 1400 BCE. At the age of just 12, he had already spent years being groomed for power. Even his birth was the subject of elaborate myths. In this episode, we explore the divine conception and the upbringing of a god on earth…
Direct Download (Save As mp3).
The Divine Birth of Amunhotep III
All images from Brunner, Die Geburt, 1964.
Mutemwia and Amun (right) couple. The god holds ankh (life) to Mutemwia’s nose, a euphemism for the act of sexual intercourse and impregnation.
Hathor (left) watches as the future Amunhotep, shown twice, is fashioned by the Creator god Khnum (right).
On Earth, Mutemwia is led to the birthing chamber by Khnum (left) and Hathor (right)
Mutemwia (top centre) gives birth, with the aid of wetnurses. Gods of fertility and life celebrate below.
The newly-born Amunhotep is presented to Amun, who kisses him approvingly.
Horus (left) presents the child Amunhotep, shown twice. Amun blesses his coming.
Bibliography
Hellmut Brunner, Die Geburt des Gottkönigs, 1964.
Aidan Dodson, Amarna Sunrise, 2014.
Charles Cornell van Siclen III, “The Accession Date of Amenhotep III and the Jubilee,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 1973.
Hi,
Great program as usual. There was one irritation, however. The volume of the ads was way higher than that of the program itself. I’m not objecting to the ads, obviously you have to be compensated for your work and costs. But if there is any way you could get whoever is responsible for the ads (which for me were for a Swedish optician) to control their levels, it would make for a much more enjoyable experience.
Keep up the great work,
George
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Hi gwood, that may be my fault: I forgot to increase the levels of the main-line audio like I normally do. I am re-uploading the file with corrected audio levels and will make sure I do not forget in future 🙂
Hi there. Interesting points about the similarity between throne names with that of Hatshepsut. I’ve read that pharoahs Tutmose IV and Akhnaten refered in text to Hatshepsut and acknowledged her reign. My own research did not find these texts. Do you know if this is true, and if so, which texts? Great work as always.
On the illustration showing Amun with ankh and Mutemwia – this is the most beautiful, delicate and poetic way of showing a sexual intercourse I have come about.
Miles more beautiful than naked bed scenes of our own era, maybe modern, but at times very rudimentary.
Fair enough! The Egyptians did that stuff too, there’s the “Hatshepsut graffito” and the Turin Erotic Papyrus, if you’re in the market for that 👍
On the illustration showing Amun with ankh and Mutemwia – this is the most beautiful, delicate and poetic way of showing a sexual intercourse I have come about.
Miles more beautiful than naked bed scenes of our own era, maybe modern, but at times very rudimentary.
Interesting episode. I’d noted the lack of Kheper in the throne name but not thought much about the significance. It does point somewhat to Hatshepsut, and maybe Mutemwia was related to her. Although as you do note it could be a coincidence, in which case the suppression of Hatshepsut’s memory was presumably quite effective.