The Priests of Amun

Today at parent-teacher interviews, I was lucky enough to get Ancient History homework. I was not entirely sure whether I should take it seriously or not, then, realising I had Ms. O'Neill as a teacher, I decided it was better to be safe than sorry.

So, here is some information regarding the Priests of Amun from the text Antiquity 2:

The elevated status of the Amun priesthood in the early 18th Dynasty reflected the position of the

Amun cult as state cult of the new dynasty. The high priests of the Amun cult were appointed by the

pharaoh. This provided a means for the pharaoh to connect his family with Amun, as in the case of

Ahmose’s purchase of the ‘second prophet of Amun’ priesthood for his wife, Ahmose-Nefertari. It also

contributed to a growing interdependence between king and Amun priesthood.

The high-ranking priests—the first, second, third and fourth ‘prophets of Amun’—exercised

significant political and economic, as well as religious, power. This power appears to have increased

in direct proportion to the increasing wealth derived from military conquest, subsequently directed

to the Amun cult. It is possible that by the beginning of the reign of the young Thutmose III, the

Amun priesthood was powerful enough to play ‘kingmaker’. They supported Hatshepsut in her claim

to the throne, enabling her to take the unusual step of assuming the kingship herself.

The power of the ‘first prophet of Amun’ was significantly increased when he also held the title

‘overseer of prophets of Upper and Lower Egypt’. This gave him authority over all other religious

cults. Such a man was Hapuseneb, who held both titles in the reign of Hatshepsut. As one of

Hatshepsut’s most important officials, he was responsible for her building works at Karnak. Other

high priests of the Amun cult combined this role with other official duties that increased their

influence. Menkheperraseneb, ‘first prophet of Amun’ under Thutmose III, was a new appointee, not

inherited from Hatshepsut’s reign. He combined his priestly role with those of chief architect and

‘overseer of the houses of gold and silver’ or treasurer. He thus carried out both secular and religious

duties. Menkheperraseneb was able to pass his office briefly to his nephew before the role was taken

on by Amenemhet, the last high priest of Amun in Thutmose III’s reign.