Amenemhat I: Encyclopedia - Amenemhat I

Amenemhat I

Amenemhat I was the first ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty (the dynasty debated to be the beginning of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt). Amenemhet I was not of royal lineage, and hence took measures to assure the authority of his kingship, such as including literary works (the Prophecy of Neferti) and the revertion to the pyramid-style complexes of the 6th dynasty rulers. Amenemhet I also moved the capital from Thebes to Itjtawy and was buried in el-Lisht.

His son Senwosret I, followed a similar path as Amenemhet did, by building his pyramid at Lisht, although his son, the next ruler of Egypt, Amenemhet II, did not follow this tradition. Senwosret's pyramid is a closer reflection of the 6th dynasty pyramids than that of Amenemhet I. Amenemhet I and Senwosret I are thought to have shared a joint reign (co-regency) of at least 10 years, with Amenemhet I celebrating his jubilee (10 years of rule) one year after they began their joint reign.

After only 12 years, he is thought to have been assassinated. Nobody knows for sure, but it is written in "his own hand" that it was an attack by his bodyguard.

Category: Pharaohs

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Amenemhat I", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki