Description
Book SynopsisAfter the death of RamesesII, the Nineteenth Dynasty, soon fell into decline and familial conflict, culminating in a final civil war that ended with the accession of a new dynasty. Sethy I and Rameses II's promotion of a concept of a wider 'royal family' may have sown the seeds for the conflicts among their descendants.Aidan Dodson explores the mysteries of the origins of the usurper-king Amenmeses and the career of the 'king-maker' of the period, the chancellor Bay. Having helped to install at least one pharaoh on the throne, Bay's life was ended by his abrupt execution, ordered by the woman with whom he had shared the regency of Egypt for the young and disabled King Siptah. Finally, the author considers how that woman-Tawosret-became the last true female pharaoh, and how she finally lost her throne to the founder of the Twentieth Dynasty, Sethnakhte.
Trade Review"Highly Recommended."--Choice"With copious illustrations, this book supplies intriguing insights into pharaonic politics, arrived at through meticulous, knowledgeable research."--Book News
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Preface
Abbreviations and Conventions
Maps
Introduction: The Glory Years
1 The Reign of Merenptah
2 After Merenptah
3 The Reign of Amenmeses
4 Sethy II Restored
5 Siptah
6 The Reign of Tawosret
7 Downfall, Renaissance, and Decline
Appendices
1. Chronology of ancient Egypt
2. Correlation of the reigns from the end of the reign
of Merenptah to the beginning of the reign
of Rameses III
3. Royal names of the late Nineteenth Dynasty
4. Tentative genealogy of the late Nineteenth Dynasty
Notes
Bibliography
Index
