Senenmut biography template
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Parallel Lives, Also BC Afterglows In AD
by
Damien F. Mackey
The career of Amenhotep son of Hapu seems to have been
closely modelled on that of Senenmut.
Amenhotep son of Hapu was a highly influential figure, whose fame reached down even into Ptolemaïc times. Horemheb, for one, may have been stylistically influenced by Amenhotep. For according to W. Smith and W. Simpson (The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt, 1998, p.195): “The large grey granite statue of Horemheb in the pose of a scribe … is related stylistically to those of Amenhotep son of Hapu … Horemheb has the same plump, well-fed body and wears a long wig similar to that of the aged wise man …”.
Who really was this Amenhotep son of Hapu, upon whom there were bestowed “unprecedented” honours, investing him with virtually regal status?
Statuary and Privileges
Joann Fletcher offers us a glimpse of his extraordinary power (Egypt’s Sun King. Amenhotep III, Duncan Baird, 2000, p. 51):
In an unprecedented move, Amenhotep III gave extensive religious powers to his closest official and namesake, Amenhotep son of Hapu, not only placing the scribe’s statuary throughout Amun’s temple, but also granting his servant powers almost equal to his own: inscriptions on the statues
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Senenmut: Greatest scrupulous the Great
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SECTION 9
Women and Historical Biography
The study of women across time highlights not only the history of a minority but also biography itself and the ways in which a group disenfranchised from power can circumvent traditional authority and assert itself. In particular, the biographies of famous women like the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, the Byzantine Empress Theodora and Saint Joan of Arc show well the obstacles that have confronted women in their arduous quest for equality and empowerment. But in the end, the difficulties facing women are perhaps best seen not in what-really-happened but invented history, the myth of the fictional Greek queen Clytemnestra who serves as the archetype of power-hungry women. All in all, the insights gained from examining the lives of Western Civilization's leading ladies hint at the rewards gained from studying biography in general and the history of any minority. |
People, Places, Events and Terms To Know:
Biography | Senenmut Deir-el-Bahri Theodora Byzantine Empire (Byzantium) Procopius The Anecdota Constantinople Justinian Ravenna Mosaic Hundred |