king Ahmes II

Ahmose (II) (Amasis) Khnemibre
(570-526 BC)

King of the 26th Dynasty. The reign of the king marks the high point of the 26th Dynasty in terms of wealth and prosperity. Under Ahmose (II) Naukratis, the Greek colony in Egypt was formally founded: the city became the main trading point between Egyptians and Greeks. Herodotus and Egyptian sources relate that the king was a drinker and philanderer: this may, though, be a literary motif rather than an accurate record.

Horus name: Semenmaat
Nebty name: Zaneit-sepedtawy
Golden Falcon name: Setepnetjeru
Prenomen: Khnemibre
Nomen: Ahmose

Burial place: Sais (Herodotus visited it)

Attestations in the Petrie Museum (click on the images to see larger pictures)

UC 14504 (relief fragment)	UC 38080 (shabti)

Further Attestations:

Buto: new temple building (Arnold 1999: 84)
Additions at the temple at Mendes (Arnold 1999: 84)
Isis temple at Behbeit el-Hagar (Arnold 1999: 84)
Sais, further work at the Neit temple (Arnold 1999: 84-85)
Athribis: temple of Khentikhety (Arnold 1999: 86)
Isis temple at Memphis, described by Herodotus (Arnold 1999: 86)
First temple at the Anubieion (Arnold 1999: 86)
Abyos, rebuilding of the Khentimeniu/Osiris temple (Arnold 1999: 87)
Rockinscription on Elephantine (Petrie 1888: pl. XI no.302)
Additions to the Satet temple at Elephantine (Kaiser et al.1999: 94-97, 105-108)
Ammoneion at the Siwa oasis (Arnold 1999: 90)
Blocks found at several sites: Koptos, Karnak, Istabl 'Antar, Philae, 'Ain el-Muftella (Baharya oasis) (Arnold 1999: 87-88)
Stela London BM 952, dated to year one (Leahy 1988)
'Broken blue glazed cone of stone' from Heliopolis (Saleh 1983: 77)
'Block' found at Memphis (Petrie/Mackay/Wainwright 1910: pl. XXXII.3)

Bibliography:

Arnold 1999: 83-91 (on the building activity of the king)
Herodotus II, 172-182 (this Greek historian is, though not always very reliable, one of the main sources for the history of the Late Period)
Josephson 2001 (a summary of his reign)
Leahy 1988 (discussion of the beginning of the reign)
de Meulenaere 1965 (on the family of the king)
de Meulenaere 1975b (a summary of his reign)
Petrie 1905: 347-357 (out of date, but with good collection of sources)