| Osorkon IV the Glorious | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 22 September 872 - 18 June 837 |
| Predecessor | Takelot I |
| Successor | Shoshenq VIII |
| Born | February 10, 915 Xois, Egypt |
| Died | June 18, 837 (aged 78) |
| Spouse | Karomama II, Isetemkheb IV, Djedmutesankh II, Tadibast I |
| Issue | Takelot, Tjesbastperu, Nimlot C, Shoshenq D, Hornakht |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Kanakht Merymaat Sekhaisewer Nesutawy Nebty Name: Zemapeseshtimizaiset Golden Horus Name: Werpehti huimentiu Praenomen: Usermaatra setepenamun Nomen: Osorkon Meriamun | |
| House | Shoshenq |
| Dynasty | Paihutyian - Shoshenquid |
| Father | Takelot I |
| Mother | Kapes |
| Religion | Kemetism |
Usermaatra Setepenamun Osorkon IV was the fifth king of the Twenty-second Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and the son of King Takelot I and Queen Kapes. He ruled Egypt from approximately 22 September 872 ti 18 June 837 BC from Tanis, the capital of that dynasty.
After succeeding his father, Osorkon IV was faced with the competing rule of his cousin, King Harsiese I, who controlled both Thebes and the Western Oasis of Egypt. Potentially, Harsiese's kingship could have posed a serious challenge to the authority of Osorkon, however, when Harsiese died in 860 BC, Osorkon IV acted to ensure that no king would replace Harsiese. He appointed his son, Nimlot II, as the high priest of Amun at Thebes, which would have been the source for a successor to Harsiese. This consolidated the king's authority over Upper Egypt and thereafter, Osorkon IV ruled over a united Egypt. Osorkon IV's reign was a time of prosperity for Egypt and large-scale monumental building ensued.
Osorkon IV was the last king of the Twenty-second dynasty to rule Egypt from the Delta to Upper Egypt. His successor, Shoshenq VIII, lost the effective control of Middle and Upper Egypt that Osorkon IV had achieved.
Foreign policy and monumental program[]
Osorkon IV was forced to be aggressive on the international scene. The growing power of Assyria was accompanied with increased meddling in the affairs of Israel and Syria—territories well within Egypt's sphere of influence.
Osorkon IV devoted considerable resources into his building projects by adding to the temple of Bastet at Bubastis, which featured a substantial new hall decorated with scenes depicting his Sed festival and images of his queen, Karomama. Monumental construction during his reign also was performed at Thebes, Memphis, Tanis, and Leontopolis. Osorkon IV also built Temple J at Ipetisut during the final years of his reign and it was decorated by his high priest, Takelot F (the future king, Takelot II). Takelot F was the son of the deceased high priest Nimlot C and, thus, Osorkon IV's grandson.
All of Osorkon IV's sizeable stone statues are known to be re-used works of earlier periods that were re-inscribed for Osorkon IV, including the famous "Cairo-Philadelphia statue of Osorkon IV".
Many officials may be dated to the reign of Osorkon IV. Ankhkherednefer was inspector of the palace, Paanmeny probably was his chief physician, Djeddjehutyiuefankh was the fourth prophet of Amun, and Bakenkhons was another prophet of Amun during his reign.
Marriages and children[]
Osorkon IV is known to have had at least four wives:
- Queen Karomama is the best known of Osorkon's wives. Karomama was the mother of at least two sons and three daughters:
- Isetemkheb is known to be the mother of a daughter named, Tjesbastperu, who was married to the High Priest of Ptah Takelot B.
- Djedmutesakh IV was the mother of the High Priest of Amun Nimlot II. Nimlot C was a son of Osorkon IV and the father of Takelot F, who would become Takelot II.
- Mutemhat was another of his wives.
Other children of record included:
- Prince Shoshenq D was High Priest of Ptah
- Prince Hornakht was the High Priest of Amun in Tanis Osorkon IV appointed Hornakht as the chief priest of Amun at Tanis to strengthen his authority in Lower Egypt; however, this was clearly a political move since Hornakht died prematurely before the age of ten.
- Princess Tashakheper may have served as God's Wife of Amun during the reign of Takelot IV
- Princess Karomama C, who may be identical to Karomama Meritmut, a God's Wife of Amun
- Princess Taiirmer
Other possible children attributed to Osorkon IV include his successor Shoshenq VIII and the King's Daughter Tentsepeh (D), the wife of General Ptahudjankhef, who was a son of Nimlot C and hence, a grandson of Osorkon IV.
Tomb[]
The French excavator Pierre Montet discovered Osorkon IV's plundered royal tomb at Tanis on February 27, 1939. It revealed that Osorkon IV was buried in a massive granite sarcophagus with a lid carved from a Ramesside-era statue. Only some fragments of a hawk-headed coffin and canopic jars remained in the robbed tomb to identify him. While the tomb had been looted in antiquity, what jewellery that remained "was of such high quality that existing conceptions of the wealth of the northern Twenty-first and Twenty-second dynasties had to be revised."