| Thutmose II the Sickly | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |
| Reign | 20 December 1514 - 28 April 1500 |
| Predecessor | Thutmose I |
| Successor | Hatshepsut I & Thutmose III |
| Born | October 8, 1531 Waset, Egypt |
| Died | April 28, 1500 (aged 30) |
| Spouse | Hatshepsut, Iset |
| Issue | Thutmose III, Neferura |
| Full name | |
| Horus Name: Kanakht Userpehty Nebty Name: Netjerinesyt Golden Horus Name: Sekhemkheperu Praenomen: Aakheperenra Nomen: Thutmose | |
| House | Thutmose |
| Dynasty | Ahmosid - Thutmosid |
| Father | Thutmose I |
| Mother | Ahmose |
| Religion | Kemetism |
He was the son of Pharaoh Thutmose I and one of his secondary wives, named Mutnofret. He was third in the order of royal succession, but his two brothers, Amenmose and Wadjmose, died before his father, making his coronation possible. Perhaps to stabilize his claim to the throne, in the early years of his reign he married his half-sister, the royal princess Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose. Thutmose II was the fourth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, and his reign is generally dated from 1493 to 1479 BC (Low Chronology). Little is known about him and he is overshadowed by his father Thutmose I, half-sister and wife Hatshepsut, and son Thutmose III. He died around the age of 30 and his body was found in the Djeserdjeseru Cache above the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut.
Reign[]
He was the son of Pharaoh Thutmose I and one of his secondary wives, named Mutnofret. He was third in the order of royal succession, but his two brothers, Amenmose and Wadjmose, died before his father, making his coronation possible. Perhaps to stabilize his claim to the throne, in the early years of his reign he married his half-sister, the royal princess Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose.
Campaigns[]
Following Thutmose's coronation, Kush rebelled as Egyptian kingship transitioned. The Nubian state had been completely subdued by Thutmose I but some rebels from Xenthennofer rose up, and the Egyptian forces were forced to retreat to a fortress built by Thutmose I. Due to his relative youth at the time, Thutmose II sent an army into Nubia rather than lead it himself, although he appears to have easily crushed this revolt with the help of his father's military generals. historian Josephus wrote a description the campaign and refers to it as the "Ethiopian War".
Thutmose also appears to have fought against the Shasu Bedouin in the Biau, in a campaign mentioned by Ahmose Pen-Nekhbet. Although this campaign was a minor raid, there is a fragment recorded by Kurt Sethe about a campaign in Upper Retenu, or Syria, where he appears to have gone as far as a place called Niy where Thutmose hunted elephants after returning from crossing the Euphrates. This possibly indicates that the raid against the Shasu would only have been fought on the way to Syria. 13
Testimonies of his time[]
The name of Thutmose II is inscribed in the following places:
- Remains of buildings
- Stone blocks found at Elephantine (Junge 1987:24)
- Stone block from the Temple of Coptos ( Petrie Museum, UC14328)
- Jambs of a building of Tuthmosis I, in Ipetisut (Jacquet-Gordon 1999:281 - 283)
- Statues, steles and inscriptions
- Statue found in Ipetisut 14
- Stele, perhaps from Heliopolis 15
- Inscription mentioning a campaign against Nubia 16
- Inscription on a rock near Sehel 17
- Inscription on a pilaster at the Temple of Hatshepsut at Djeserdjeseru.
The king is mentioned in the biographies of several characters:
- In the biography of Ahmose Paennejeb, in Nekheb 18
- In that of Ineni, in Thebes 19
- In that of Neb-Amon, in Thebes 20
Death[]
Burial[]
His tomb is not known for certain. It is speculated that it may have originally been KV42. Another option is tomb C4 near the Valley of the kings. The much destroyed tomb dates to the early 18th Dynasty and shows many features typical for a royal burial, such as remains of an Amduat depicted on the walls. However, his remains were found in the Royal Cache of Mummies at Djeserdjeseru (Theban Necropolis).