Tuthmosis IV of the 18th Dynasty

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TUTHMOSIS IV OF THE 18TH DYNASTY

BY JIMMY DUNN

The Pharaoh Tuthmosis IV, who ruled during Egypt famous 18th Dynasty, is probably most famous for his "Dream Stele, that can still today be found between the paws of the

greatSphinxatGiza.Dreamswere important in ancient Egypt and were considered to be divine predictions of the future. In Tuthmosis IV's "Dream Stele", he tells us that,

while out on a hunting trip, he fell asleep in the shadow of the Sphinx (or apparently, the shadow of the Sphinx's head, for the monument was apparently buried in sand at the

time). In the young prince's sleep, Re-Harakhte, the sun god embodied in the Sphinx, came to him in a dream and promised that if he would clear away the sand that engu lfed

the monument, Tuthmosis would become king ofEgypt.

Tuthmosis IV's Dream Stele

In part, the stele reads:

"Now the statue of the very great Khepri (the Great Sphix) restin in this place, great of fame, sacred of respect, the shade of Ra resting on hi m. Memphis and every city on its

two sides came to him, their arms in adoration to his face, bearing great offerings for his ka. One of these days it happened that price Tuthmosis came travelling at the time of

midday. He rested in the shadow of the great god. (Sleep and) dream (took possession of me) at the moment the sun was at zenith. Then he found the majesty of this noble

god speaking from his own mouth like a father speaks to his son, and saying, 'Look at me, observe me, my son Tuthmosis. I am your father, Horemakhet-Khepri-Ra-Atum. I

shall give to you the kingship (upon the land before the living)...(Behold, my condition is like one in illness), all (my limbs being ruined). The sand of the desert, upon which I

used to be, (now) confronts me; and it is in order to cause that you do what is in my heart that I have waited."

Obviously, the prince carried out these instructions, and thus became the eighth ruler of the 18th Dynasty.
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Above: Tuthmosis IV and His Mother, Tiaa

Tuthmosis IV's name means, "Born of the God Thoth".His throne name was Men-kheperu-re, meaning "Everlasting are the Manifestations of Re". We can also find references

to him under the names of Thuthmose IV, Thutmosis IV, and Djehutymes IV. He ruled Egypt between 1419 and 1386 BC. He was apparently the son ofAmenhotep IIby his

wife, Tiaa, but Egyptologists speculate whether, because of the wording of the "Dream Stele", his claim on the Egyptian throne was legitimate. In fact, other evidence supports

this contention. His father, Amenhotep II, never recognized Tuthmosis as a co-regent, or announced any intent for Thutmosis to succeed him.

We know that Tuthmosis IV was probably married to Mutemwiya, who produced his heir to the throne,Amenhotep III, though he never acknowledged her as either a major or

minor queen. It is possible, though now doubted by some, that she was the daughter of he Mitannian king, Artatama, who sent his daughter to the Egyptian court as part of a

diplomatic exchange. Other of his wives included Merytra, who we believe later changed her name to Tiaa (same as his mother's name) and a non-royal wife, Nefertiry. He

probably also married one of his sisters named Iaret.

Tuthmosis IV is not the best documented of Egyptian pharaohs. We actually know very little about him in comparison to others of this dynasty. Little military action appears to

have occurred during his reign, although our knowledge may be marred by the lack of texts. We do know that there was a Nubian campaign in Year 8 of his rule, and that

apparently there were also campaigns in Syria. However, even though the king is referred to twice as the "conqueror of Syria", these may have actually been little more than

policing actions, rather than full scale battles.
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Little is also known of his building work. Tuthmosis IV did finish a giant obelisk that was originally quarried at Aswan under Tuthmosis III, his grandfather. At 32 meters (105

feet) it was the tallest Egyptian obelisk that we know of, and was uniquely intended to stand as a single obelisk at the Temple of Karnak. Most of the obelisks were usually

erected in pairs. However, Tuthmosis III originally intended for there to be a pair of these Obelisks. Its counterpartdeveloped a fault during the quarry process, and remains

today joined to the bed-rock atAswan. Today, the finished obelisk stands outside St. John Leteran in Rome, rather than in Egypt.

He also began work work at most ofEgypt's major temple sites and four sites in Nubia, but almost all of this was simply adding to existing monuments. Most of his work was

adding to the temples of his father and grandfather, and perhaps suggesting new sites and monuments to his son.

We know of his minor building projects in the following locations:

The Delta atAlexandria

Seriakus

Heliopolis (possibly)

Giza

Abusir

Saqqara

Memphis

Crocodilopos in the Fayoum

Hermopolis

Amarna

Abydos (a chapel)

Dendera

Medamud

Karnak
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Luxor

The West Bank at Luxor (his tomb and mortuary temple)

Armant

Tod

Elkab

Edfu

Elephantine

Konosso

InNubiaat the following locations:

Faras

Buhen

Amada (where he decorated the peristyle court)

Tabo

Gebel Barkal (a foundation deposit)

He also provided some decorations in theHathortemple at theSerabit el-Khadim turquoise mines in theSinai.

His best attested building project we have available today ishis own tomb, KV 43, located in theValley of the Kingsand discovered byHoward Carter. However, his mummy

was missing from his tomb, having been found five years earlier in a cache of mummies located in the tomb of Amenhotep II. Perhaps better known are the fine private tombs

built by his nobles on the West Bank at Luxor (ancient Thebes) in an area commonly referred to as the Tombs of the Nobles. These include such notable tombs as that of

Nakht (TT 52)and Menna (TT 69).
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From his tomb, the Deceased Tuthmosis IV Receiving the Gift of Life from the Goddess, Hathor

References:

Title Author Date Publisher

Reference

Number

Chronicle of the Pharaohs (The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Rulers and

Dynasties of Ancient Egypt)

Clayton, Peter A. 1994

Thames and Hudson

Ltd

ISBN 0-500-

05074-0

Complete Valley of the Kings, The (Tombs and Treasures of Egypt's Greatest

Pharaohs)

Reeves, Nicholas; Wilkinson,

Richard H.

1966

Thames and Hudson

Ltd

IBSN 0-500-

05080-5

Monarchs of the Nile Dodson, Aidan 1995 Rubicon Press

ISBN 0-948695-

20-x

Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, The Shaw, Ian 2000

Oxford University

Press

ISBN 0-19-

815034-2

Who Were the Phraohs? (A history of their names with a list of cartouches) Quirke, Stephen 1990 Dover Publications

ISBN 0-486-

26586-2

Tuthmosis IV of the 18th Dynasty

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