Ahmose(1504 av. J.-C. — 1492 av. J.-C.)
Ahmose
Égypte antique
8 min read
Ahmose was an Egyptian queen of the 18th Dynasty, wife of Pharaoh Thutmose I. She is the mother of the famous pharaoh Hatshepsut. Her role at court illustrates the importance of queens in establishing Egyptian dynastic legitimacy.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose I, c. 1504 BCE
- Mother of Hatshepsut, one of the rare women to reign as pharaoh
- Member of the 18th Dynasty, during the Egyptian New Kingdom period
- Her title of 'Great Royal Wife' gave her a central role in legitimizing royal power
Works & Achievements
Bien que gravées par Hatchepsout, ces reliefs monumentaux immortalisent Ahmès comme mère divine choisie par Amon, faisant d'elle un personnage central de la légitimité royale de la XVIIIe dynastie.
Les monuments de Karnak portant le cartouche d'Ahmès témoignent de son rôle officiel reconnu à la cour de Thoutmosis Ier et de sa place dans la mémoire dynastique officielle de l'Égypte.
Amulettes, scarabées et objets de prestige portant les deux cartouches royaux attestent de la visibilité publique du couple royal et de la reconnaissance officielle du statut d'Ahmès comme épouse légitime.
Anecdotes
Ahmose held the title of “Great Royal Wife” (Hemet Neswt Weret), the highest rank a woman could attain in the Egyptian court hierarchy. This title gave her a central role in religious rituals and guaranteed the dynastic legitimacy of her children in the eyes of the people and the clergy.
The name “Ahmose” comes from the ancient Egyptian *Iah-mès*, meaning literally “The Moon is born.” The Moon was associated with the god Iah, and this royal name emphasized the sacred link between the royal family and the cosmos — a common practice in the naming conventions of Theban elites during the New Kingdom.
Her daughter Hatshepsut had carved in her funerary temple at Deir el-Bahari a scene of “divine birth” featuring Ahmose and the god Amun. In these famous bas-reliefs, Amun is said to have taken the form of Thutmose I to unite with Ahmose and conceive Hatshepsut, thereby legitimizing the future pharaoh's power in the eyes of all Egypt.
Thutmose I had Ahmose's name inscribed on several monuments at Karnak, attesting to her official honorific status. This practice, reserved for queens whose offspring were destined to reign, shows how Ahmose was regarded as a dynastically essential consort.
Ahmose was the mother of at least two royal children destined to leave their mark on history: Hatshepsut, the future pharaoh, and Neferubity, a daughter who died in infancy but whose memory was preserved in royal inscriptions. This royal motherhood made Ahmose the ancestor of one of the most powerful and best-documented dynasties of the New Kingdom.
Primary Sources
The bas-reliefs depict Queen Ahmose seated before the god Amun, who announces to her the birth of a daughter destined for kingship. Ahmose is described as "the most beautiful of women," and her role as divine mother is emphasized to legitimize the reign of Hatshepsut.
The annals and dedications at Karnak name Ahmose among the members of the royal household of Thutmose I and record her title of Great Royal Wife, confirming her official standing at the Theban court.
Erected by Thutmose I during his military campaign into Nubia as far as the Third Cataract, this stele evokes the military power of the pharaoh whose principal wife was Ahmose, illustrating the imperial context in which she lived.
Several scarabs and amulets bearing the paired cartouches of Thutmose I and Ahmose have been found in Theban funerary contexts, attesting to the reality of the royal couple and to their visibility in official memory.
Key Places
The religious and political capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom, residence of the pharaoh and his court; it was here that Ahmose lived, fulfilled her role as Great Royal Wife, and raised her children destined to rule.
Egypt's principal religious complex dedicated to the god Amun, where Thutmose I erected two obelisks and where the name of Ahmose was inscribed on several official monuments attesting to her dynastic status.
Hatshepsut's temple at Western Thebes, where the famous divine birth scenes were carved, immortalizing Ahmose as the mother chosen by the god Amun to bear the heiress to the throne of Egypt.
The Theban necropolis reserved for royal wives and children, a site symbolizing the sacred status of women in the royal family, where several queens of the 18th Dynasty were buried.
A Nubian site downstream of the third cataract of the Nile, where Thutmose I erected a stele celebrating his military victories, illustrating the extent of the empire ruled by the husband of Ahmose.