Smenkhkare
Smenkhkare
1400 av. J.-C. — 1333 av. J.-C.
Égypte antique
A short-lived pharaoh of ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty, Smenkhkare reigned briefly around 1338–1336 BC, succeeding Akhenaten. His identity remains one of the most enigmatic puzzles of ancient Egypt.
Key Facts
- His reign is estimated between 1338 and 1336 BC, making it one of the shortest in the 18th Dynasty
- Possibly co-regent with Akhenaten, whose eldest daughter Meritaten he is thought to have married
- His identity is debated: some historians believe he may have been Nefertiti or Kiya ruling under a new name
- Contemporary with the Amarna heretical period and the exclusive worship of Aten
- His tomb has never been identified with certainty
Works & Achievements
Smenkhkare is believed to have shared power with Akhenaten in the final years of his reign, as attested by reliefs and cartouches from Amarna. This co-regency constitutes the bulk of the documented political legacy of this elusive pharaoh.
The tomb of the high priest of Aten, Meryre II, preserves one of the rare confirmed depictions of Smenkhkare, shown alongside Meritaten receiving tribute from dignitaries. This relief is a major iconographic source for identifying the pharaoh.
Some Egyptologists attribute to Smenkhkare the first gestures of reconciliation with the clergy of Amun, predating Tutankhamun's official restoration. If confirmed, this political shift would have had decisive consequences for Egypt's religious future.
Several funerary objects discovered in Tutankhamun's tomb bear inscriptions that may have been reassigned from those of Smenkhkare or Neferneferuaten, bearing witness to the recycling of royal treasures at the close of the Amarna period.
Anecdotes
Smenkhkare is one of the most enigmatic pharaohs in Egyptian history: his exact identity remains a mystery debated by Egyptologists around the world. Some believe he was a young man close to the royal family, perhaps Akhenaten's brother-in-law, while others suggest he may have been Nefertiti herself ruling under a male throne name.
Tomb KV55 in the Valley of the Kings contains a mummy whose identity has been disputed between Smenkhkare and Akhenaten. DNA analysis conducted in 2010 revealed that this individual was Tutankhamun's biological father, reigniting debate over who Smenkhkare truly was among the members of the Amarna royal family.
Smenkhkare is thought to have ruled jointly with Akhenaten as co-regent before succeeding him. Some Amarna reliefs depict two royal figures standing side by side beneath the solar disk of Aten, fueling many theories about the exact nature of their relationship — whether political, familial, or personal.
Following Akhenaten's religious revolution, which had imposed the exclusive worship of the god Aten, Smenkhkare may have quietly begun a return to the old cults, particularly that of Amun at Thebes. This symbolic gesture foreshadowed the sweeping religious restoration that would be fully carried out under Tutankhamun.
Smenkhkare's coronation name, Ankhkheperure, was also used by his successor Neferneferuaten, further complicating the identification of these figures. This overlapping of royal titles is unique in pharaonic history and reflects the dynastic turmoil that gripped Egypt at the close of the Amarna period.
Primary Sources
A scene from the tomb of the high priest Meryre II depicts Smenkhkare accompanied by Meritaten, his great royal wife. It is one of the most complete representations of the pharaoh, showing him receiving tributes beneath the radiating disk of Aten.
The Turin Royal Canon, compiled under Ramesses II, records a succession of brief reigns following Akhenaten. The gaps and partially erased names reflect a later deliberate attempt to erase the rulers of the Amarna period from official memory.
The cartouches found in tomb KV55 were deliberately hammered out and partially erased, evidence of a partial damnatio memoriae. Nevertheless, fragments of gilding and funerary equipment confirm a burial of royal rank.
The cuneiform Amarna tablets preserve correspondence between the Egyptian court and foreign rulers during this turbulent period. They illustrate the unstable geopolitical context in which Smenkhkare would briefly have held power.
Several rings and seals bearing the cartouche Ankhkheperure have been found at Amarna and in the Delta. These objects constitute direct material evidence for the existence of Smenkhkare's reign, even if their attribution is sometimes debated.
Key Places
The capital founded by Akhenaten and the heart of the Amarna court, this is where Smenkhkare is believed to have wielded power as co-regent and later as pharaoh in his own right. The ruins of this short-lived city, excavated since the 19th century, continue to yield precious clues about the identity of this mysterious ruler.
This tomb on the west bank of Thebes contains a mummy whose identity — Smenkhkare or Akhenaten — remains one of the great debates in modern Egyptology. The funerary objects were deliberately damaged and the cartouches hammered out.
The religious heart of Egypt and seat of the powerful Amun priesthood, Thebes embodied the ancient order that Akhenaten had sought to overturn. Smenkhkare may have begun the reconciliation with this sacred capital, paving the way for the return of traditional religion.
Egypt's ancient administrative capital, Memphis remained a major center of political and economic power even during the Amarna period. Governing the empire from Akhetaten required administrative relay points in this strategically located city at the heart of the Delta.