Thutmose I

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Akheperkare Thutmose I (d. 1492 BC; sometimes spelled Thutmosis or Tuthmose) was the third Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. He ruled Egypt from 1504 BC until his death in 1492 BC. He was the father of the Pharaohs Thutmose II and Hatshepsut, and was the first king to be buried in the Valley of the Kings (tombs KV20 and KV38).

Contents

1 Family History
2 Military achievements
3 Building projects
4 Death & burial
5 See also
6 References

Family History

Thutmose had a Commoner (i.e., non-noble) father and mother, Semiseneb, but rose through the ranks of the military to become one of the most prominent commanders under the reign of his predecessor Amenhotep I. There is some debate over the parentage of his wife Queen Ahmose. She was either the daughter of Ahmose I and Queen Ahmose-Nefertari or Thutmose I's sister. Because she never is referred to as 'kings daufghter', but calls herself instead 'kings sister', it is likely she was a commoner. When Amenhotep I died childless, Thutmose ascended the throne. Amenhotep's mother, Ahmose-Nefertari, continued to hold the title of God's Wife of Amun into Thutmose's reign, legitimizing his rule. Ahmose bore him two sons, Wadjmose and Amenmose, both of whom predeceased their father. A third son by a minor wife, Mutnofret, became his heir and successor Thutmose II, with a rival claim to the throne by his fully royal daughter Hatshepsut. Manetho records that Thutmose I's reign lasted 12 Years; this data is supported by 2 dated inscriptions from Years 8 and 9 of his reign inscribed on a stone block from Karnak.

Military achievements

Thutmose led several major military campaigns, most notably against insurgent Hyksos tribes in the Nile Delta. He pursued the tribes all the way to the Euphrates River. In Nubia he led an expedition beyond the Third Cataract where he engaged a Nubian king in hand to hand combat and slew the Nubian. According to one of Thutmose's admirals, Ahmose, son of Ebana, upon victory he had the Nubian king's body hung from the prow of his ship, before he returned to Thebes. Some of the major sources of evidence for the military exploits of Thutmose I come from the tomb of Ahmose, son of Ebana, Royal inscriptions stateing thutmosis fought in Asia & Nubia, The Tombos Stele, which speaks of conquests reaching as far as the Euphrates river, & an inscription at Aswan stateing "The king created cataracts on his return to Egypt from a conquest in Kush" [1]

Stela of Tuthmosis I in Cairo Museum

Building projects

An avid builder, Thutmose commissioned many construction projects during his rule, including the first tomb carved out at the Valley of the Kings. Many of his projects were at the Temple of Karnak under the supervision of the architect Ineni. These works included the fourth and fifth pylons, numerous courts and statues, the completion of the treasury expansion begun by Amenhotep I, and had a hypostyle hall of cedar wood constructed at Karnak to commemorate his victory over the Hyksos.

Death & burial

Thutmose I's body was found in the Deir el-Bahri Cache above the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut and can be viewed today in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

References

[1] B, Ockinga, (Warrior Pharoahs)1993 Mac Uni Lecture

Image Reference: Author: Jimmy Dunn Source: Feature Article: URL: http://touregypt.net/featurestories/tuthmosis1.htm Date: 30,5,06

Preceded by:
Amenhotep I Pharaoh of Egypt
Eighteenth Dynasty Succeeded by:
Thutmose II