Ahmose, son of Ebana

Ahmose, son of Ebana, served in the Egyptian military under the pharaohs Ahmose I, Amenhotep I, and Thutmose I.^[1][2] His autobiography, which is inscribed on the wall of his tomb, and remains remarkably intact, is a valuable source of information on the late 17th Dynasty and the early 18th Dynasty of Egypt.^[3][4]

Ahmose, son of Ebana
Ahmose depicted in his tomb at El Kab
Born	Nekheb (modern El Kab)
Buried	El Kab
Allegiance	17th Dynasty of Egypt 18th Dynasty of Egypt
Known for	Military service under Ahmose I, Amenhotep I, and Thutmose I

Ahmose was born in the city of Nekheb, the modern El Kab.^[5] During the war to expel the Hyksos from Egypt, in the reign of Seqenenre Tao, his father enlisted in the navy. After the deaths of Tao and his son Kamose, Ahmose began to serve as a soldier under Pharaoh Ahmose I.^[6] He participated in the battle of Avaris (the Hyksos capital in the Delta), where he killed two Hyksos and was awarded the "gold of valor" twice.^[7] Ahmose was awarded slaves and other spoils by the pharaoh after Avaris was sacked. Ahmose also participated in the three-year siege of Sharuhen in southern Canaan for which he was rewarded. He followed his king to Nubia, where they put down three rebellions.

Under Amenhotep I, he fought against the Nubians and was given gold and slaves for his bravery.

During the reign of Thutmose I, Ahmose participated in a naval campaign against Nubian tribes in the Nile valley and was appointed admiral. He also followed Thutmose on a campaign against Naharin all the way to the Euphrates River.

Ebana was the name of Ahmose's mother, who was most likely a woman of importance on Egyptian society;^[8][5] his father's name was Baba. Paheri, the grandson of Ahmose and a scribe and priest of the goddess Nekhbet and tutor to the prince Wadjmose, supervised the building of his grandfather's tomb.^[6]

References

1. Lloyd, Alan B. (2010-05-06). A Companion to Ancient Egypt. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-4443-2006-0.
2. Bierbrier, M. L. (2022-11-30). Historical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-5750-3.
3. Matić, Uroš (2021), "Objects of desire: men, women, and children as spoils of war", Violence and Gender in Ancient Egypt, Routledge, pp. 87–112, doi:10.4324/9780429340666-5, ISBN 978-0-429-34066-6, retrieved 2024-01-29
4. Tomorad, Mladen; Popielska-Grzybowska, Joanna (2017-04-30). Egypt 2015: Perspectives of Research: Proceedings of the Seventh European Conference of Egyptologists (2nd-7th June, 2015, Zagreb – Croatia). Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78491-585-8.
5. Bierbrier, M. L. (2022-11-30). Historical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-5750-3.
6. Riad, Janet Gameil; Abo Elmagd, Ahmad Mohammad; Abbas, Eltayeb Sayed (2021-12-01). "Psychological warfare in the Eighteenth Dynasty". Minia Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research MJTHR. 12 (1): 44–60. doi:10.21608/mjthr.2021.94803.1015. ISSN 2357-0652.
7. Elliott, Paul (2017-06-29). Warfare in New Kingdom Egypt. Fonthill Media.
8. Bryan, Betsy M. (2018-10-29), Gunter, Ann C. (ed.), "The Ancient Near East and Egypt", A Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Art (1 ed.), Wiley, pp. 531–564, doi:10.1002/9781118336779.ch22, ISBN 978-1-118-30125-8, retrieved 2024-01-29

Bibliography

• "Biography of Ahmose, son of Ebana" in Ancient Records of Egypt by James Henry Breasted, Part Two, sections 1 to 24, 38ff and 78ff.
• "The Autobiography of Ahmose Son of Abana" in Ancient Egyptian Literature by M. Lichtheim, vol.2, pp. 12ff.

External links

• The biographical inscriptions of Ahmose son of Ebana
• Autobiography of Ahmose, in Lepsius, Denkmäler III, 12d.
• The Autobiography of Ahmose, Son of Ebana (English Translation)