Butehamun | |
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Born | Before 1070 BC In or around Deir el-Medina, Egypt |
Died | Before 960 BC |
Occupation | Scribe |
Years active | c. 11th century BC |
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Butehamun[1] in hieroglyphs | |||||||||
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Era: New Kingdom (1550–1069 BC) | |||||||||
Butehamun (fl. 11th century BC) was an Egyptian scribe born and raised in or around Deir el-Medina[2] during the reign of Ramesses XI, the tenth and final pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. Butehamun was the son of Thutmose[3][4] (or Dhutmose)[5] of Deir el-Medina, who was also a scribe, and a member of a family of scribes dating back to the early Twentieth Dynasty.
Under the orders of the High Priests of Amun who maintained the temple complex of Karnak in Thebes, Butehamun was involved in the relocation and reburial of royal mummies from the Valley of the Kings to the Royal Cache (TT320).[6] Throughout his life, Butehamun earned several titles, including "Scribe of the Necropolis", "Opener of the Gates of the Necropolis", "Overseer of Works in the House of Eternity", and "Overseer of the Treasuries of the Kings".[4]
Much of what is known about Butehamun is derived from graffiti and from letters between Butehamun and his father.[7] Though Polish archaeologist Andrzej Niwiński proposed the existence of three scribes, each named Butehamun, connected to the Theban Necropolis,[8] this view is considered discredited.[9] Butehamun died during the Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt.[10]
In 1984 A. Niwiński published an article in which he postulated the existence of no less than three scribes called Butehamun. Although his hypothesis was very soon afterwards falsified, the problems with the funeral equipment of Butehamun which led him to his remarkable theory have never been adequately dealt with.