New Kingdom
Ramesses VIII (Usermaatre Akhenamun)
20th Dynasty · 1186-1069 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Ramesses VIII is one of the least documented kings of the New Kingdom: he is attested by only a handful of inscriptions, his reign is usually reconstructed as lasting well under a year, and he is the only 20th Dynasty pharaoh whose tomb has never been identified. Research: Theban Mapping Project; UCL Digital Egypt.
Reign dates: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
An ephemeral ruler
Ramesses VIII, another son of Ramesses III, took the throne as an elderly man. He ruled for less than a year. His incredibly short reign reflects the rapid turnover and instability of the late 20th Dynasty.
A prince's tomb, a king's missing one
Before he became king, Ramesses VIII was known as Prince Setherkhepeshef, for whom a rock-cut tomb, QV43, had already been built in the Valley of the Queens. That tomb was designed for a prince, not a king, and there is no evidence it was ever adapted for his royal burial. Aside from a mention at the temple of his great-grandfather Ramesses VI, a stela, a scarab, and a single dated graffito recording his first regnal year, almost nothing survives to document his brief rule, and the location of his actual tomb and mummy remains unknown.
Sources for this profile
- Baker, D. D. (2008). The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume 1. Stacey International.
- Shaw, I. (Ed.). (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.
- University College London. Kings of the New Kingdom.
- Reeves, N., & Wilkinson, R. H. (1996). The Complete Valley of the Kings. Thames & Hudson.
- Dodson, A., & Hilton, D. (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.
The complete, APA-formatted reference list is on the Academic Sources & Bibliography page.