Huub Pragt – The Semenkhkara Enigma : a mystery of the Amarna Period

Starts on Mon, 13 Sep 2021 14:00 British Summer Time (UTC+1)

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The Semenkhkara Enigma – a mystery at the end of the Amarna Period

About this event

For decades, Egyptologists have heatedly debated the identity of the enigmatic figure Semenkhkara. Who was this person who briefly ruled Egypt as pharaoh? Scientists agree on several issues. It is a monarch who reigned at the end of the Amarna period. Semenkhkara had Meritaten, the eldest daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, as Great Royal Wife at his side. Since the discovery of KV 55, the name of Semenkhkara is mentioned as the most probable owner of this tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Remarkably, several objects that have been found there bear the names of protagonists from the Amarna period. But none of these finds, however, are related to Semenkhkara. Even more striking is the finding of a globular calcite vase from KV 62, the tomb of Tutankhamun. It is the only object to bear the full double cartouche of Akhenaten together with the full double cartouche of Semenkhkara. In his lecture, Egyptologist Huub Pragt will share his views on the identity of this mysterious person from Egyptian history.