Apepi I

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Scarab bearing the name of the Hyksos pharaoh Apepi, now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Scarab bearing the name of the Hyksos pharaoh Apepi, now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Apepi I, (also Awoserre Apepi or Apophis) was a ruler of Lower Egypt during the fifteenth dynasty and the end of the Second Intermediate Period that was dominated by this foreign dynasty of rulers called the Hyksos. According to the Turin Canon of Kings, he ruled over the northern portion of Egypt for forty years, [1] and would have ruled during the early half of the 1500s if he outlived his southern rival, Kamose, but not Ahmose I. [2] Although his reign only entailed northern Egypt, Apepi was dominant over most of Egypt during the early portion of his reign, and traded peacefully with the native, Theban seventeenth dynasty to the south. [3]

A vase belonging to Apepi's daughter, Herit, was found in the tomb of Amenhotep I, which might indicate that at some point his daughter may have been married to a Theban king. [4] The vase, however, may just as well have been an item which was looted from Avaris after the eventual victory over the Hyksos by Ahmose I.

While he may have exerted suzerainty over Upper Egypt during the beginning of his reign, the seventeenth dynasty eventually assumed control over this region, and the Hyksos were driven out of Egypt no more than fifteen years after his death. [5]

Awoserre Apepi may not have been the same person as Aqenienre Apepi, it is unclear as yet. Some Egyptologists believe there were two kings named Apepi, although others believe all references to Apepi, refer to the same Apepi--ie. Apophis. His 33rd Regnal year is attested in the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus while the Turin Canon assigns him a reign of 40+ years.[6]

Apepi
in hieroglyphs
i A2 p
p		 i

Apepi is thought to have usurped the position as the Hyksos ruler holding the throne of northern Egypt after the death of his predecessor, Khyan, since the latter had designated his son, Yanassi, to be his successor on the throne as a foreign ruler. [7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt. Librairie Arthéme Fayard, 1988, p.189.
  2. ^ Grimal, op. cit., p.189
  3. ^ Grimal, op. cit., p.189
  4. ^ Grimal, op. cit., p.189
  5. ^ Grimal, op. cit., p.194
  6. ^ cf. Thomas Schneider's article on 'The Relative Chronology of the MiddleKingdom and the Hyksos Periood (Dyns. 12-17)' in Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss & David Warburton (editors), Ancient Egyptian Chronology (Handbook of Oriental Studies), Brill: 2006, p.194
  7. ^ Kim Ryholt, The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, CNI Publications, (Museum Tusculanum Press: 1997), p.256
Preceded by
Khyan		 Pharaoh of Egypt
Fifteenth Dynasty		 Succeeded by
Either Apepi II or Khamudi
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