Horemheb: The Forgotten Pharaoh

by Charlotte Booth

Horemheb ruled Egypt after Tutankhamun, and was fundamental in bringing Egypt back to the rich and powerful nation it was before Akhenaten took the throne. Rather than simply clearing up the mess left behind after the Amarna period, he lay the foundations for the kings who were to come, and his choice of heir to the throne, led eventually to the rule of Ramses II, one of the most famous kings in Egyptian history. This book puts Horemheb in his rightful place in Egyptian chronology as the start of the 19th Dynasty, and demonstrates how he was fundamental in shaping history as we know it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Egyptology, History, Egypt

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 2009

Reviews

[Iset · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Although a prominent figure in the story of both Akhenaten and Tutankhamun, Horemheb is a little-known character. He is represented in popular commentaries on the Amarna period in one of three ways; he is either overlooked altogether, portrayed as the murderer of Tutankhamun and therefore an ambitious man, or he is used as a means of rounding off the story of the Amarna period into a tidy conclusion… It has become apparent that Horemheb deserves more attention than he is traditionally given. It is easy to forget when writing or reading about people so far in the past, in this case over 3000 years, that they were all complex characters with motivations, emotions and personal histories and therefore cannot be categorised as either one thing or another. People today cannot be classified as one thing (whether it be vengeful, ambitious, or diplomatic) and neither should those in the past.”

I genuinely enjoyed this book. I was prepared to be cautious, given other reviews I’d seen, but upon finishing the book I am truly hard pressed to think of a non-fiction book I appreciated as much as this one recently.

I’ll start with the criticisms first, because yes, despite my enjoyment, I won’t deny there are some negatives. The Kindle formatting could be better, the notes and references could be more extensive, and because the information about Horemheb’s early military career is scant, Booth is forced to outline in general terms the likely path of his education and initial career. If you’re not a fan of ‘probably’s in non-fiction history, you might feel irritated with that section. I personally don’t mind it too much; as a historian it’s practically branded on me not to take a ‘probably’ as fact, but I still think it’s worthwhile exploring the most likely scenarios even if we cannot at this time confirm them.

But outside of that, I was impressed with the level of Booth’s dedication to piecing the fragments back together in a portrait of this often overlooked king. She tackles a few of the key Amarna debates as well – the ones that relate to Horemheb at any rate – and I must admit some of them actually convinced me. I’ve never bought in to the caricature of Horemheb as a murderous, grasping villain, but I had assumed some rivalry between Horemheb and Ay – what else, after Horemheb had been Tutankhamun’s assumed heir and then Ay ascended the throne? But Booth’s arguments have persuaded me that their relationship was in fact amicable. Horemheb seems to have been a man devoted to the ancient Egyptian concept of ‘ma’at’, and Ay’s familial connection to the Amarna royals may have given him a greater right to the throne that Horemheb felt was justified. Further, Ay had a clear chance to name someone else his heir, which Horemheb would not have been able to gainsay as the divine will of Amun, and yet Ay still chose Horemheb. Nakhtmin may have been little more than ‘King’s Son of Kush’, i.e. not Ay’s actual son, but the viceroy in Kush.

Booth had some interesting propositions regarding the unidentified Egyptian queen who requested a Hittite prince for a husband. This is one debate I’ve gone back and forth on over the years. Recently I’ve been on the Ankhsenamun side of the debate, as it puzzles me why Nefertiti would make such a request when a male heir was available in the person of Tutankhamun. Booth has made me at least reconsider the prospect that Nefertiti may have been the author, but ultimately posits an alternative to both Nefertiti or Ankhsenamun as letter-writer. She posits that it is possible that the Hittites simply made the whole thing up, a tale fabricated to stoke hostility against the Egyptians and justify a belligerent stance against them. It is a fascinating suggestion, and an appealling one given that both Nefertiti-as-letter-writer and Ankhsenamun-as-letter-writer have their own problems as possible scenarios. I'm not sold, but it's worth further investigation.

So often in fiction Horemheb is portrayed as the cynical grasper at the Amarna court – whether or not Akhenaten and Nefertiti are being portrayed as saintly visionaries or selfishly insane – the figure of Horemheb looms sinister in the background, waiting for the implosion. Booth has completely blasted that notion out of the water by pointing out that Horemheb was likely simply too young when Akhenaten took the throne to have been of any real note or importance, and must have spent most of those 17 years hard at work on military campaign, edging up the lower ranks. Booth’s biography is, as far as I’ve been able to determine, the only biography of Horemheb, and whilst there are better known pharaohs who are themselves yet lacking a biography of their own, this one was worthwhile.

[Tristramn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is nothing but a disappointing rehashing of old scholarship readily available elsewhere. The author brings nothing new to the table; there's no attempt at original research here, nor is fresh insight offered. Considerable space is devoted to issues only tangentially related to Horemheb, including a highly speculative account of his education and training which may or may not be widely off the mark: it all depends on whether Horemheb was a commoner who had to work his way up through the ranks, or whether he was born into the elite and hence had a head start in life. In this respect, ms. Booth fails miserably. She does not discuss Horemheb's pre-royal career to any satisfactory extent. She mentions neither Horemheb's proposed relations (Horemheb, owner of TT78) nor discusses the brilliant work done by Prof. Jared Miller in equating Mursilis II's egyptian correspondent Arma'a with the then general Horemheb. A more thorough research of the subject matter would have benefitted this book and have spared Mrs. Booth a considerable blunder.

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed, well-written look at the Pharaoh, Horemheb. If you haven't heard of him, you are far from alone, yet, he was instrumental in the transformation of Ancient Egypt. He is also the first example in history of the "man on the white horse" who comes from the military and takes the reins of government. An oft-repeated scenario.

There is much detail and description in this book that may appear challenging to the novice, but the book is well worth the read. It places perspective on the end of a very confusing period.

[GBL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlotte Booth has written a detailed and informative biography of Horemheb, considered the last Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt.

Booth traces Horemheb’s life through the previous reigns and shows his progress to the throne as the last man standing after the difficult recent history of Egypt, through the Amarna period and the restoration of the official religion in the reign of Tutankhamen. Booth shows how Horemheb consolidated the kingdom and prepared for the future in his choice of successor.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been interested in Horemheb for 6 years now, ever since I saw the bust at the Nicholson Museum identified as Horemheb, so this book is right up my alley.

Booth clearly adores the subject of her book, and consistently shows him in a good light. It's true that she could be more critical of Horemheb, but given that so many depictions of Horemheb are of the evil and over-ambitious general, I'm inclined to let it go. The persona she ultimately constructs for Horemheb may be romanticised, but it's also more human and, well, interesting, than what's come before.

A few of Booth's ideas are quite interesting (the Dakhamunzu letter as a semi-fictional piece of Hittite propaganda) and even amusing (Horemheb having to calm down a tantrum-chucking Tutankhamun). I do question the validity of these ideas, but they're appealing to play with.

Other flaws include the sparse notes, which are mostly citations with no commentary attached. The italicising of some titles (king, general, etc) seems strange and confusing. Additionally, the book could have been better edited.

Otherwise, it's a solid effort.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, smooth-reading biography of an important (perhaps even pivotal) but often-overlooked pharaoh. Charlotte Booth writes clearly and logically (although the book could have been better-edited; there were some annoying typographical errors, and for some unexplained reason, titles like "King" and "General" were almost always in italics) and she's clearly grounded in solid research. I also would have preferred slightly more verbose end notes. On the whole, a good effort, and a subject that's very welcome (a pharaoh other than Akhenaten, Tutankhamen, Ramses II, or Cleopatra).

[Shriya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have NEVER before read a history book I have enjoyed this much! The story of Horemheb is not a new one in the annals of the world. You'll find that there were so many leaders in the past you can compare to this old soldier-turned-pharaoh. The tale of an ordinary soldier who slowly makes his way up the ladder in the Eighteenth Dynasty, Horemheb can be compared to characters like Chandragupta Maurya, Ala-ud-din Khalji, Bairam Khan, Cardinal Wolsey and so many others. A must read for anyone who enjoys history.