Smendes was the founder of the Twenty-first dynasty of Egypt and succeeded to the throne after burying Ramesses XI in Lower Egypt – territory which he controlled. While his precise origins remain a mystery, he is thought to have been a powerful Prince or General in Lower Egypt during the Renaissance era of Ramesses XI and his base of power was Tanis. He features prominently in the Report of Wenamun, dated to Year 5 of the Renaissance or Whm Mswt era (or Year 23 proper of Ramesses XI) as a person of the highest importance. Wenamun states here that he had to visit Tanis and personally present his letters of accreditation to Smendes in order to receive the latter's permission to travel north to modern Lebanon and procure precious cedar wood for use in the Great Temples of Amun at Thebes. Smendes responded by dispatching a ship for Wenamun's travels to Syria and the Levant. After the reign of Rameses III, a long, slow decline of power in Egypt followed. ... Menmare Ramesses XI (also written Ramses XI or Rameses XI) (reigned 1102 BC to 1073 BC or 1069 BC) was the tenth and final king of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. ... Tanis (Τάνις), the Greek name of ancient Djanet (modern صان الحجر Ṣān al-Ḥaǧar), is a city in the north-eastern Nile delta of Egypt (30°58′ N 31°52′ E). ... The Story of Wenamun (alternately known as the Report of Wenamun, the Misadventures of Wenamun, or [informally] as just Wenamun) is a literary text written in hieratic in the Late Egyptian language. ... Thebes [Θηβαι Thēbai] is the Greek designation of ancient Egyptian niwt (The) City and niwt-rst (The) Southern City. It is located about 700 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the Nile. ... The Levant or Sham (Arabic root word related to the term Semite) is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in Southwest Asia south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia to the east. ...

Smendes is poorly attested in the monumental record with a single stela found in a quarry near Gebelein and at Thebes where he repaired an enclosure Wall of the Temple of Monthu at Karnak. Smendes is given a reign of 26 Years by Manetho in his Epitome, and was the husband of Tentamun. However, the High Priest Menkheperre suppressed a revolt in Thebes in Year 25 of a king who can only be Smendes because there is no evidence that the High Priests counted their own regnal years even when they assumed royal titles like Pinedjem I did. Smendes ruled over a divided Egypt and only controlled Lower Egypt during his reign while Middle and Upper Egypt was effectively under the suzerainty of the High Priests of Amun such as Pinedjem I and II. His prenomen or throne name – Hedjkheperre Setepenre/Setepenamun – which means 'Bright is the Manifestation of Re, Chosen of Re/Amun' proved very popular in the following 22nd Dynasty. In all, four kings, Shoshenq I, Takelot I, Takelot II and Harsiese A adopted it for their own prenomens. Entrance to Precinct of Amon-Re of the Karnak Temple Complex This article is about the village and pharaonic temple complex in Egypt. ... Manetho or Manethon of Sebennytos, (ca. ... Menkheperre was the high priest of Amun at Thebes in Ancient Egypt 1045 BC to 992 BC and de facto ruler of the south of the country. ... Pinedjem I was the high priest of Amun at Thebes in Ancient Egypt 1070 BC to 1032 and de facto ruler of the south of the country. ... Re has several meanings: a legal abbreviation meaning In reference to: or In regard to:, abbreviated from the Latin Res. ... Amun (also spelt Amon, Amoun, Amen, and rarely Imenand, and spelt in Greek as Ammon, and Hammon) was the name of a deity, in Egyptian mythology, who gradually rose to become one of the most important, before disappearing back into the shadows. ... Known rulers, in the History of Egypt, for the Twenty-Second Dynasty. ... nomen or birth name Shoshenq I (or Sheshonk I – for discussion of the spelling, see Shoshenq; Egyptian Å¡Å¡nq], was a Meshwesh Libyan king of Egypt and founder of the Twenty-second Dynasty. ... Takelot I was a son of Osorkon I and the father of Osorkon II. He ruled Egypt for 13 Years according to Manetho. ... Takelot II was a Twenty-Third Dynasty pharaoh of Ancient Egypt between 840 BC and 815 BC. He was the son of the High Priest of Amun at Thebes, Nimlot C, and thus the grandson of Osorkon II. Most Egyptologists today including Aidan Dodson, Von Beckerath, M.A. Leahy and... The first Harsiese, king Hedjkheperre Setepenamun Harsiese or Harsiese A, is generally thought by Kenneth Kitchen in his book on the Third Intermediate Period in Egypt, to be a High Priest of Amun(HPA) and son of the High Priest of Amun, Shoshenq C. In all likelihood, he was indeed...

Menmare Ramesses XI (also written Ramses XI or Rameses XI) (reigned 1102 BC to 1073 BC or 1069 BC) was the tenth and final king of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. ... Pharaoh (Hebrew פַּרְעֹה (without niqqud: פרעה), Standard Hebrew Parʿo, Tiberian Hebrew Parʿōh, Arabic فرعون) is a title used to refer to the kings (of godly status) in ancient Egypt. ... After the reign of Rameses III, a long, slow decline of power in Egypt followed. ...

Further Reading

• Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, Blackwell Books(1992)
• Peter Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs, Thames & Hudson(1994)