Piankh

Payankh

Funerary stele of Piankh, drawn by Auguste Mariette.

Pharaoh

High Priest of Amun

Reign| 1074-1070 BC
Predecessor| Amenhotep
Successor| Herihor or Pinedjem I

Royal titulary

Consort| Hrere or Nodjmet
Children| Pinedjem I, Hekanefer, Hekamaat, Ankhefenmut, Faienmut
Dynasty| Concurrent with the 21st Dynasty

Piankh was a High Priest of Amun during the 21st Dynasty.

## Chronological and genealogical position[edit]

While the High Priest of Amun Piankh (or Payankh) has been assumed to be a son-in-law of Herihor and his heir to the Theban office of the High Priest of Amun, recent studies by Karl Jansen-Winkeln of the surviving temple inscriptions and monumental works by Herihor and Piankh in Upper Egypt imply that Piankh was actually Herihor's predecessor.[1][2]

Piankh held a number of official positions including High Priest of Amun,[3] King's scribe, King's son of Kush, Overseer of the foreign countries to the South, overseer of the granaries and commander of the archers of the whole of [Upper] Egypt.[4] He was succeeded in office by either Herihor or his son Pinedjem.

## Family[edit]

The identity of Piankh's wife has not been established beyond doubt. In the Temple of Luxor there is a graffito of which only rudimentary traces of the beginning of her name have survived. These have been interpreted as either an "h" (Gardiner's Sign List V28, supporting Hrere) or as "ndjm" (Gardiner's Sign List M29).[5] The latter solution would favour a model in which Piankh was married to a lady Nodjmet. Recently it has been argued that there were actually two ladies called Nodjmet: the first one, Nodjmet A, the wife of Piankh and mother of Herihor; the second one, Nodjmet B, the wife of Herihor.[6] Whereas the identity of his wife remains uncertain, it is beyond doubt that he had a son called Pinedjem.[7]

## Military activity[edit]

In year 10 of the Whm Mswt Piankh, in his position as Viceroy of Kush, led an army into Nubia with the apparent aim to 'meet' a certain Pinehesy, probably the former Viceroy of Kush. Some ten years earlier, just before the start of the Whm mswt, Pinehesy had been chased out of the Thebaid, following his role in suppressing the High Priest of Amun Amenhotep. It is believed that since then he lived in Nubia as an enemy of the state. Although it is often postulated that it was the aim of this expedition to fight Pinehesy,[8] this is by no means certain.

The sources are actually ambiguous on this point and the political climate may well have changed over the years. There is some evidence that at this time Piankh may no longer have been a loyal servant of Ramesses XI, which allows for the possibility that he was secretly negotiating with Pinehesy,[9]

E. Wente wrote: "One has the impression that the viceroy and his Nubian troops were loyalists, for the remarks made by his opponent Piankh in letter No. 301 are quite disparaging of the pharaoh, Ramesses XI."[10] In this letter, better known as LRL no. 21, Piankh remarks:[11]

> As for Pharaoh, l.p.h., how shall he reach this land? And of whom is Pharaoh, l.p.h., superior still?

In the same letter and two others (LRL no. 34 and no. 35) Piankh gives the order to the Scribe of the Necropolis Tjaroy (=Dhutmose), Nodjmet and a certain Payshuuben to secretly arrest and question two Medjay policemen about certain things they had apparently said:[12]

> If they find out that (it is) true, you shall place them (in) two baskets and (they) shall be thrown (into) this water by night. But do not let anybody in the land find out.

It has been argued that, given Piankh's prominent position at the time, the secrecy can only have concerned the king.[13][14] If this is correct, it follows that the political situation of the time must have been very complex. Unfortunately, due to the very limited nature of the sources, the exact relationships between the three main protagonists, Piankh, Pinehesy and Ramesses XI remain far from clear. Some scholars believe that the Nubian campaign was part of an ongoing power struggle between the High Priest of Amun and the Viceroy of Kush.[15] However, it is equally possible that Piankh came to the rescue of Pinehesy against some common enemy. The verb often translated as "to attack" only means "to meet/ to go to".[16] In fact, neither the aim of the expedition nor its outcome are beyond doubt.

## Piankh and the Theban Necropolis[edit]

It seems that, under Piankh's pontificate, a beginning was made with locating and opening old tombs, either with the aim of protecting them against tomb violation or in order to use their buried treasures to finance affairs of the state.[17] Eventually the priests of Amun scoured the valleys to find tombs; tombs and mummies were stripped of valuables, rewrapped and placed in group graves (caches).

## References[edit]

1. ^ Karl Jansen-Winkeln, Das Ende des Neuen Reiches, ZAS 119 (1992), pp.22-37
2. ^ Ian Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, p.309
3. ^ Petrie, A History of Egypt, Part Three, p. 203
4. ^ Cerny, Ostraca Hier. CGC, pp. 75-76
5. ^ Taylor, in: Eyre (ed.), Proceedings of the 7th International Congress of Egyptologists, 1149.
6. ^ Ad Thijs, Nodjmet A, Daughter of Amenhotep, Wife of Piankh and Mother of Herihor, ZÄS 140 (2013), 54-69
7. ^ Michael Rice, Who's Who in Ancient Egypt, Routledge 1999, pp.153f.
8. ^ László Török, The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meriotic Civilization, Brill Academic Publishers 1997
9. ^ A. Niwiński, in: I. Gamer-Wallert & W. Helck (eds), Gegengabe (Festschrift Emma Brunner-Traut), Tübingen 1992, 257-258
10. ^ E. Wente, Letters from Ancient Egypt, Atlanta 1990, 171; the number 301 is only given to this letter in this particular publication
11. ^ E. Wente, Late Ramesside Letters, SAOC 33, 1967, 53.
12. ^ E. Wente, Late Ramesside Letters, SAOC 33, 1967, 53.
13. ^ Ad Thijs, The Troubled Careers of Amenhotep and Panehsy: The High Priest of Amun and the Viceroy of Kush under the Last Ramessides, SAK 31 (2003), 301-302
14. ^ Jennifer Palmer, Birmingham Egyptology Journal 2014.2, 10-11
15. ^ e.g. Jennifer Palmer, Birmingham Egyptology Journal 2014.2, 11
16. ^ E. Wente, Late Ramesside Letters, SAOC 33, 1967, 24, 25
17. ^ Nicholas Reeves and Richard Wilkinson, The Complete Valley of the Kings, Thames & Hudson, p. 205

## Further reading[edit]

* Morris L. Bierbrier, Hrere, Wife of the High Priest Paiankh, JNES 32 (1973), 311
* Gerard P.F. Broekman, The founders of the twenty-first dynasty and their family relationships, GM 191 (2002), 11-18
* Arno Egberts, Piankh, Herihor, Dhutmose and Butehamun: a fresh look at O. Cairo CG 25744 and 25745, GM 160 (1997), 23-25
* Jeremy Goldberg, Was Piankh the Son of Herihor After All?, GM 174 (2000), 49-58
* Steven R.W. Gregory, Piankh and Herihor: Art, Ostraca, and Accession in Perspective, Birmingham Egyptology Journal 2013, 1: 5-18
* Karl Jansen-Winkeln, Das Ende des Neuen Reiches, Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde ZÄS 119 (1992), 22-37
* Jennifer Palmer, The High Priests of Amun at the End of the Twentieth Dynasty, Birmingham Egyptology Journal 2014.2, 1-22
* V. Poláček, Quelques remarques sur les <<Procès Secrets>> en Ancienne Égypte, CdÉ 37 (1962), 23-30
* Ursula Rößler-Köhler, Piankh - Nedjemet - Anchefenmut - eine Kleinigkeit, GM 167 (1998), 7-8
* Ramadan El-Sayed, Piankh, Fils de Hérihor, BIFAO 78 (1978), 199-218
* John Taylor, Nodjmet, Payankh and Herihor: The end of the New Kingdom reconsidered, in Christopher J. Eyre (ed), Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Egyptologists, Leuven 1998, 1143-1155
* Ad Thijs, The Troubled Careers of Amenhotep and Panehsy: The High Priest of Amun and the Viceroy of Kush under the Last Ramessides, SAK 31 (2003), 289-306

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Payankh.

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Pharaohs

Protodynastic to First Intermediate Period (<3150–2040 BC)

Period

Dynasty

* Pharaohs
* male
* female♀
* uncertain

|

Protodynastic
(pre-3150 BC)|

| Lower|

* Hedju Hor
* Ny-Hor
* Ni-Neith
* Hat-Hor
* Pu
* Hsekiu
* Khayu
* Tiu
* Thesh
* Neheb
* Wazner
* Mekh
* A
* Double Falcon
* Wash

|

Upper|

* A
* Finger Snail
* Fish
* Pen-Abu
* Stork
* Bull
* Scorpion I
* Shendjw
* Iry-Hor
* Ka
* Scorpion II
* Narmer / Menes

Early Dynastic
(3150–2686 BC)|

| I|

* Narmer / Menes
* Hor-Aha
* Djer
* Djet
* Den
* Anedjib
* Semerkhet
* Qa'a
* Sneferka
* Horus Bird

|

II|

* Hotepsekhemwy
* Nebra
* Nynetjer
* Ba
* Nubnefer
* Horus Sa
* Weneg-Nebty
* Wadjenes
* Senedj
* Seth-Peribsen
* Sekhemib-Perenmaat
* Neferkara I
* Neferkasokar
* Hudjefa I
* Khasekhemwy

Old Kingdom
(2686–2181 BC)|

| III|

* Djoser
* Sekhemkhet
* Sanakht
* Nebka
* Khaba
* Sedjes
* Qahedjet
* Huni

|

IV|

* Snefru
* Khufu
* Djedefre
* Khafre
* Bikheris
* Menkaure
* Shepseskaf
* Thamphthis

* Userkaf
* Sahure
* Neferirkare Kakai
* Neferefre
* Shepseskare
* Nyuserre Ini
* Menkauhor Kaiu
* Djedkare Isesi
* Unas

VI|

* Teti
* Userkare
* Pepi I
* Merenre Nemtyemsaf I
* Pepi II
* Merenre Nemtyemsaf II
* Netjerkare Siptah
* Neferka
* Nefer

1st Intermediate
(2181–2040 BC)|

| VII/VIII|

* Menkare
* Neferkare II
* Neferkare III Neby
* Djedkare Shemai
* Neferkare IV Khendu
* Merenhor
* Neferkamin
* Nikare
* Neferkare V Tereru
* Neferkahor
* Neferkare VI Pepiseneb
* Neferkamin Anu
* Qakare Iby
* Neferkaure
* Neferkauhor
* Neferirkare
* Wadjkare
* Khuiqer
* Khui
* Iytjenu

|

IX|

* Meryibre Khety
* Neferkare VII
* Nebkaure Khety
* Setut
* Imhotep

* Meryhathor
* Neferkare VIII
* Wahkare Khety
* Merykare

Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period (2040–1550 BC)

Period

Dynasty

* Pharaohs
* male
* female♀
* uncertain

|

Middle Kingdom
(2040–1802 BC)|

| XI|

* Mentuhotep I
* Intef I
* Intef II
* Intef III
* Mentuhotep II
* Mentuhotep III
* Mentuhotep IV

|

Nubia|

* Segerseni
* Qakare Ini
* Iyibkhentre

XII|

* Amenemhat I
* Senusret I
* Amenemhat II
* Senusret II
* Senusret III
* Amenemhat III
* Amenemhat IV
* Sobekneferu♀
* Seankhibtawy Seankhibra

2nd Intermediate
(1802–1550 BC)|

| XIII|

* Sekhemrekhutawy Sobekhotep
* Sonbef
* Nerikare
* Sekhemkare Amenemhat V
* Ameny Qemau
* Hotepibre
* Iufni
* Ameny Antef Amenemhet VI
* Semenkare Nebnuni
* Sehetepibre
* Sewadjkare
* Nedjemibre
* Khaankhre Sobekhotep
* Renseneb
* Hor
* Sekhemrekhutawy Khabaw
* Djedkheperew
* Sebkay
* Sedjefakare
* Wegaf
* Khendjer
* Imyremeshaw
* Sehetepkare Intef
* Seth Meribre
* Sobekhotep III
* Neferhotep I
* Sihathor
* Sobekhotep IV
* Merhotepre Sobekhotep
* Khahotepre Sobekhotep
* Wahibre Ibiau
* Merneferre Ay
* Merhotepre Ini
* Sankhenre Sewadjtu
* Mersekhemre Ined
* Sewadjkare Hori
* Merkawre Sobekhotep
* Mershepsesre Ini II
* Sewahenre Senebmiu
* Merkheperre
* Merkare
* Sewadjare Mentuhotep
* Seheqenre Sankhptahi

|

XIV|

* Yakbim Sekhaenre
* Ya'ammu Nubwoserre
* Qareh Khawoserre
* 'Ammu Ahotepre
* Maaibre Sheshi
* Nehesy
* Khakherewre
* Nebefawre
* Sehebre
* Merdjefare
* Sewadjkare III
* Nebdjefare
* Nebsenre
* Sekheperenre
* Bebnum
* 'Apepi
* Nuya
* Wazad
* Sheneh
* Shenshek
* Khamure
* Yakareb
* Yaqub-Har

XV|

* Sharek
* Semqen
* 'Aper-'Anati
* Salitis
* Sakir-Har
* Khyan
* Yanassi
* Apepi
* Khamudi

XVI|

* Djehuti
* Sobekhotep VIII
* Neferhotep III
* Mentuhotepi
* Nebiryraw I
* Nebiriau II
* Semenre
* Bebiankh
* Sekhemre Shedwast
* Dedumose I
* Dedumose II
* Montuemsaf
* Merankhre Mentuhotep
* Senusret IV
* Pepi III

Abydos|

* Senebkay
* Wepwawetemsaf
* Pantjeny
* Snaaib

XVII|

* Rahotep
* Nebmaatre
* Sobekemsaf I
* Sobekemsaf II
* Sekhemre-Wepmaat Intef
* Nubkheperre Intef
* Sekhemre-Heruhirmaat Intef
* Senakhtenre Ahmose
* Seqenenre Tao
* Kamose

New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period (1550–664 BC)

Period

Dynasty

* Pharaohs  (male
* female♀)
* uncertain

|

New Kingdom
(1550–1070 BC)|

| XVIII|

* Ahmose I
* Amenhotep I
* Thutmose I
* Thutmose II
* Hatshepsut♀
* Thutmose III
* Amenhotep II
* Thutmose IV
* Amenhotep III
* Akhenaten
* Smenkhkare
* Neferneferuaten♀
* Tutankhamun
* Ay
* Horemheb

|

XIX|

* Ramesses I
* Seti I
* Ramesses II
* Merneptah
* Amenmesses
* Seti II
* Siptah
* Twosret♀

XX|

* Setnakhte
* Ramesses III
* Ramesses IV
* Ramesses V
* Ramesses VI
* Ramesses VII
* Ramesses VIII
* Ramesses IX
* Ramesses X
* Ramesses XI

3rd Intermediate
(1069–664 BC)|

| XXI|

* Smendes
* Amenemnisu
* Psusennes I
* Amenemope
* Osorkon the Elder
* Siamun
* Psusennes II

|

High Priests of Amun|

* Herihor
* Piankh
* Pinedjem I
* Masaharta
* Djedkhonsuefankh
* Menkheperre
* Smendes II
* Pinedjem II
* Psusennes III

XXII|

* Shoshenq I
* Osorkon I
* Shoshenq II
* Tutkheperre Shoshenq
* Takelot I
* Osorkon II
* Shoshenq III
* Shoshenq IV
* Pami
* Shoshenq V
* Pedubast II
* Osorkon IV

XXIII|

* Harsiese A
* Takelot II
* Pedubast I
* Iuput I
* Shoshenq VI
* Osorkon III
* Takelot III
* Rudamun
* Shoshenq VII
* Menkheperre Ini

XXIV|

* Tefnakht
* Bakenranef

XXV|

* Piye
* Shebitku
* Shabaka
* Taharqa
* Tanutamun

Late Period and Hellenistic Period (664–30 BC)

Period

Dynasty

* Pharaohs
* male
* female♀
* uncertain

|

Late
(664–332 BC)|

| XXVI|

* Ammeris
* Tefnakht II
* Nekauba
* Necho I
* Psamtik I
* Necho II
* Psamtik II
* Wahibre
* Ahmose II
* Psamtik III

|

XXVII|

* Cambyses II
* Petubastis III
* Darius I
* Psammetichus IV
* Xerxes
* Artaxerxes I
* Darius II

XXVIII|

* Amyrtaeus

XXIX|

* Nepherites I
* Hakor
* Psammuthes
* Nepherites II
* Muthis

XXX|

* Nectanebo I
* Teos
* Nectanebo II

XXXI|

* Artaxerxes III
* Khabash
* Arses
* Darius III

Hellenistic
(332–30 BC)|

| Argead|

* Alexander the Great
* Philip III Arrhidaeus
* Alexander IV

|

Ptolemaic|

* Ptolemy I Soter
* Ptolemy II Philadelphus
* Arsinoe II♀
* Ptolemy III Euergetes
* Berenice II Euergetes♀
* Ptolemy IV Philopator
* Arsinoe III Philopator♀
* Ptolemy V Epiphanes
* Cleopatra I Syra♀
* Ptolemy VI Philometor
* Cleopatra II♀
* Ptolemy VII Neos Philopator
* Ptolemy VIII Euergetes
* Cleopatra III♀
* Ptolemy IX Soter
* Cleopatra IV♀
* Ptolemy X Alexander I
* Berenice III♀
* Ptolemy XI Alexander II
* Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos
* Cleopatra V♀
* Berenice IV Epiphaneia♀
* Cleopatra VI Tryphaena♀
* Cleopatra VII Philopator♀
* Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator
* Arsinoe IV♀
* Ptolemy XIV Philopator
* Ptolemy XV Caesarion

Roman Period (30 BC–313 AD)

Period

Dynasty

* Pharaohs
* male
* female♀
* uncertain

|

Roman
(30 BC–313 AD)|

| XXXIV|

* Augustus
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* Caligula
* Claudius
* Nero
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* Geta
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* Diadumenian
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* Maximinus Thrax
* Gordian I
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* Pupienus
* Balbinus
* Gordian III
* Philip
* Decius
* Trebonianus Gallus
* Aemilianus
* Valerian
* Macrianus Minor
* Quietus
* Lucius Mussius Aemilianus
* Gallienus
* Claudius Gothicus
* Quintillus
* Aurelian
* Tacitus
* Probus
* Carus
* Carinus
* Numerian
* Diocletian
* Maximian
* Galerius
* Maximinus Daza

|

Mythical

Period

* Thamus (mythical King of Egypt)

|

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