Brugsch, Heinrich: Egypt under the pharaohs: a history derived entirely from the monuments (London, 1891)

350 AMENHOTEP, THE HIGH PRIEST oh. xiv.

holy fathers who bore the dignity of chief priest in the
temple-city of Amen come more and more into the
foreground of Egyptian history. Their influence with
the kings assumes gradually an increasing importance.
As formerly it was the priests who expressed in the
name of the gods their thanks to the kings for the
temple-buildings in Thebes, so now it is the kings who
begin to testify their gratitude to the chief priest of
Amen for the care bestowed on his temple by the erec-
tion of new buildings, and by the improvement and
maintenance of the older ones.

On the eastern wall and the adjoining buildings,
which connect the third and fourth pylons with the
southern part of the temple of Amen at Karnak, we
see the ' hereditary prince and chief priest of Amen-Ea,
the king of the gods, Amenhotep, standing opposite to
King Ea-messu IX., and the meaning of his presence
in this place is made quite clear by the inscription
annexed:—

The king in person, he speaks to the princes and companions
by his side : Give rich reward and much recompense in good gold
and silver, and in a hundred-thousandfold of good things, to the
high priest of Amen-Ra, the king of the gods, Amenhotep, on
account of these many splendid buildings [which he has erected] at
the temple of Amen-Ra to the great name of the divine benefactor,
the king Ra-messu IX.

In the 10th year, the month Athyr, the 19th day,' in the temple
of Amen-Ra, the king of the gods. The chief priest of Amen-Ra, the
king of the gods, Amenhotep, was conducted to the great forecourt
of the temple of Amen. His (the king's) words uttered his reward,
to honour him by good and choice discourses.

These are the princes, who had come to reward him, namely :
the treasurer of Pharaoh and the royal councillor, Amenhotep ; the
royal councillor, Nes-Amen ; the secretary of Pharaoh and the
royal councillor, Neferka-Ra-em-pa-Amen, who is the interpreter of
Pharaoh.

The discourses which were addressed to him related to the
rewards for his services on this day in the great forecourt of
Amen-Ra, the king of the gods. They were of this import :