"Amenemhat was a noble of Egypto-Nubian ancestry, one of the Africans educated at the Egyptian court in the kap, the 'nursery' for the sons of leading figures in the Egyptian dominions, and appointed to high office by the Queen Hatshepsut. He was described as a 'chieftain' and was an official and scribe."
His older brother was Djehutyhotep.
Reference:
Rice, Michael, Who's Who in Ancient Egypt (Who's Who), Routledge; 1st edition, 1999
Stela of Amenemhat
Debeira West, Tomb of Amenemhat
Sudan National Museum, Khartoum No. 63/4/7
The scene surmounts a long inscription, an offering formula, arranged in ten horizontal lines, reading from right to left and down. It invokes the funerary gods to provide numerous provisions and other benefits for the spirit of the tomb-owner, who is described in the last line as 'excellent unique one, beloved of his lord, whose attention is vigilant, who sets himself against wrongdoing, chief of Teh-khet, (the Debeira region) Amenemhat, justified'. The decoration was painted yellow throughout. There are also traces of the artist's original red draughting lines.
So as to control more effectively the newly conquered territories, the Egyptians sought to secure the loyalty and assistance of the surviving Nubian elite, partly through a process of deliberate acculturation (Morkot 1991, 298-9; 2000, 81-3; O'Connor 1993, 61-5; Save-Soderbergh 1991, 188; Smith 2003, 84-6). Although Amenemhat's statue, stela and name are wholly Egyptian in appearance, he is known to have been a native Nubian. He was a member of an elite indigenous family from Teh-khet (covering the modern regions of Debeira and Serra), traceable over several generations, who were thoroughly 'Egyptianized' and governed their region on behalf of the imperial administration. Quite possibly educated at the Egyptian court, Amenemhat may have begun his career as a scribe based at Buhen, during the reign of King Thutmose I, eventually becoming 'chief of Teh-khet' at some time during the co-regency of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, a hereditary position previously held by his elder brother, Djehutyhotep, and their father, Rwiw. Djehutyhotep, also called Paitsy, is well known for his tomb at Debeira East
(situated opposite that of his brother), which was decorated with a range of painted scenes in the Egyptian mode (Save-Soderbergh 1960; Save-Soderbergh and Troy 1991, 197-201, figs 50-51, pi. 1). A recent discovery suggests that his duties extended beyond the Nile Valley to include the monitoring of caravan routes across the Eastern Desert (Castiglioni and Castiglioni 2003, 48, pis 1-2). The indications are that, dying childless, Amenemhat was the last 'chief of Teh-khet' in the family line.
Many other such officials are attested, including most famously Heqanefer, chief of Miam (modern Aniba) during the later 18th Dynasty. He was buried at Toshka in an Egyptian-style tomb with Egyptian funerary paraphernalia, but depicted at Thebes in the tomb of his master, Tutankhamun's viceroy Huy, as an ethnic Nubian with dark skin and dressed in traditional tribal garb (Davies and Gardiner 1926, pi. XXVII; Simpson 1963, 27).
Top Part
The seated couple on the left, the man holding a lotus flower, are the 'chief of Teh-khet, Rwiw, justified', and 'his wife, mistress of the house, Rwna, justified'. The standing man, facing them and offering a libation, is 'his son, chief of Teh-khet, Amenemhat, repeating life'. The equivalent couple on the right are the 'chief of Teh-khet, Amenemhat, repeating life', accompanied by 'his wife, mistress of the house, Hatsheps[ut]'. The standing lady, extending a bowl towards them, is also 'his wife, mistress of the house, Hatshepsfut]', here standing duty for a son or daughter, probably indicating that Amenemhat died childless.
Reference:
Sudan: Ancient Treasures, Derek A. Welsby and Julie R. Anderson, British Museum Press, p. 105 (2004)
