The social network of Ahmose-men-(m-)ineb-hedj, High Priest of Ptah under Amasis, Psammetichus III, Cambyses II and Darius I
Abstrakt
On-going investigation of the social structure once existed at the Saite-Persian Memphis has already identified several most prominent elite families. One of those families belongs to Ahmose-men- (m-)ineb-hedj whose beautiful name is Heka-ir-aa, most likely born under king Amasis, becoming High Priest of Ptah later in the reign of the same king, and was still in office under the early 27th Dynasty.
His great-grandfather Heka-ir-aa and grandfather Neferibre-men-(m-)ineb-hedj had also been High Priests of Ptah, but his father Nekau-meri-Ptah is not specifically given the same title on his son's undated Serapeum stela (Louvre IM 4213) for currently unknown reasons. Ahmose-men-(m-)ineb-hedj had three wives, but the social background can be proposed only for two of them.
The first wife, Sekhmetneferet, seems to be the daughter of inspector of the sem-priests and prophet of Herishef, Wahibre-seneb, whose family is otherwise known thanks to the undated Serapeum stela (Louvre IM 4095). She bore three sons: Hori, Sematauitefnakht, and Ahmose, known from two Serapeum stelae (unpublished Louvre IM 4038 and undated IM 4044).
The second, Setjairetbinet, was the daughter of Pahemnetjer, presumably the same individual as prophet of Ptah and Sekhmet known from other monuments (the Serapeum stelae Louvre IM 4080; the lintel of a doorway in the tomb Baltimore WAG 22.152-22.153). She bore at least two sons: Di-ptah[-iu] and Pasheri(en)mut.
Nevertheless, it appears that only the third wife of unfortunately partly preserved name (Neith[...]) and unknown social background bore his successor, Khnemibre-sa-Ptah whose beautiful name is Nekau, known as divine-father on stela Louvre IM 4044 and High Priest of Ptah on at least two Serapeum stelae (certainly Louvre IM 4098 and possibly unpublished RB 18391). Using aforementioned examples, this paper aims to be a contribution to a phenomenon of wider intermarriages within the Late Saite elite society in the context of matrilineal inheritance.