Ancient Egypt / New Kingdom / 18th Dynasty /
Other spellings: Harmhab, Haremhab, Djeserkhepere
Horemheb served as commander of the army under King Tutankhamun. He fought the Hittites in the lands of modern Lebanon. He was not heir to the throne, but used the power vacuum after the death of King Ay to claim the throne.
His main project as a king was to drive out all traces of the monotheistic religion of Aten, introduced by Akhenaten (who had died 14 years earlier). He ordered the destruction of all aspects of the religion, and tried to compensate for the perceived heresy by building and restoring buildings dedicated to Amon. The most noteworthy of these was the great hypostyle hall in the Temple of Amon at Karnak, near Thebes. This would become the largest interior space built in Egypt.
Horemheb also returned confiscated properties to the priests of the many cultic sites.
He allowed trade routes and expeditions to foreign lands that had been neglected under Akhenaten to be resumed.
While serving as commander of the army, Horemheb built a large tomb in Saqqara. This was never used, since upon becoming a king, he preferred to build a royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings, in the vicinity of the ancient kings.
Horemheb was succeeded by his vizier, Ramses 1, since he had no heir. Ramses 1 is recorded as the founder of a new dynasty, the 19th Dynasty.
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