Stela Fragment depicting King Haremhab


Stela Fragment Depicting King Haremhab
Late Dynasty 18, reign of Haremhab, ca. 1323-1295 BCE
From Deir el Medina, IFAO
Limestone, H. 25.5 cm (10 1/16 in); w. 26.6 cm (10 1/2 in); th. 2 cm (13/16 in) Purchase, Fletcher Fund and The Guide Foundation Gift Inc, 1966 (66.99.44)

"Internal affairs in Egypt undoubtedly occupied a great deal of the new pharaoh's attention. Akhenaten's reign had proved disastrous for Egypt, and the reigns of Tutankhamen and Ay seem to have left a great deal to be done in order to stabilize the country. As exemplified by his 'Legal Stele' at Karnak, Horemhab enacted a number of laws covering property rights (including commandeering of slaves), the reorganization of judicial and military administration and structure, illegal taxation, land and tax fraud, bribery, theft, and much more, down to and including stealing vegetables." (From _The Encylopedia of the Egyptian Pharoahs_ by Darrell D. Baker, page 117)

"The length of Horemheb's reign has long been in question. The highest certain date actually attested is a year 13 from a wine docket found in the Saqqara tomb. However, Redford has reported a year 16 given on a stone bowl of unknown provenance, now in the hands of a private collector. A graffito from the king's mortuary temple recording a year 27 has been interpreted as referring to the year of Horemheb's burial, and some scholars suggest a reign as long as 30 years. In any case, he was a very old man who died with no heirs. Prior to his death, he chose as his successor an army general named Paramesses, who became Ramesses I." (From _The Encylopedia of the Egyptian Pharoahs_, page 118)

_The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt_reveals more about Horemheb and Paramessu, and I have Lepsius' drawing of him being blessed by Set and Horus