The Second Nubian Campaign in Year 26

Twenty-one years had passed since Amenhotep III sailed home from Nubia with boatloads of gold and caravans of slaves. Now in Year 26, an ambitious building program was in progress, and lavish jubilee celebrations were on the drawing board. It was time once again to boost the treasury and increase the labor force, so Amenhotep III ordered his military south, somewhat disingenuously, to quell a rebellion.

Having reached his late 40s, Amenhotep III turned the campaign over to his viceroy of Nubia, King's Son of Kush Merymose. Like his predecessor, Merymose carried royal emblems, and many of his lesser titles – Overseer of the Cattle of Amun, Director of All Works of the King, and Overseer of the Gold Lands of Amun – were princely. Part of an inscription on one of his royal-quality, nested granodiorite sarcophagi suggests that he was a true prince indeed. After Merymose's name on the coffin is part of the hieroglyphic sign ms (born of), followed by signs that possibly stand for “Mut.” According to philologist Edmund Meltzer, the phrase could be read “born of Mutemwia,” making Merymose Amenhotep III's (younger) brother.