Biblical Hebrew Forum

[MarianneLuban AT aol.com]

In a message dated 8/29/2004 1:58:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
peterkirk AT qaya.org writes:


> Rameses II 943-877
> Merenptah 888(co-regent)-877 (forced to flee to Kush soon after his 
> father's death)
> Amenmesse 877-873 (= Osarsiph, usurper backed by Asiatics)
> Seti II ??-873 (co-regent with or rival of Amenmesse, died about the 
> same time as Amenmesse)
> Siptah 873-868
> Tausert 868-865 (regent from 873)
> Setnakht 865-859
> Rameses II 863-832 (initially as co-regent)
> 
> In this version, Setnakht (son of Merenptah) does not die before the 
> reign of Tausert. In fact he returns from exile in Kush and overthrows 
> Tausert and her Asiatic backers.

The problem with that is that Setnakht was the beginner of the 20th 
Dynasty--while Merneptah belonged to the 19th.  There is no evidence anywhere 
that 
Setnakht was the son of Merneptah.  In fact there is evidence to the 
contrary--and 
that Setnakht was a commoner.  I have in front of me the Elephantine Stela of 
Setnakht, on which it says "He was chosen, His Majesty as "the One in a 
Million", regardless of countless others being more significant than he".  
One 
would scarcely think that Setnakht would have written this about himself had 
he 
been a son of the former pharaoh, Merneptah and been in the direct line of 
succession.  For further remarks on Setnakht in the Classic memory, see

http://www.geocities.com/scribelist/setnakht.html