| Osorkon the Elder | |
|---|---|
| Osochor | |
 Block-relief attributed to Osorkon the Elder | |
| Pharaoh | |
| Reign | 992 – 986 BC |
| Predecessor | Amenemope |
| Successor | Siamun |
| Children | possiblyKarimala |
| Father | Shoshenq A |
| Mother | Mehtenweshkhet A |
| Died | 986 BC |
| Dynasty | 21st Dynasty |
Aakheperre Setepenre Osorkon, also known asOsorkon the Elder, was the fifth king of the21st Dynasty ofAncient Egypt and was the firstPharaoh ofMeshwesh (Ancient Libyan) origin. He is also sometimes known asOsochor, followingManetho'sAegyptiaca.
Osorkon the Elder was the son ofShoshenq A, theGreat Chief of theMa by the latter's wife Mehtenweshkhet A who is given the prestigious title of 'King's Mother' in a document. Osorkon was the brother ofNimlot A, the Great Chief of the Ma, and Tentshepeh A the daughter of the Great Chief of the Ma and, thus, an uncle ofShoshenq I, founder of the22nd Dynasty. His existence was doubted by most scholars until Eric Young established in 1963 that the induction of a temple priest named Nespaneferhor inYear 2 IShemu day 20 under a certain king named Aakheperre Setepenre—in fragment 3B, line 1-3 of the Karnak Priest Annals —occurred one generation prior to the induction of Hori, Nespaneferhor's son, in Year 17 ofSiamun, which is also recorded in the same annals.[1] Young argued that this king Aakheperre Setepenre was the unknown Osochor. This hypothesis was not fully accepted by all Egyptologists at that time, however.
Then, in a 1976–77 paper,Jean Yoyotte noted that a Libyan king named Osorkon was the son of Shoshenq A by the Lady Mehtenweshkhet A, with Mehtenweshkhet being explicitly titled the "King's Mother" in a certain genealogical document.[2] Since none of the other kings named Osorkon had a mother named Mehtenweshkhet, it was conclusively established that Aakheperre Setepenre was indeed Manetho's Osochor, whose mother was Mehtenweshkhet. The Lady Mehtenweshkhet A was also the mother of Nimlot A, Great Chief of the Meshwesh and, thus, Shoshenq I's grandmother.
In 1999, Chris Bennett made a case for a QueenKarimala known from an inscription in the temple ofSemna being his daughter.[3] She is called both 'King's Daughter" and "King's Wife". Her name suggests she may have been Libyan. Given the date of the inscription (a year 14), she might have been the queen of either kingSiamun or kingPsusennes II. Bennett prefers a marriage to Siamun, because in that case she could have taken over the position of theViceroy of Kush, Neskhons, as a religious figurehead inNubia after the death of the latter in year 5 of king Siamun.
Afaienceseal and a block naming a king Osorkon with the namesAakheperre Setepenamun, Osorkon Meryamun, both in theRijksmuseum van Oudheden inLeiden, were for a long time attributed toOsorkon IV;[4] however, this attribution has been challenged by Frederic Payraudeau in 2000, who pointed out that those objects more likely referred to Osorkon the Elder.[5] This would lead to the attribution to histhrone nameAakheperre both the epithetsSetepenre andSetepenamun.
Based on a calculation of the aforementioned Year 2 lunar date of this king – which Rolf Krauss in an astronomical calculation has shown to correspond to 990 BC – Osorkon the Elder must have become king two years before the induction of Nespaneferhor in 992 BC.[6]
Osorkon the Elder's reign is significant because it foreshadows the coming Libyan 22nd Dynasty. He is credited with a reign of six years in Manetho'sAegyptiaca and was succeeded in power by Siamun, who was either Osorkon's son or an unrelated native Egyptian.
