| Shoshenq VI | |
|---|---|
| Pharaoh | |
| Reign | 6 years;c. first half of the 8th century BC[1] |
| Predecessor | Pedubast I |
| Successor | Osorkon III |
| Dynasty | 23rd Dynasty |
Shoshenq VI is known to bePedubast I's immediate successor atThebes based upon the career of theLetter Writer toPharaoh Hor IX, who served underOsorkon II and Pedubast I (see Hor IX's statue—CGC 42226—which is explicitly dated to Pedubast's reign). Since Shoshenq VI'sprenomen is inscribed on Hor IX'sfunerary cones, this indicates that Hor IX outlived Pedubast I and made his funeral arrangements under Shoshenq VI instead.[3] His prenomen or royal name was "Usermaatre Meryamun Shoshenq" which is unusual because it is the only known example where the epithet "Meryamun" (Beloved of Amun) appears within a king'scartouche.[4] Shoshenq VI'sHigh Priest of Amun was a certain Takelot who first appears in office in Year 23 of Pedubast I.
Shoshenq VI's Year 4 and Year 6 are attested in an inscription carved on the roof of theTemple of Monthu atKarnak by a certain Djedioh and inNile Quay Text No.25 respectively.[4] Shoshenq VI was presumablyCrown princeOsorkon B's chief rival at Thebes after the death of Pedubast I. He was defeated and ousted from power at Thebes in Year 39 ofShoshenq III by Prince Osorkon B. In this decisive Year, Osorkon B explicitly states in Karnak Priestly Annals No.7 that he and his brother, General Bakenptah ofHerakleopolis, conquered Thebes and "overthrew everyone who had fought against them."[5] Thereafter, Shoshenq VI is never heard from again.
(NOTE: The old king Shoshenq IV in pre-1993 books and journal articles has been renamed Shoshenq VI by Egyptologists today because he was a Theban king who is only attested byUpper Egyptian documents. This monarch was never a ruler of theTanite based22nd Dynasty of Egypt.)
