Siptah

King c.1209-1200 BC.

    Siptah was probably the son of Sethos II and his third wife, Tio, although his parentage is uncertain. The heir apparent—Sethos II's son by *Tewosret—died before his accession, and Siptah became king; as he was still a child, his stepmother *Tewosret and the Chancellor, Bay, acted as his regents. Indeed, Bay was such a powerful courtier that he was able to prepare his own tomb in the Valley of the Kings and to claim, in his inscriptions, that it was he who 'established the king upon the seat of his father.' In a few inscriptions of the reign, Bay is closely associated with Siptah, and it is possible that the courtier was of Syrian origin.

    The exact order of succession is uncertain at this period, and a ruler named Amenmesse may have briefly usurped the throne during Siptah's reign. In Year 3, Siptah (born Ramesses-Siptah) changed his name to Merneptah-Siptah, and this may have been to mark his successful repossession of the throne from Amenmesse. Siptah, however, was dead by Year 6 and, as he had no heir, *Tewosret assumed the rulership of the country as queen regnant. Later generations did not regard Siptah as a legitimate ruler, although the reason for this is unclear. His funerary monuments suffered damage after his death, and in his tomb in the Valley of the Kings, his royal cartouches were excised, while his Theban funerary temple (which had perhaps never been completed) was destroyed.

BIBL. Aldred, C. The parentage of King Siptah. JEA 49 (1963) pp. 41 ff.; Von Beckerath, J. Queen Tewosre as guardian of Siptah. JEA 48 (1962) pp. 70 ff.; Gardiner, A.H. Only one King Siptah and Twosre not his wife . JEA 44 (1958) pp. 12 ff.

Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt by Rosalie and Antony E. David

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(reigned c. 1196–1190 BC)

   Throne name Akhenre. Probably son of Sety II of Dynasty 19. He was proclaimed king with the help of Bay when he was still a child, but he died after a short reign. His mummy reveals that he suffered from a clubfoot. Nothing is known of the internal politics of his reign, but it has recently been revealed that Bay was executed in 1189 BC, presumably after a power struggle at court. The king died the next year. He was succeeded by his probable stepmother, Tewosret. He was buried in tomb KV47 in the Valley of the Kings, discovered in 1905, and his body was recovered from the royal cachein the tomb ofAmenhotep IIin 1898. His mortuary temple at Thebes has not been preserved, but foundation deposits have been recovered. The site was excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1896.

Historical Dictionary Of Ancient Egypt by Morris L. Bierbrier