DISCOVER AHMOSE 1 THE WARRIOR KING at Luxor Museum

I arrived in a small room at Luxor Museum, where every visible surface was painted black and the ceiling was so high it was a reminder of the vastness of eternity; modern artists had not needed to impress the gods, but to simply remind us that we are standing in the presence of a King. To my surprise the frail body of Ahmose 1 laid within a glass case in the middle of this small room, and it was hard to imagine him as a warrior, but then I remembered how small David was and yet he had slain goliath in the bible, and so I decided it wasn’t sensible to let the small frame of this king influence my first impression.

As I walked around his glass coffin I was drawn to his amazing battle axe displayed behind a glass recess in the wall, the power of this axe convinced me that it could imbue any man with an indomitable strength of will both in life and battles, and I believe Ahmose had those qualities. His father king Seqenenre Taa had been killed with horrific blows to his head fighting the Hyksos, who had been driven from western Asia into Africa by instability and famine; they had settled at the delta and ruled northern Egypt.  After the slaughter of Seqenenre Taa in battle, Khamose the eldest brother of Ahmose became king and led his army to face the hyksos, he was also killed in battle, and so the title of King descended onto the shoulders of a young ten year old boy who became Ahmose 1, ‘The Moon is born’. After the death of her husband and eldest son, Queen Ahmose Nefertari guided her youngest and only son Ahmose 1 to become a great king, a king that united Egypt’s two thrones once more.
             
 I do believe that a man can become great with the influence of a strong woman; Eleven years after the slaughter of his father and brother Ahmose also went to battle to seek his revenge for their deaths, he marched his army into Avaris and finally defeated the Hyksos driving them out of Egypt, He then traveled south with his army and defeated the Nubian king, where he seized all the gold mines and reasserted Egyptian power and laid the foundations of the New Kingdom. Ahmose became known as the Glorious liberator, the Avenger of five wounds, the Unifier of Egypt and Great Conqueror, he presented his ceremonial battle axe to his mother Queen Ahmose Nefertari to celebrate the victory. Ahmose 1 ruled for twenty five years and his mummy was found by tomb robbers in the cache at Dier El Bahari along with his father and many other great Kings, Queens and Royalty.