Smenkhkare

Smenkhkare was a little-known pharaoh of the late Eighteenth Dynasty who ruled from about 1336 to 1334 BC, with dates uncertain by about a decade. He held power for approximately two years following the death of Akhenaten, at a moment when Egypt began navigating the collapse of the Amarna religious changes.

Very little is known about Smenkhkare's parentage or his political actions. Evidence connects him with Meritaten, Akhenaten's eldest daughter, who served as his queen. The king operated from the capital at Akhetaten, but whether he ruled independently or briefly served alongside Akhenaten remains debated. He left no securely identified major monuments or surviving burial place.

Scholars know this king chiefly from a small handful of contemporary inscriptions, wine jar dockets, and objects bearing his prenomen Ankhkheperure. His brief reign came to a swift close, leaving the throne to Neferneferuaten before the eventual accession of Tutankhamun.

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