Amenhotep son of Hapu in hieroglyphs: how to read the name and where to see them

Six signs spell imn-ḥtp

The name is imn-ḥtp (pronounced Amenhotep), meaning “Amun is content” or “Amun is satisfied.” Its first three signs spell imn, the name of the god Amun. The flowering reed (M17) writes i, the game board (Y5) writes mn, and the ripple of water (N35) supplies the n as a phonetic complement.

The final three signs spell ḥtp. Bread on an offering mat (R4) writes ḥtp. The bread loaf (X1) and stool (Q3) supply the t and p as phonetic complements. Egyptian hieroglyphic spelling records consonants, so the familiar spoken form “Amenhotep” includes vowels that these signs do not write separately. The University of Mainz name database records the name as jmn-ḥtp. ([pnm.uni-mainz.de](https://pnm.uni-mainz.de/5/collection/80?sort=material+DESC))

A house sign can write a whole word

The house sign (O1) can write the word pr, “house.” A single stroke (Z1) may follow a logogram to mark it as a word. The stroke is not pronounced. Read O1 with Z1 as pr.

Hieroglyphs can spell sounds or write whole words. A sign’s role depends on the word and the signs around it. The house sign gives a compact example: its picture refers directly to a house, and its reading is pr.

The ankh sign writes the word for life

The ankh (S34) writes ꜥnḫ (ankh), “life” or “to live.” It can appear as a word in its own right, and Egyptian art often shows gods holding it.

That one-sign spelling differs from Amenhotep’s name, where several signs combine to write the consonants of each name element. An ankh carved in an inscription is both a recognizable object and a written sign.

Amenhotep served at the court of Amenhotep III

Amenhotep son of Hapu came from Athribis and served Amenhotep III in the Eighteenth Dynasty. He was a royal scribe and architect, and held the title “overseer of the works.” His inscriptions describe his building work, including projects at Karnak. He is associated with royal colossal statues, but a direct connection to the Colossi of Memnon is not secure. ([etheses.bham.ac.uk](https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/4972/9/Simmance14MRes2.pdf))

Statues of Amenhotep son of Hapu were set up at Karnak. Scholars have debated whether every surviving statue was made during his lifetime, so it is safer to say that the statues reflect the exceptional standing he achieved in the king’s service. The temple complex at Thebes became an important setting for his commemoration. ([etheses.bham.ac.uk](https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/4972/9/Simmance14MRes2.pdf))

See Amenhotep son of Hapu’s person page

A Cairo statue carries his name and titles

In the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, look for the limestone block statue catalogued as CG 583, with a related fragment, CG 835. It came from Karnak’s third pylon. It is a block statue, not the seated scribe statue described in some accounts. Its inscription includes Amenhotep’s name, titles and an address to the living. ([etheses.bham.ac.uk](https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/4972/9/Simmance14MRes2.pdf))

The statue connects his written name with his public identity as an official. Read the inscription by first checking which way its figures face. That direction indicates where the line begins. The name’s signs may be arranged to suit the space, but their order remains imn-ḥtp.

Explore the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Pilgrims sought healing at Deir el-Bahari

In the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, Amenhotep son of Hapu was revered as a healer alongside Imhotep. At Deir el-Bahari, visitors left inscriptions and sought help at the sanctuary associated with them. Amenhotep’s later cult gave him a role beyond his work for Amenhotep III. ([ifao.egnet.net](https://www.ifao.egnet.net/bifao/106/14/))

Imhotep had served King Djoser centuries earlier. At Deir el-Bahari, the two figures were linked in worship, and Greek inscriptions attest to the healing powers attributed to them. The cult made Amenhotep’s name familiar in a religious setting long after the Eighteenth Dynasty. ([ifao.egnet.net](https://www.ifao.egnet.net/bifao/106/14/))

Explore Deir el-Bahari

The figures face toward the beginning of a line

Hieroglyphic lines can run in either direction. People and animals face toward the start of the line, so look at their faces before deciding which way to read. Signs can be grouped to fit a surface rather than set out in one straight row.

When you draw the name, preserve the order of its two groups: M17, Y5, N35, then R4, X1, Q3. The direction depends on how the signs face on the object.

Draw the hieroglyphs

Questions

People in this article

• Amenhotep son of Hapu Scribe and architect of Amenhotep III, c. 1390–1352 BC
• Amenhotep III c. 1390–1352 BC
• Imhotep Architect of Djoser, c. 2667–2648 BC
• Djoser c. 2667–2648 BC

Where to see it

• Egyptian Museum, Cairo museum
• Karnak Temple site
• Temple of Hatshepsut (Deir el-Bahari) site

More to read

• Psamtik I in hieroglyphs: Wahibre, the king who took Egypt back from Assyria Psamtik I in hieroglyphics: his name psmṯk and his throne name Wahibre read sign by sign, and the Karnak stela where his daughter's adoption is recorded.
• Nectanebo II in hieroglyphs: Nakhthorheb, the last native king of Egypt Nectanebo II in hieroglyphics: Senedjemibre and Nakhthorheb read sign by sign, his statue at the Met and his empty sarcophagus in the British Museum.
• Nectanebo I in hieroglyphs: how to read the name and where to see them Nectanebo I in hieroglyphics: read his throne name Kheperkare and birth name Nakhtnebef, then find monuments linked to him.