Shoshenq IV in Wikipedia
Hedjkheperre Setepenre Shoshenq IV ruled Egypt's 22nd Dynasty between the reigns of Shoshenq III and Pami. This Pharaoh's existence
was first argued by David Rohl[citation needed] but the British Egyptologist Aidan Dodson settled the issue in a seminal GM 137(1993)
article.[1] Dodson's arguments here for the existence of a new Tanite king called Shoshenq IV is accepted by all Egyptologists today
including J. Von Beckerath and Kenneth Kitchen– the latter in the preface to the third edition of his book on the Third Intermediate
Period in Egypt."[2] While Shoshenq IV shared the same prenomen as his illustrious ancestor Shoshenq I, he is distinguished from
Shoshenq I by his use of an especially long nomen–Shoshenq Meryamun Si-Bast Netjerheqawaset/Netjerheqaon which featured both the Si-
Bast and Netjerheqawaset/Netjerheqaon epithets.[3] These two epithets were gradually employed by the 22nd Dynasty Pharaohs starting
from the reign of Osorkon II. In contrast, Shoshenq I's nomen reads simply as "Shoshenq Meryamun" while neither Shoshenq I, Osorkon I
nor Takelot I ever used any epithets beyond the standard 'Meryamun' (Beloved of Amun) form during their reigns.[4] Aidan Dodson--in
his 1994 book on the Canopic Equipment of the kings of Egypt--perceptively observes that when the Si-Bast epithet "appears during the
dynasty of Osorkon II," it is rather infrequent while the Netjerheqawaset/Netjerheqaon epithet is only exclusively attested "in the
reigns of that monarch's successors"--ie: Shoshenq III, Shoshenq IV, Pami and Shoshenq V.[5] This means that Shoshenq IV was a late
Tanite era king who ruled Egypt after Shoshenq III. His prenomen is explicitly attested on a published Year 10 stela (St. Petersburg
Hermitage 5630) which bears his unique long form titulary. This stela mentions the Chief of the Libu, Niumateped, who is also
attested in office in Year 8 of Shoshenq V. Since the title 'Chief of the Libu' is only first documented in use from Year 31 of
Shoshenq III onwards, this new king again can only have ruled after Shoshenq III.[6]
Burial -
Like Shoshenq III, Shoshenq IV was not a son of his predecessor and the exact grounds for his claim to the throne are unknown. He
ruled Egypt between Shoshenq III and Pami for either 12 or 13 Years based on different Egyptologists' interpretation of his reign.
According to Dodson, excavation work in the looted NRT V Tanite tomb of Shoshenq III revealed the presence of 2 sarcophagi: one
inscribed for Usermaatre Setepenre Shoshenq III and the other being an anonymous sarcophagus. The unmarked sarcophagus, however, "was
clearly a secondary introduction" according to its position in the tomb.[7] In the tomb's debris, several fragments were found from
one or two canopic jars bearing the name "Hedjkheperre-Setpenre-meryamun-sibast-Netjerheqaon."[7] Since the epithet Netjerheqaon was
never employed by the 22nd Dynasty kings until the reign of Shoshenq III, this is clear evidence that Shoshenq IV was buried in
Shoshenq III's Tanite tomb and must have succeeded this king; it also establishes that the king buried here was certainly not
Shoshenq I.
NOTE: The original king Shoshenq IV in pre-1993 books and journal articles has been renamed Shoshenq VI by Egyptologists because he
was a Theban king who is only attested by Upper Egyptian documents. He was never a king of the Tanite 22nd Dynasty of Egypt.
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