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Shoshenq (also commonly spelled "Sheshonq," "Sheshonk," or "Shoshenk") is the name given in English transliteration to a number of Egyptian pharaohs of Libyan (i.e., Berber) origin who ruled during the Third Intermediate Period:
- 22nd Dynasty
- 23nd Dynasty
- Shoshenq IV
- Shoshenq VI (existence doubtful)
A number of other kings named "Shoshenq" have been proposed as well, though their acceptance by Egyptolgists is varied. In addition to the various kings named Shoshenq, there were important officials bearing the name from the Third Intermediate Period to the Ptolemaic Period.
The Renderings of Shoshenq in English
Because vowels are not generally written in the ancient Egyptian language, the exact pronunciation of this name has caused some amount of controversy, and it is common to see both Shoshenq and Sheshonq used in English-language publications. There is, however, some evidence indicating that Shoshenq is preferable.
First of all, it must be stated that the name "Shoshenq" originates in an ancient Libyco-Berber language, perhaps related to the Numidian language used during the time of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately, unlike some other Libyan rulers of Ancient Egypt, there is no name in the corpus of Old Libyco-Berber text that might be an equivilant to the Egyptian rendering of the name.
In the ancient Egyptian language, the name was generally written (with variants):
<hiero>SA:SA-n:q</hiero>
Egyptologists conventionally transliterate this as ššnq. It should be noted that in ancient Egyptian texts, writings without the <n> and/or (less commonly) the <q> are not uncommon.
However, texts written in other languages do indicate that the first vowel was both long and round, and the final vowel was short. For example, the name of Shoshenq I is written in the Hebrew Bible as שׁישׁק [šîšaq] [1 Kings 11:40; marginal reading in 1 Kings 14:25; 2 Chronicles 12:2, 5, 7, 9] and שׁושׁק [šûšaq] [1 Kings 14:25]. The varient readings in Hebrew, which are due to confusion between the letters < י > yôd and < ו > wāw that are particularly common in the Masoretic Text, indicate that the first vowel was long and received emphasis in pronunciation.
The name occurs in Ancient Greek records in a number of places. The Septuagint uses Σουσακιμ [Sousakim], derived from the marginal readig שׁושׁק [šûšaq] of Hebrew. This indicates during the 2nd century BC Hebrew-speakers pronounced the name with an initial long open vowel. The writings of Manetho, as recorded by the Byzantine historians Sextus Julius Africanus, Eusebius of Caesarea, and George Syncellus use two general forms (with variations depending on the manuscript). Africanus spells the name Σεσωγχις [Sesōnkhis], while Eusebius (as quoted by George Syncellus) uses Σεσογχωσις [Sesonkhōsis]. The alteration in the vowels is probably due to metathesis.
Finally, the name is recorded in the Neo-Assyrian dialect of Akkadian as šusanqu and susinqu, once again indicating an initial rounded vowel.
Due to this evidence, it seems clear that the rendering "Sheshonq" should be avoided in favour of "Shoshenq." See also Kitchen [1996], §58, note 356.
Sources
- Dodson, Aidan M. 1995. “Rise & Fall of The House of Shoshenq: The Libyan Centuries of Egyptian History.” KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 6 (3):52–67.
- Kitchen, Kenneth A. [1996]. The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100–650 BC). 3rd ed. Warminster: Aris & Phillips Limited. ISBN 0856682985
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