View source for Shoshenq

{{distinguish|text=the Indian name [[Shashank]], ot the fictitious prison [[Shawshank]]}}
{{morefootnotes|date=June 2012}}
'''Shoshenq''' (also commonly spelled '''Sheshonq''', '''Sheshonk''', '''Shoshenk''', '''Shashank''') was the name of many [[Ancient Egypt]]ians with [[Ancient Libya|Libu]] ancestry since the [[Third Intermediate Period]].

==People named Shoshenq==
Several pharaohs with this name are known, as well as many important state officials:

===Pharaohs===
*[[Shoshenq I]] (''Hedjkheperre''), founder of the [[22nd Dynasty]], often identified as the ''[[Shishaq]]'' of the [[Hebrew Bible]]
*[[Shoshenq II]] (''Heqakheperre''), of the 22nd Dynasty
*[[Shoshenq IIb]] (''Tutkheperre''), of the 22nd Dynasty
*[[Maatkheperre Shoshenq|Shoshenq IIIc]] (''Maatkheperre''), of the 22nd Dynasty
*[[Shoshenq III]] (''Usermaatre Setepenre''), of the 22nd Dynasty
*[[Shoshenq IV]] (''Hedjkheperre''), of the 22nd Dynasty
*[[Shoshenq V]] (''Aakheperre''), of the 22nd Dynasty
*[[Shoshenq VI]] (''Usermaatre'' ''Meryamun''), of the [[23rd Dynasty]]
*[[Shoshenq VII]] (''Hedjkheperre''), doubted existence.

===Officials===
*[[Shoshenq A]], grandfather of Shoshenq I
*[[Shoshenq C]], a [[Theban High Priests of Amun|Theban High Priest of Amun]], son of pharaoh [[Osorkon I]]
*[[Shoshenq D]], a [[High Priest of Ptah]], son of pharaoh [[Osorkon II]]
*Shoshenq, [[Chief steward of the God's Wife]] of Amun [[Ankhnesneferibre]], buried in [[TT27]]

==Renderings of ''Shoshenq'' in English==
{{Hiero|Shoshenq<br>''ššnq''|<hiero>SA:SA-n:q</hiero>|align=right|era=3ip}}
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.

The name "Shoshenq" originates in an ancient [[Berber languages|Libyco-Berber]] language, perhaps related to the [[Numidia]]n Berber 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 equivalent to the Egyptian rendering of the name.

[[Egyptologist]]s conventionally [[Transliteration of ancient Egyptian|transliterate]] the name in hieroglyphs as ''ššnq''. In ancient Egyptian texts, writings without the [n] and/or (less commonly) the [q] are not uncommon. For example, the name is recorded in the Neo-Assyrian dialect of [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] as ''šusanqu'' and ''susinqu'', indicating an initial rounded vowel. It is generally considered that the evidence suggests rendering it as "Sheshonq" should be avoided, in favour of "Shoshenq".<ref>[[Kenneth Kitchen]] (1996). ''The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100&ndash;650 BC).'' 3rd ed. Warminster: Aris & Phillips Limited. {{ISBN|0-85668-298-5}}, § 58, note 356</ref>

The writings of [[Manetho]], as recorded by the [[Byzantine Empire|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 [o] and [e] is probably due to [[Metathesis (linguistics)|metathesis]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*Aidan Dodson (1995). “Rise & Fall of The House of Shoshenq: The Libyan Centuries of Egyptian History.” ''KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt'' 6 (3):52&ndash;67.
* Troy Leiland Sagrillo. 2015. "Shoshenq I and biblical Šîšaq: A philological defense of their traditional equation." In ''Solomon and Shishak: Current perspectives from archaeology, epigraphy, history and chronology; proceedings of the third BICANE colloquium held at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge 26–27 March 2011,'' edited by Peter J. James, Peter G. van der Veen, and Robert M. Porter. British Archaeological Reports (International Series) 2732. Oxford: Archaeopress. 61–81.
*[[Jürgen von Beckerath]] (1997). ''Chronologie des Pharaonischen Ägypten'', Mainz: Philip Von Zabern.

[[Category:Ancient Egyptian given names]]
[[Category:Berber words and phrases]]