Pedubast III (Priest)
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Pedubast III, also known as Petubastis III (121 BC – 76 BC) was an Egyptian nobleman who served as the high priest of Ptah of Memphis from 103 BC to 76 BC.
| Pedubast III | |
|---|---|
| High Priest of Ptah Sem priest | |
| Predecessor | Psherenptah II |
| Successor | Pasherienptah III |
| Pharaoh | Ptolemy VIII Ptolemy IX Ptolemy X Ptolemy XI Ptolemy XII |
| Born | c. 121 BC |
| Died | 76 BC |
| Spouse | Herankh-beludje |
| Father | Psherenptah II |
| Mother | Berenice |
| Children | Pasherienptah III |
Biography
Born on 21 November 121 BC to Pasherienptah II and his wife Berenice, whose identity is disputed.[1] His damaged funerary stele is the only record of his mother, which has been translated by E.A.E. Reymond to:[2]
Pedubast, son of Psheren-Ptah, the chief of artificers; the name of his mother is Berenice, the younger sister (?) of king Ptolemy, called Alexander, the God Philometor.
This has faced rigorous scholarly scrutiny such as Richard Jasnow, who critiqued Reymond's method in Journal of the American Oriental Society.[3] However the reading of the has found support among other historians, including W. Huss.[4] Berenice's name is also followed by a foreigner determinative.[2]
A subsequent reexamination of the text by Wendy Cheshire has provided a more widely accepted alternative. By analyzing the surviving traces of the critical passage, Cheshire identified a tall vertical stroke consistent with the abbreviated notation of a regnal year (H3.t-sp). Her proposed translation reads: "...the name of his mother is Berenice. <In X year> of king Ptolemy whom men call Alexander".[5]
Following his father's death, he was appointed High Priest of Ptah by Ptolemy X in 103 BC.[6] He became a priest of the cult of the deified Arsinoe II.[7] He also bore an array of titles including: Chief of Artificers, God's father, and Master of Secrets in the domain of Ptah.[8] He crowned Ptolemy X as pharaoh, when he was only 17.[9]
Pedubast married Herankh-beludje, by whom he had only one son Psherenptah III.[9]
He died in 14 February 76 BC, and was buried in 28 April 76 BC.[9]