'Ahmose the nephew' belonged to an important family of priests in the region of Thebes. His uncle, also called Ahmose, had a particularly impressive list of titles recorded on his statue ( AET_4.28 ). The tomb of his grandfather Smendes has been discovered in the necropolis of Thebes, and the inscriptions on his tomb are translated below in B.
The translation of A is adapted from K. Jansen-Winkeln, "Biographische und religiöse Inschriften der Spätzeit aus dem Ägyptischen Museum Kairo", nr. 32 ( Google Books ). The translation of B is taken from M. Panov, "The family of the Theban priest Nesbanebdjedet" ( PDF ), with the spelling of the Egyptian names modified to match the other translations.
There has been some debate about the dates of this family; but the translators of these two documents are in rough agreement that Smendes the grandfather was active during the last years of the 30th Dynasty, and Ahmose his grandson was active during the early Ptolemaic period. Both the translators provide family trees, to help understand the family relationships.
[A] { right: } The god's father, the scribe of the treasury, Ahmose, justified.
{ left: } The prophet and wab-priest of Khonsu and Amenope, Ahmose, justified.
{ front: } The venerable one with Amun-Re, Lord of the Throne of the Two Lands, the First of Karnak, with Mut the Great, Lady of the Isheru, and Khonsu in Thebes, Neferhotep, the god's father and prophet of Amun in Karnak, the ḥnk(-nww, the prophet and wab-priest of Khonsu and Amenope of the 4 phyles, the scribe of the Divine Treasury of the 3rd House of Amun in the 2nd phyle and in the 4th phyle, the initiate and divine purifier Ahmose, justified, the son of the similarly titled, the god's father and prophet of Amun in Karnak Pchorchonsis, justified, born to the lady of the house and musician of Amun-Re Isetemkhebe, justified:
Worshipping his ka, venerating his essence, and erecting his image to keep his name alive, his favourite, the god's father and prophet of Amun at Karnak, the ḥnk(-nww) Smendes, born to the lady and musician of Amun-Re Qiqi, justified, called Tapa-Khenti-Tjenenet, justified says in worship of his father, to the glory of him who created him, and as praise of him from whom he came:
Praise to you, homage to your ka, greeting to your exalted mummy. Turn your face toward me, ba of my creator, who formed me on the potter's wheel when I was created and destiny was determined. I belong to your pleasing essence, my inheritance among men; it cannot fall to any other family. Come to him who calls you! May you settle in the secluded temple, may you approach the 'horizon of heaven', may you be at the chapel of Rs-wḏȝ where you served on earth, having now entered among the kinsmen of the gods. May you join the abode of the gods, may your name be invoked alongside the Lord of Eternity, may you associate with the great god in the necropolis, may your ba live from what is offered to the god and from the bounties of fresh water, by me also being there and acting as your heir and performing the rites in the secret place, and worshipping your ka together with his {Osiris's} retinue, and remembering you and giving praise unceasingly as one who makes the deceased prosper, and permanently abiding in the temple. O this colonnaded courtyard, let this statue endure at your head! O anyone who enters, visitors to this temple, offer incense and libations for it [the statue]! O sem-priest who puts on the garment: stretch out your hand to it after the work is finished! You know (?) that a divine garment is no more distinguished than a statue of precious stone. The King will praise you, the Ruler of Eternity, Ptah-Sokar, the lord of the Styt: for one should allow the ka of the begetter to endure without ceasing. Another way . . . is good too: the heart of the great god is gracious if one worships him who walks on his waters.
{ back: } The god's father and prophet of Amun in Karnak, the ḥnk(-nww), prophet of Khonsu and Amenope of the 4 phyles, the scribe of the divine treasury of Amun in the 2nd phyle and 4th phyle, the initiate and purifier of the god, the rdwj(-ntr) priest of Amun Ahmose, justified, says:
O prophets, god's fathers, wab-priests, reading-priests, who enter and go out according to the courses of the moon to do their service in the temple: May the Lord of the gods, for whom you are pure, reward you; may he let your son rest in your place after his activity in life, just as you pronounce my name with flowers, after the god is satisfied . For I am a worthy dead one, worthy of care. Whoever drives me away from my place, he will in turn have no place in his city. Whoever praises my ka, his ka will likewise be praised"
{ around the base: }
{ right: } A royal offering of Amun-Re, Lord of the Throne of the Two Lands, the First of Karnak, in which he gives everything that appears on his altar and that is offered to his Ka during the course of each day for the ka of the god's father and prophet of Amun in Karnak, ḥnk(-nww), the prophet and wab-priest of Khonsu and Amenope Ahmose, son of the god's father Pchorchonsis, justified.
{ left: } A royal offering of Amun-Re, the primeval one of the Two Lands, with holy arm, in which he gives bread as a remembrance, beer as praise, offerings according to his sacrificial list, such as . . . for the ka of the god's father and prophet of Amun in Karnak , the scribe of the divine treasury of Amun Ahmose, justified, born to Isetemkhebe, justified .
[B] { in the entrance: }
. . . his, distinguished by the ruler for his merits, chosen by his {royal} person himself among the people of Waset, god's father Smendes, justified, son of Pchorchonsis, justified, born to the mistress of the house Meriamunites.
. . . in his house, Smendes, justified, born to the lady of the house Meriamunites, justified.
{ main inscription: }
Deceased royal chamberlain, who saw the sacred chambers of the palace, god's father and prophet of Amun in Ipetsut, henek-priest of Nun, idnu-deputy, iri-sh(en) priest, scribe of [the chest] in the house of Amenope, prophet of Khonsu-Amenope, prophet of Amun-Re in his house, the great god who appeared in the primeval times, Smendes, justified, son of the god's father Pchorchonsis, justified, born to the lady of the house, musician-priestess of Amun-Re Meriamunites, justified, may she live and be established forever!
His elder beloved son, god's father and prophet of Amun in Ipet[sut], henek-priest of Nun, prophet of Khonsu-Amenope Pchorchonsis, justified, son of the god's father, the royal chamberlain Smendes, born to the lady of the house Ti-nub: may a pleasant breeze blow into your nose every day!
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