Second king of the 18th Dynasty, the son of Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari. It is assumed that he was very young when he acceded to the throne, and his mother probably functioned as regent for a time. Amenhotep continued the policies of his predecessor. He wanted to restore peace in Egypt and worked on rebuilding it. In addition, he penetrated further than Ahmose into Nubia and conquered that land, turning it into Egypt's most important source of gold. The famous medical papyrus Ebers was written during his reign. This contains a precise Sothic date, an important aid in establishing an absolute chronology. Amenhotep I and his mother are credited with the foundation of the workmen's village Deir el-Medinah. This is probably why he quickly became a protective deity of the Theban necropolis, and of Deir el-Medinah in particular, after his death. Together with his mother Ahmose-Nefertari, he had a mortuary temple on the west bank at Thebes. Amenhotep was particularly revered by the workmen of Deir el-Medinah. Stelae and texts on ostraca and papyrus indicate that a statue of the king was consulted as anoracle during processions. Once a year for four days, a great festival for Amenhotep was celebrated in the month Pamenoth, which bore the king's name (Pamenoth means 'the (month) of Amenhotep'). In connection with his role as the god of the necropolis, Amenhotep is often depicted on the inside of sarcophagi
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