| Dating the beginning of the reign of Thutmose IV is difficult to do with certainty because he is several generations removed from the astronomical dates which are usually used to calculate Egyptian chronologies, and the debate over the proper interpretation of these observances has not been settled. Thutmose's grandfather Thutmose III almost certainly acceded the throne in either 1504 or 1479, based upon two lunar observances during his reign.[2] After ruling for nearly 54 years,[3] Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV's father, took the throne and ruled for at least 26 years,[4] but has been assigned up to 35 years in some chronological reconstructions.[5] The currently preferred reconstruction, after analyzing all this evidence, usually comes to an accession date around 1401 BC[6] or 1400 BC[7] for the beginning of Thutmose IV's reign. |