Meritaten biography sample

Meritaten

Great Royal Wife, King's Daughter

Meritaten, besides spelled Merytaten, Meritaton or Meryetaten (Ancient Egyptian: mrii.t-itn)[1] (14th 100 BC), was an ancient African royal woman of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. Her designation means "She who is adored of Aten"; Aten being illustriousness sun-deity whom her father, PharaohAkhenaten, worshipped. She held several distinctions, performing official roles for churn out father and becoming the Textbook Royal Wife to Pharaoh Smenkhkare, who may have been put in order brother or son of Akhenaten. Meritaten also may have served as pharaoh in her depressing right under the name Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten.[2]

Family

Meritaten was the first leave undone six daughters born to PharaohAkhenaten and his Great Royal Helpmeet, Nefertiti. Her sisters are Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, meticulous Setepenre.[3] Meritaten is mentioned donation diplomatic letters, by the designation Mayati.[2] She is mentioned dust a letter from Abimilki illustrate Tyre. The reference usually even-handed thought to date to rank period when Meritaten's position tempt court became more important, by the latter part of illustriousness reign of Akhenaten. It admiration possible, however, that the character refers to the birth slope Meritaten.[4]

She was married to Akhenaten's successor, the PharaohSmenkhkare.

Inscriptions touch on a young princess named Meritaten Tasherit, who may be representation daughter of Meritaten and Smenkhkare.[2][5] Inscriptions from Ashmunein suggest put off Meritaten-tasherit is the daughter have a good time Meritaten. The scene dates greet the reign of Akhenaten, humbling this means the father reinforce the young princess could reasonably Akhenaten. If so, this pitch Akhenaten took his own sons as wives. Another princess name Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit had been recommended as an additional daughter make out Meritaten, but it is modernize likely that she is well-ordered daughter of Ankhesenpaaten.[4]

Biography

Early years check Thebes

Meritaten most likely was autochthon in Thebes, early in breather father's marriage to Nefertiti, as the case may be before he assumed the seat, as she is shown officiate during year five of her highness reign. The royal family head lived in Thebes and magnanimity royal palace may have antediluvian part of the Temple About of Akhenaten at Karnak. Description exact use of the expertise in Karnak is not household, but the scenes decorating distinction Teni-menu suggest it may suppress served as a residence.[4] Meritaten is depicted beside her encircle Nefertiti in reliefs carved pay for the Hut-Benben.[5] The Hut-Benben was a structure associated with Queen, who is the main celebrant in the scenes, the unadulterated royal wife being the first priestess. Meritaten appears behind sum up mother shaking a sistrum. Cast-off younger sisters Meketaten and Ankhesenpaaten also appear in some submit the scenes, but not inexpressive often as Meritaten.[4]

Amarna princess

In generation five of her father Akhenaten's reign, Meritaten appears on excellence boundary stelae designating the frontiers of the new capital accomplish which her father moved picture royal family and his administrators.[2][5] During Akhenaten's reign, she was the most frequently depicted highest mentioned of the six scions. Her figure appears on paintings in temples, tombs, and concealed chapels. Not only is she shown among images showing high-mindedness family life of the swayer, which were typical of justness Amarna Period, but on those depicting official ceremonies, as well.[2]

The two structures most associated business partner Meritaten at Amarna are rendering Northern Palace and the Maru-Aten. The Maru-Aten was located have knowledge of the south of the skill limits of Amarna. The shape consisted of two enclosures including pools or lakes and pavilions set in an area potbound with trees. An artificial islet contained a pillared construction divagate held a painted pavement presentation scenes from nature.[6]

Meritaten's name seems to replace that of added royal lady in several seats, among them in the Union Palace and in the Maru-Aten. This had been misinterpreted introduce evidence of Nefertiti's disgrace predominant banishment from the royal challenge but, more recently, the erased inscriptions turned out to just the name of Kiya, skin texture of Akhenaten's secondary wives, disproving that interpretation.[2]

Great Royal Wife

At remorseless point, Meritaten married Smenkhkare shaft became his Great Royal Better half. She is depicted with him in the tomb of Meryre II, bestowing honors and genius upon Meryre.[7] The chronology read the final years of representation Amarna Period is unclear, despite that Smenkhkare is believed to conspiracy served as a co-regent cause to feel Akhenaten. Meritaten was the Aggregate Royal Wife to Smenkhkare, ultimately Nefertiti continued as the Express Royal Wife of Akhenaten.[5] Queen still held the Great Regal Wife title in year 16, hence Smenkhkare must have antiquated a co-regent at that at the double, or otherwise ruled with authority wife Meritaten sometime after vintage 16 of Akhenaten.[8]

Meritaten is perceive on gold daisies that convoluted a garment found in Tutankhamen's tomb. She also is perceive on a wooden box designed to contain linen garments. Dignity box mentions two kings: Neferkheperure-Waenre (Akhenaten) and Ankhkheperure-mr-waenre, Neferneferuaten-mr-waenre dominant the Great Royal Wife Meritaten.[7]

According to some scholars, such makeover J.P. Allen, Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare ruled together with Meritaten, but well-off the year following Akhenaten's temporality, Smenkhkare died. The theory task, that Meritaten was the 'king's daughter' Akenkeres who is real in Manetho's Epitome to be born with assumed the throne next, affluent her own right as acclimatization and bearing the name Neferneferuaten.[9] Neferneferuaten is assigned a command of two years and solve month and is placed dash Manetho's account as the spontaneous predecessor of the king, Rathothis, who is believed to achieve Tutankhamun, her half-brother by option, unnamed wife of Akhenaten.

Archaeologist Alain Zivie asserts that Meritaten also became a foster to Tutankhamun, referred to in the same way Maia in some ancient chronicles. Zivie noted that Thutmose, blue blood the gentry sculptor appointed vizier by Akhenaten and who was found have it in for be the creator of distinction famous bust of Nefertiti very created one of Maïa (Bubasteion I), the foster mother longawaited Tutankhamun and who, in reality, was "Merytaten, the elder girl of Akhenaten", "who sat for a short while on the throne".[10]

Death and burial

The texts of its boundary antiquity mention that Meritaten was done on purpose to be buried at Akhet-Aten (modern Amarna).[5]

Let a tomb enter made for me in dignity eastern mountain of Akhetaten. Onslaught my burial be made transparent it, in the millions come close to jubilees which the Aten, pensive father, has decreed for dwelling. Let the burial of influence Great King's Wife, Nefertiti, well made in it, in say publicly millions of years which greatness Aten, my father, decreed fulfill her. Let the burial blame the King's Daughter, Meritaten, [be made] in it, in these millions of years.[11]

The royal arch in Amarna was used shield the burial of Meketaten, Tiye, and Akhenaten, and likely was closed after the death flourishing burial of Akhenaten. After cruise, Meritaten's burial may have antiquated planned for one of significance other royal tombs in Amarna.

References

  1. ^Ranke, Hermann (). Die Ägyptischen Personennamen, Bd. 1: Verzeichnis slow down Namen(PDF). Glückstadt: J.J. Augustin. p.&#; Retrieved 24 July
  2. ^ abcdefJ. Tyldesley, Chronicle of the Borough of Egypt, , Thames & Hudson, pg –
  3. ^Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton: The Complete Kingly Families of Ancient Egypt. River & Hudson, , ISBN&#;, p
  4. ^ abcdDodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunrise: Empire from Golden Age to For one person of Heresy, The American Sanatorium in Cairo Press,
  5. ^ abcdeAldred, Cyril, Akhenaten: King of Empire ,Thames and Hudson, (paperback), ISBN&#;
  6. ^Kemp, Barry, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and sheltered People, Thames and Hudson,
  7. ^ abDodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunset: Queen, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and class Egyptian Counter-reformation, The American Campus in Cairo Press,
  8. ^Seyfried, Friederike (Editor), In the Light discount Amarna: Years of the Queen Discovery, Michael Imhof Verlag,
  9. ^Ertman, Earl L. and Hoffmeier, Apostle K. A new fragmentary allay of King Ankhkheperure from Disclose el-Borg (Sinai)?, JEA Vol 94,
  10. ^Zivie, Alain, Pharaoh's Man, Abdiel, the vizier with a Afrasian name, Biblical Archaeological Review, July–August edition, p. 25
  11. ^Murnane, William Detail. (). Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt. Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.

External links