Tadukhipa, in the Hurrian language ''Tadu-Hepa'', was the daughter of Tushratta and his queen Juni, and niece of

Artashumara Artashumara Akkadian: ), brother of Tushratta and son of Shuttarna II, briefly held the throne of Mitanni in the fourteenth century BC. Reign He is known only from a single mention in a tablet found in Tell Brak "Artassumara the king, son of Shut ...

. Tadukhipa's aunt Gilukhipa (sister of Tushratta) had married

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...

Amenhotep III in his 10th regnal year. Tadukhipa was to marry Amenhotep III more than two decades later.

Early life

Tadukhipa was the daughter of King

Tushratta Tushratta (Akkadian: and ) was a king of Mitanni, c. 1358–1335 BCE, at the end of the reign of Amenhotep III and throughout the reign of Akhenaten. He was the son of Shuttarna II. Tushratta stated that he was the grandson of Artatama I. His si ...

Mitanni Mitanni (; Hittite cuneiform ; ''Mittani'' '), c. 1550–1260 BC, earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, c. 1600 BC; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat (''Hanikalbat'', ''Khanigalbat'', cuneiform ') in Assyrian records, or ''Naharin'' in ...

, who is believed to have reigned c. 1382 BC–1342 BC. She is believed to have been born around Year 21 of the reign of

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

Amenhotep III (c. 1366 BC). Almost nothing is known of her early years. In approximately Year 36 of Amenhotep's reign (c. 1352), Tushratta sent her to Egypt to marry the pharaoh, who was a close ally. Relatively little is known about this princess of Mitanni. She is believed to have been born around Year 21 of the reign of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

ian

Amenhotep III, (c. 1366 BC). Fifteen years later, Tushratta married his daughter to his ally Amenhotep III to cement their two states alliances in Year 36 of Amenhotep III's reign (1352 BC). Tadukhipa is referenced in seven of Tushratta's thirteen Amarna letters, of about 1350-1340 BC. Tushratta requested that his daughter would become a queen consort, even though that position was held by Queen

Tiye Tiye (c. 1398 BC – 1338 BC, also spelled Tye, Taia, Tiy and Tiyi) was the daughter of Yuya and Thuya. She became the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III. She was the mother of Akhenaten and grandmother of Tutankhamun. ...

.Tyldesley, Joyce. Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2006. p. 124 In return, Amenhotep III never sent the golden statues he offered and, after his death, Tushratta sent some missives complaining about the lack of reciprocity.

Life in Egypt

King Tushratta sent his daughter to Egypt with many gifts for Pharaoh Amenhotep. These gifts included: a gold-plated chariot inlaid with precious stones, a pair of horses, a litter adorned with gold and precious stones, clothes and garments, a horse saddle adorned with gold eagles, jewelry such as bracelets, armlets, and other ornaments, and a large chest to hold those items. Amenhotep had offered to send golden statutes to Tushratta as part of the marriage agreement. However, no evidence exists that the gifts were sent to Mitanni. Tushratta had requested that his daughter become Great Royal Wife to Amenhotep. However, the position was already held by Queen

. Amenhotep III died soon after Tadukhipa's arrival in Egypt and his son,

Amenhotep IV Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dy ...

, became pharaoh. Tadukhipa's existence in Egypt is attested to through Amarna letters that mention her, including missives Tushratta sent asking after the golden statutes he was promised by Amenhotep III. It is speculated that Tadukhipa eventually remarried Amenhotep IV, however it has not been definitively proven.

Identification with Kiya or Nefertiti

Some scholars tentatively identify Tadukhipa with

Kiya Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's ‘Great royal wife’, Nefertiti. Her unusual n ...

, a known wife of Akhenaten.Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. It has been suggested that the story of Kiya may be the source for the New Kingdom story called the " Tale of Two Brothers." This fable tells the story of how the pharaoh fell in love with a beautiful foreign woman after smelling her hair. If Tadukhipa was later known as Kiya, then she would have lived at Amarna where she had her own sunshade and was depicted with the pharaoh and at least one daughter. Others such as Petrie, Drioton and Vandier have suggested that Tadukhipa was given a new name after becoming the consort of

Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...

and is to be identified the famous queen

Nefertiti Neferneferuaten Nefertiti () ( – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which ...

.Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen. Penguin. 1998. This theory suggests that Nefertiti's name "the beautiful one has come" refers to foreign origin, such as Tadukhipa's Mitanni origin. Seele, Meyer and others have pointed out that Tey, wife of Ay, held the title of nurse to Nefertiti, and that this argues against this identification. A mature princess arriving in Egypt would not need a nurse.Cyril Aldred, The End of the El-'Amārna Period, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 43, (Dec., 1957), pp. 30-41

References

{{Queens of Ancient Egypt Hurrian people 1360s BC births Queens consort of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt 14th-century BC Egyptian women Year of death unknown Wives of Amenhotep III Wives of Akhenaten Ancient Mesopotamian women