Ahmose-Meritamun (or Ahmose-Meritamon) was a Queen of Egypt during the early Eighteenth Dynasty. She was both the older sister and the wife of

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 th ...

Amenhotep I Amenhotep I () ( egy, wikt:jmn-ḥtp, jmn-ḥtp(w) /jaˌmanuwˈħatpaw/ "Amun is satisfied"; Amarna cuneiform ''a-ma-an-ha-at-pe'' or ''-at-pa''), Amenôthes I, or Amenophis I, (,) from Ancient Greek Ἀμένωφις ,Dodson & Hilton (2004) p.12 ...

. She died fairly young and was buried in tomb TT358 in Deir el-Bahari.

Biography

Ahmose-Meritamun was the royal daughter of

Ahmose I Ahmose I ( egy, jꜥḥ ms(j .w), reconstructed /ʔaʕaħ'maːsjə/ ( MK), Egyptological pronunciation ''Ahmose'', sometimes written as ''Amosis'' or ''Aahmes'', meaning " Iah (the Moon) is born") was a pharaoh and founder of the Eighteen ...

and

Ahmose Nefertari Ahmose-Nefertari (Ancient Egyptian: '' Jꜥḥ ms Nfr trj'') was the first Great Royal Wife of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She was a daughter of Seqenenre Tao and Ahhotep I, and royal sister and wife to Ahmose I. Her son Amenhotep I ...

, and became the Great Royal Wife of her younger brother

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 th ...

of Ancient Egypt in the Eighteenth Dynasty.Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2004, , p.123, 127, 129 Meritamun took over the role of

God's Wife of Amun God's Wife of Amun ( Egyptian: ''ḥm.t nṯr n ỉmn'') was the highest-ranking priestess of the Amun cult, an important religious institution in ancient Egypt. The cult was centered in Thebes in Upper Egypt during the Twenty-fifth and Twent ...

from her mother

. Other titles recorded for Meritamun include: lady of the two lands (''nbt-t3wy''), (Great) King's Wife (''ḥmt-nswt(-wrt)''), mistress of the entire two lands (''ḥnwt-tꜣwy-tm''), god's wife (''ḥmt-ntr''), united with the white crown (''ẖnmt-nfr-ḥḏt''), king's daughter (''sꜣt-nswt''), and king's sister (''snt-niswt''). The title king's mother (''mwt-niswt'') is also recorded in later sources, even though she was never the mother of a king. A limestone statue of this queen was discovered by Giovanni Belzoni while he was working in

Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constru ...

in 1817. Ahmose-Meritamun is depicted in the tomb of Inherkau ( TT359) which dates to the 20th Dynasty as one of the "Lords of the West". She is shown in the top row behind Queen

Ahhotep I Ahhotep I ( egy, jꜥḥ- ḥtp (.w), alternatively Anglicized ''Ahhotpe'' or ''Aahhotep'', " Iah (the Moon) is satisfied") was an ancient Egyptian queen who lived circa 1560– 1530 BC, during the end of the Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt. She ...

and in front of Queen Sitamun. Inherkau

Death and burial

Her remains were discovered at

Deir el-Bahri Deir el-Bahari or Dayr al-Bahri ( ar, الدير البحري, al-Dayr al-Baḥrī, the Monastery of the North) is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt. This is a part of ...

in TT358 in 1930 by Herbert Eustis Winlock. Her mummy was found in two cedarwood coffins and a cartonage outer case. Her mummy had been rewrapped and reburied by priests who had found her tomb that had been vandalized by robbers. It appears that she died when she was relatively young, with evidence of being afflicted with

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some ...

and

scoliosis Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not t ...

. The outer coffin (now in the

Egyptian Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or the Cairo Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display ...

, JE 53140) is over 10 ft in size and is made from cedar planks which are joined and carved to a uniform thickness throughout the coffin. The eyes and eyebrows are inlaid with glass. The body is carefully carved with chevrons painted in blue to create the illusion of feathers. The coffin was covered in gold which had been stripped in antiquity. The inner coffin was smaller, but still over 6 ft tall. The inner coffin had also been covered in gold but stripped of this precious metal. The mummy had been carefully rewrapped during the reign of

Pinedjem I Pinedjem I was the High Priest of Amun at Thebes in Ancient Egypt from 1070 to 1032 BC and the ''de facto'' ruler of the south of the country from 1054 BC. He was the son of the High Priest Piankh. However, many Egyptologists today believe that t ...

. Inscriptions record that the linen used in the reburial was made in year 18 of Pinedjem by the High Priest of Amun

Masaharta Masaharta or Masaherta was the High Priest of Amun at Thebes between 1054 and 1045 BC. Biography His father was Pinedjem I, who was the Theban High Priest of Amun and de facto ruler of Upper Egypt from 1070 BC, then declared himself pharaoh in 10 ...

, son of Pinedjem I. The reburial took place in year 19, month 3 of the winter, day 28.H. E. Winlock, The Tomb of Queen Meryetamun: I The Discovery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin New Series, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Summer, 1975), pp. 77-89; Article Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3258743 In April 2021 her mummy was moved from the

Museum of Egyptian Antiquities The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or the Cairo Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display a ...

National Museum of Egyptian Civilization The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) is a large museum ( ) in the ancient city of Fustat, now part of Cairo, Egypt. The museum partially opened in February 2017 and will display a collection of 50,000 artefacts, presenting Egyptian ...

along with those of 3 other queens and 18 kings in an event termed the

Pharaohs' Golden Parade The Pharaohs' Golden Parade ( ar, موكب المومياوات الملكية, arz, موكب المميات الملكيه, cop, Ϯϫⲓⲛⲟⲩⲱⲛϩ ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲫⲁⲣⲁⲱ ⲛ̀ⲛⲟⲩⲃ, Tiḏinouōnh nnipharaō nnoub) was an eve ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmose-Meritamon 16th-century BC Egyptian women 16th-century BC clergy Queens consort of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian mummies Amenhotep I Children of Ahmose I Ancient Egyptian priestesses

Biography

Death and burial

See also

References