Meritites II (Merytiotes, Meritetes) or Meritites A ("beloved of her father") was a

4th Dynasty The Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty IV) is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Dynasty IV lasted from to 2494 BC. It was a time of peace and prosperity as well as one during which trade with other ...

princess of ancient Egypt, probably a daughter of King Khufu. She may have been a daughter of Meritites I based on the fact that this queen is mentioned in

mastaba A mastaba (, or ), also mastabah, mastabat or pr- djt (meaning "house of stability", " house of eternity" or "eternal house" in Ancient Egyptian), is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inwar ...

G 7650. She married the Director of the

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, Akhethotep (a non-royal court official), and she had several children with her husband. Meritites and her husband shared a mastaba G 7650 in

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...

Family and early life

Meritites II was probably a daughter of Khufu, as she was said to be a ''King's daughter of his body'' and as the location of her tomb indicates a relation to Khufu. She was a Prophetess of Khufu, Hathor and Neith. Meritites was married to Akhethotep, who was a director of the palace. Further titles of Akhethotep include ''Sole friend'', ''Priest of the Bas of Nekhen'', and ''Overseer of fishers/ fowlers''.Flentye, Laurel. "The Mastabas of Ankh-haf (G 7510) and Akhethetep and Meretites (G 7650) in the Eastern Cemetery at Giza: A Reassessment." In Zahi Hawass and Janet Richards, eds. The Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt. Essays in Honor of David B. O'Connor, Vol. I. Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte, Cahier no. 36. Cairo: Supreme Council of Antiquities, 2007, pp. 291-292, 294-298, 301-303, figs. 1, 3, 6, 7. In the tomb several children are depicted. A block formerly in the McGregor collection, but now in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

shows two daughters. One daughter is named Hetepheres and only a partial name has been preserved for the second girl: Khufu .. Reisner, ''A History of the Giza Necropolis'', Volume II, Appendix B: Cemetery 7000, Retrieved fro
The Giza Archives

Burial

Akhethotep and Meritites were buried at

in tomb G 7650. The mastaba is stone built and the interior offering room is decorated. Akhethotep is depicted with his wife Meritites and attendants in some of the scenes. In one scene Akhethotep is accompanied by two daughters. A red granite sarcophagus with a palace facade was discovered in shaft C.Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume III: Memphis, Part I Abu Rawash to Abusir. 2nd edition (revised and augmented by Dr Jaromir Malek), 1974. Retrieved from gizapyramids.org Meritites died during the reign of her brother

Khafre Khafre (also read as Khafra and gr, Χεφρήν Khephren or Chephren) was an ancient Egyptian King (pharaoh) of the 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He was the son of Khufu and the successor of Djedefre. According to the ancient historia ...

Literature

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meritites 02 Princesses of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt 26th-century BC women 3rd-millennium BC births 3rd-millennium BC deaths Khufu