Queen Merytre-Hatshepsut (or sometimes Hatshepsut-Meryet-Ra) became the principal 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 ...

Thutmose III Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, was the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Officially, Thutmose III ruled Egypt for almost 54 years and his reign is usually dated from 28 ...

after the death of Satiah. She was also the daughter of Adoratrix Huy and the mother of

Amenhotep II Amenhotep II (sometimes called ''Amenophis II'' and meaning ''Amun is Satisfied'') was the seventh pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few milita ...

Family

Merytre-Hatshepsut was of noble birth. She was possibly the daughter of the Adoratrix Huy, whose statue in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docume ...

(EA 1280) shows Huy holding a grandchild and represents the other children of Thutmose III and Merytre-Hatshepsut along the sides of her seated statue. She was the mother of

, Prince Menkheperre, and the princesses Nebetiunet, Merytamun C, Merytamun D, and Iset.

Biography

Merytre-Hatshepsut is known to have held the titles Hereditary Princess (iryt-p`t), Sole One, Great of Praises (wrt-hzwt-w’tit), King’s Mother (mwt-niswt), Lady of The Two Lands (nbt-t3wy), King’s Wife (hmt-nisw), Great King’s Wife (hmt-niswt-wrt), God’s Wife (hmt-ntr), God’s Hand (djrt-ntr). Merytre-Hatshepsut became a Great Royal Wife after the death of queen Satiah. She is attested in the mortuary temple of

Medinet Habu Medinet Habu ( ar, مدينة هابو; Egyptian: ''Tjamet'' or ''Djamet''; cop, ''Djeme'' or ''Djemi'') is an archaeological locality situated near the foot of the Theban Hills on the West Bank of the River Nile opposite the modern city of Lux ...

. The queen is depicted standing behind a seated Tuthmosis III. She's depicted in full Queenly regalia, including the vulture cap,

modius Modius may refer to: * an Ancient Roman units of measurement#Dry measure, ancient Roman unit for dry measures, (8.73 L) roughly equivalent to a peck * a Ancient Roman units of measurement#Area, medieval Roman unit for area, approximately 40 acres ...

with double plumes and the fly-whisk. She is called "great royal wife". Merytre-Medinet-Habu

Merytre-Hatshepsut is depicted in several tombs, including that of her husband Tuthmosis III ( KV34). On one of the pillars the queen, identified as Merytre, is one of three queens following Thutmose III. Merytre is followed by queen Satiah, Queen Nebtu and Princess Nefertari. Thutmose III and family

In the tomb of Ra ( TT72) in Thebes. Merytre Hatshepsut is depicted seated next to / behind her son Amenhotep II. A scene in another tomb in

Sheikh Abd el-Qurna The necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna ( ar, شيخ عبدالقرنة) is located on the West Bank at Thebes in Upper Egypt. It is part of the archaeological area of Deir el-Bahari, and named after the domed tomb of the local saint. This is the ...

seems to depict a statue of Merytre-Hatshepsut that is shown in a small structure on a sled. The other statues depicted all represent Tuthmosis III. A stela (borne by the statue of a courtier) depicts Merytre-Hatshepsut standing before Tuthmosis III. The Queen is shown wearing a modius and double plumes. She is shown holding a fly-whisk in one hand and an ankh in the other.

Death and burial

Merytre-Hatshepsut was originally meant to be interred in KV42. Foundation deposits were found in 1921 which clearly establish that the tomb was originally meant for her. She may have been buried in

KV35 Tomb KV35 is the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep II located in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. Later, it was used as a cache for other royal mummies. It was discovered by Victor Loret in March 1898. Layout and history It has a dog's leg shape ...

, the tomb of her son Amenhotep II however. KV42 may have been reused for the Theban Mayor Sennefer and his wife Senetnay. The non-use of her tomb at KV42 may indicate her disgrace at the time of her grandson.Tuthmosis III (Menkheperre)
/ref>

References

External links

{{Queens of Ancient Egypt 15th-century BC Egyptian women 15th-century BC clergy Princesses of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt Queens consort of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt Wives of Thutmose III Priestesses of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt