Merytre-Hatshepsut, or Hatshepsut-Meryet-Ra, was the

Great Royal Wife Great Royal Wife, or alternatively, Chief King's Wife () is the title that was used to refer to the Queen consort, principal wife of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, who served many official functions. Description While most ancient Egyptians were ...

Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

Thutmose III Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, (1479–1425 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders, and milita ...

following the death of Queen Satiah. She was the mother of Pharaoh

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

Family

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

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

(EA 1280) depicts her holding a grandchild and includes representations of the other children of Thutmose III and Merytre-Hatshepsut along the sides of her seated figure. Merytre-Hatshepsut was the mother of

, as well as the prince Menkheperre and the princesses Nebetiunet, Meritamen C, Meritamen 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), and ''God's Hand'' (djrt-ntr). Merytre-Hatshepsut became a

after the death of Queen Satiah. She is attested in the mortuary temple of

in Medinet Habu. The queen is depicted standing behind a seated Thutmose III, wearing full queenly regalia, including the vulture cap and a modius with double plumes, while holding a fly-whisk. She is titled ''Great Royal Wife''. Merytre-Medinet-Habu

Merytre-Hatshepsut is depicted in several tombs, including that of her husband Thutmose III ( KV34). On one of the pillars in his tomb, Merytre is shown as one of three queens following Thutmose III. She 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 or behind her son, Amenhotep II. Another scene in a tomb at

Sheikh Abd el-Qurna The necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna () is located on the West Bank at Thebes, Egypt, 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 most frequently v ...

appears to depict a statue of Merytre-Hatshepsut on a sled within a small structure. Other statues depicted alongside her represent Thutmose III. A stela borne by a courtier’s statue shows Merytre-Hatshepsut standing before Thutmose III. In this scene, she is wearing a modius with double plumes, holding a fly-whisk in one hand and an ankh in the other.

Death and burial

Merytre-Hatshepsut was originally intended to be interred in

KV42 Tomb KV42 (Kings Valley 42) is an ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt. It was constructed for Hatshepsut-Meryetre, the wife of Thutmose III, but she was not buried in the tomb. It may have been reused by Sennefer ...

. Foundation deposits found in 1921 clearly establish that the tomb was initially meant for her. However, she may have been buried in

KV35 Tomb KV35 is the burial place of Amenhotep II, a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 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. L ...

, the tomb of her son, Amenhotep II. KV42 may have later been reused for the Theban Mayor Sennefer and his wife, Senetnay. The fact that KV42 was not used for her burial may suggest her disgrace during the reign of her grandson.Tuthmosis III (Menkheperre)
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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