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 Satiah (also, Sitiah, Sitioh; "''Daughter of the Moon''") was an ancient Egyptian queen, the first Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose III. Family Satiah was the daughter of the royal nurse Ipu. It is possible that her father was the important ...

. 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 Huy ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the '' sillon industriel'', the former industrial backbone of Wall ...

. 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 Menkheperre, son of Pinedjem I by wife Duathathor-Henuttawy (daughter of Ramesses XI by wife Tentamon), was the High Priest of Amun at Thebes in ancient Egypt from 1045 BC to 992 BC and ''de facto'' ruler of the south of the country., p.207 ...

and the princesses

Nebetiunet Nebetiunet (“Lady of Dendera”; a title of the goddess Hathor) was a princess of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, a daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose III and his Great Royal Wife Merytre-Hatshepsut. She is one of six known children of Thutmose and ...

, Meritamen C, Meritamen D, and

Iset Iset or Aset is an Ancient Egyptian name, meaning "(She) of the throne". It was the name of the goddess better known by her Greek name Isis. For its etymology see Isis – Etymology. Its notable bearers were: * Iset, mother of Thutmose III * ...

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

. She is attested in the

mortuary temple Mortuary temples (or funerary temples) were temples that were erected adjacent to, or in the vicinity of, royal tombs in Ancient Egypt. The temples were designed to commemorate the reign of the Pharaoh under whom they were constructed, as well as f ...

Medinet Habu Medinet Habu (; ; ; ) 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 Luxor, Egypt. Although other structures are located within the area and important disco ...

. 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 Tomb KV34 () in the Valley of the Kings (near the modern-day Egyptian city of Luxor) was the tomb of 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Thutmose III. The tomb was plundered in antiquity and its location lost. It was rediscovered and first excavated in 1898 und ...

). On one of the pillars in his tomb, Merytre is shown as one of three queens following Thutmose III. She is followed by Queen

, Queen

Nebtu Nebtu was an ancient Egyptian, the wife of Thutmose III. She was depicted on a pillar in Thutmose's tomb KV34 where the pharaoh leads a procession of his family members – his two Great Royal Wives Merytre-Hatshepsut and Satiah, his wife Ne ...

, and Princess Nefertari. Thutmose III and family

In the tomb of Ra (

TT72 Theban Tomb TT72 is located in the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. It was the tomb of Re, who was the First Prophet of Amun in the Mortuary temple of Thutmosis III. The tomb is located in the necropolis area ar ...

) 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)
/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