Tia or Tiya was an

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian princess during the 19th Dynasty.

Family

Tia was the daughter of

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 ( ...

Seti I Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek language, Greek) was the second pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom period, ruling or 1290 BC to 1279 BC. He was the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and th ...

and Queen Tuya and the older sister of

Ramesses II Ramesses II (sometimes written Ramses or Rameses) (; , , ; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was an Pharaoh, Egyptian pharaoh. He was the third ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Nineteenth Dynasty. Along with Thutmose III of th ...

. She is attested only on monuments dating to Ramesses' reign. Tia was married to an official who was also called Tia. The couple had two daughters, Mutmetjennefer and another, whose name did not survive. They were depicted in their parents' tomb in Saqqara.

Life

She was born in the reign of

Horemheb Horemheb, also spelled Horemhab, Haremheb or Haremhab (, meaning "Horus is in Jubilation"), was the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1550–1292 BC). He ruled for at least 14 years between 1319 ...

into a non-royal family, before her grandfather Paramessu (later

Ramesses I Menpehtyre Ramesses I (or Ramses) was the founding pharaoh of ancient Egypt's Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 19th Dynasty. The dates for his short reign are not completely known but the timeline of late 1290s BC, 1292–1290 BC is frequently cited ...

) ascended to the throne. It is possible she was named after her grandmother, who is known as Sitre, but could be identical with a woman named Tia, who was named as Seti's mother. Her only known sibling is Pharaoh Ramesses II; a younger princess called Henutmire was either her sister or her niece.Tyldesley Since she was not born as a princess, she is one of the few princesses during Egypt's history, who married outside the royal family. Her husband, a royal scribe, was also called Tia and was the son of a high-ranking official called Amonwahsu. Tia, son of Amonwahsu was Ramesses' tutor, and held important offices later in his reign, he was Overseer of the treasuries, and Overseer of the Cattle of

Amun Amun was a major ancient Egyptian deity who appears as a member of the Hermopolitan Ogdoad. Amun was attested from the Old Kingdom together with his wife Amunet. His oracle in Siwa Oasis, located in Western Egypt near the Libyan Desert, r ...

. Princess Tia, similarly to other noble ladies, held titles which indicate she took part in religious rituals ("Singer of Hathor", "Singer of Re of Heliopolis", "Singer of Amun-great-in-his-glory"). Tia and Tia are depicted on a stone block, together with Queen Tuya (this is now on display at the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

). Another stone block, now in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, shows Tia (the husband) with his father Amonwahsu, Pharaoh

, and Ramesses II as crown-prince.

Death and burial

The couple Tia and Tia were buried in

Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...

. The tomb was built close to that of

, and was excavated by Geoffrey T. Martin.Tomb of Tia and Tia
From Saqqara Online

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tia Princesses of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt 13th-century BC Egyptian women Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Seti I