Tadukhipa (in the

Hurrian language Hurrian is an extinct Hurro-Urartian language spoken by the Hurrians (Khurrites), a people who entered northern Mesopotamia around 2300 BC and had mostly vanished by 1000 BC. Hurrian was the language of the Mitanni kingdom in northern Mesopotami ...

''Tadu-Hepa''), was a princess of the

Mitanni Mitanni (–1260 BC), earlier called Ḫabigalbat in old Babylonian texts, ; Hanigalbat or Hani-Rabbat in Assyrian records, or in Ancient Egypt, Egyptian texts, was a Hurrian language, Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria (region), Syria an ...

kingdom. She was the daughter of King Tushratta of Mitanni and his queen Juni, and the niece of Artashumara. Tadukhipa's aunt Gilukhipa (sister of Tushratta) had married

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 ( ...

Amenhotep III in his 10th regnal year. Tadukhipa was to marry Amenhotep III more than two decades later.

Early life

Tadukhipa was the daughter of King Tushratta of

, who is believed to have reigned c. 1382 BC–1342 BC. She is believed to have been born around Year 21 of the reign of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian

Amenhotep III (c. 1366 BC). Almost nothing is known of her early years. In approximately Year 36 of Amenhotep's reign (c. 1352), Tushratta sent her to Egypt to marry the pharaoh, who was a close ally. Relatively little is known about this princess of Mitanni. She is believed to have been born around Year 21 of the reign of

ian

Amenhotep III, (c. 1366 BC). Fifteen years later, Tushratta married his daughter to his ally Amenhotep III to cement their two states alliances in Year 36 of Amenhotep III's reign (1352 BC). Tadukhipa is referenced in seven of Tushratta's thirteen Amarna letters, of about 1350-1340 BC. Tushratta requested that his daughter would become a queen consort, even though that position was held by Queen Tiye.Tyldesley, Joyce. Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2006. p. 124 Amenhotep III never sent the golden statues he offered in return, and, after his death, Tushratta sent some missives complaining about the lack of reciprocity.

Life in Egypt

King Tushratta sent his daughter to Egypt with many gifts for Pharaoh Amenhotep. These gifts included: a gold-plated chariot inlaid with precious stones, a pair of horses, a litter adorned with gold and precious stones, clothes and garments, a horse saddle adorned with gold eagles, jewelry such as bracelets, armlets, and other ornaments, and a large chest to hold those items. Amenhotep had offered to send golden statutes to Tushratta as part of the marriage agreement. However, no evidence exists that the gifts were sent to Mitanni. Tushratta had requested that his daughter become

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 ...

to Amenhotep. However, the position was already held by Queen Tiye. Amenhotep III died soon after Tadukhipa's arrival in Egypt and his son, Amenhotep IV, became pharaoh. Tadukhipa's existence in Egypt is attested to through Amarna letters that mention her, including missives Tushratta sent asking after the golden statutes he was promised by Amenhotep III. It is speculated that Tadukhipa eventually remarried Amenhotep IV, however it has not been definitively proven.

Identification with Kiya or Nefertiti

Some scholars tentatively identify Tadukhipa with

Kiya Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's 'Great royal wife', Nefertiti. Her unusual nam ...

, a known wife of Akhenaten.Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. It has been suggested that the story of Kiya may be the source for the New Kingdom story called the " Tale of Two Brothers." This fable tells the story of how the pharaoh fell in love with a beautiful foreign woman after smelling her hair. If Tadukhipa was later known as Kiya, then she would have lived at Amarna where she had her own sunshade and was depicted with the pharaoh and at least one daughter. Others such as Petrie, Drioton and Vandier have suggested that Tadukhipa was given a new name after becoming the consort of

Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eig ...

and is to be identified the famous queen Nefertiti.Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen. Penguin. 1998. This theory suggests that Nefertiti's name "the beautiful one has come" refers to foreign origin, such as Tadukhipa's Mitanni origin. Seele, Meyer and others have pointed out that Tey, wife of Ay, held the title of nurse to Nefertiti, and that this argues against this identification. A mature princess arriving in Egypt would not need a nurse.Cyril Aldred, The End of the El-'Amārna Period, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 43, (Dec., 1957), pp. 30-41

References

{{Queens of Ancient Egypt Hurrian people 14th-century BC births Queens consort of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt 14th-century BC Egyptian women Year of death unknown Wives of Amenhotep III Wives of Akhenaten Ancient Mesopotamian women