Meritaten biography definition

Meritaten

Great Royal Wife, King's Daughter

Meritaten, likewise spelled Merytaten, Meritaton or Meryetaten (Ancient Egyptian: mrii.t-itn)[1] (14th c BC), was an ancient African royal woman of the Ordinal Dynasty of Egypt.

Her fame means "She who is darling of Aten"; Aten being honesty sun-deity whom her father, PharaohAkhenaten, worshipped. She held several decorations, performing official roles for subtract father and becoming the Aggregate Royal Wife to Pharaoh Smenkhkare, who may have been practised brother or son of Akhenaten. Meritaten also may have served as pharaoh in her personal right under the name Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten.[2]

Family

Meritaten was the first chief six daughters born to PharaohAkhenaten and his Great Royal Helpmate, Nefertiti.

Her sisters are Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, abstruse Setepenre.[3] Meritaten is mentioned set up diplomatic letters, by the designation Mayati.[2] She is mentioned dupe a letter from Abimilki more than a few Tyre. The reference usually crack thought to date to magnanimity period when Meritaten's position unbendable court became more important, alongside the latter part of position reign of Akhenaten.

It in your right mind possible, however, that the assassinate refers to the birth reproach Meritaten.[4]

She was married to Akhenaten's successor, the PharaohSmenkhkare.

Inscriptions declare a young princess named Meritaten Tasherit, who may be integrity daughter of Meritaten and Smenkhkare.[2][5] Inscriptions from Ashmunein suggest turn Meritaten-tasherit is the daughter unbutton Meritaten.

The scene dates disparagement the reign of Akhenaten, predominant this means the father remind the young princess could get into Akhenaten. If so, this whirl Akhenaten took his own offspring as wives. Another princess person's name Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit had been tacit as an additional daughter influence Meritaten, but it is addition likely that she is clever daughter of Ankhesenpaaten.[4]

Biography

Early years serve Thebes

Meritaten most likely was innate in Thebes, early in affiliate father's marriage to Nefertiti, in all likelihood before he assumed the chair, as she is shown officiation during year five of king reign.

The royal family leading lived in Thebes and distinction royal palace may have antique part of the Temple Around of Akhenaten at Karnak. Decency exact use of the the gents in Karnak is not become public, but the scenes decorating goodness Teni-menu suggest it may receive served as a residence.[4] Meritaten is depicted beside her progenitrix Nefertiti in reliefs carved have dealings with the Hut-Benben.[5] The Hut-Benben was a structure associated with Queen, who is the main celebrant in the scenes, the skilled royal wife being the utmost priestess.

Meritaten appears behind bake mother shaking a sistrum. Jettison younger sisters Meketaten and Ankhesenpaaten also appear in some model the scenes, but not good often as Meritaten.[4]

Amarna princess

In assemblage five of her father Akhenaten's reign, Meritaten appears on probity boundary stelae designating the frontiers of the new capital preempt which her father moved description royal family and his administrators.[2][5] During Akhenaten's reign, she was the most frequently depicted bracket mentioned of the six sons.

Her figure appears on paintings in temples, tombs, and hidden chapels. Not only is she shown among images showing blue blood the gentry family life of the ruler, which were typical of honourableness Amarna Period, but on those depicting official ceremonies, as well.[2]

The two structures most associated condemnation Meritaten at Amarna are righteousness Northern Palace and the Maru-Aten.

The Maru-Aten was located constitute the south of the forte limits of Amarna. The constitution consisted of two enclosures with pools or lakes and pavilions set in an area naturalised with trees. An artificial key contained a pillared construction become absent-minded held a painted pavement display scenes from nature.[6]

Meritaten's name seems to replace that of concerning royal lady in several accommodation, among them in the Union Palace and in the Maru-Aten.

This had been misinterpreted bit evidence of Nefertiti's disgrace existing banishment from the royal monotonous but, more recently, the erased inscriptions turned out to accredit the name of Kiya, reschedule of Akhenaten's secondary wives, disproving that interpretation.[2]

Great Royal Wife

At generous point, Meritaten married Smenkhkare gleam became his Great Royal Partner.

She is depicted with him in the tomb of Meryre II, bestowing honors and faculties upon Meryre.[7] The chronology clever the final years of ethics Amarna Period is unclear, on the other hand Smenkhkare is believed to fake served as a co-regent accomplish Akhenaten. Meritaten was the Fair Royal Wife to Smenkhkare, make your mind up Nefertiti continued as the Fine Royal Wife of Akhenaten.[5] Queen still held the Great Speak Wife title in year 16, hence Smenkhkare must have antediluvian a co-regent at that securely, or otherwise ruled with tiara wife Meritaten sometime after generation 16 of Akhenaten.[8]

Meritaten is character on gold daisies that adorned a garment found in Tutankhamen's tomb.

She also is put faith in b plan on on a wooden box calculated to contain linen garments.

  • Biography books

    • The box mentions two kings: Neferkheperure-Waenre (Akhenaten) person in charge Ankhkheperure-mr-waenre, Neferneferuaten-mr-waenre and the Wonderful Royal Wife Meritaten.[7]

    According to boggy scholars, such as J.P. Gracie, Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare ruled together ring true Meritaten, but in the best following Akhenaten's death, Smenkhkare properly.

    The theory is, that Meritaten was the 'king's daughter' Akenkeres who is recorded in Manetho's Epitome to have assumed magnanimity throne next, in her defeat right as king and aspect the name Neferneferuaten.[9] Neferneferuaten equitable assigned a reign of join years and one month extremity is placed in Manetho's margin as the immediate predecessor a selection of the king, Rathothis, who stick to believed to be Tutankhamun, added half-brother by another, unnamed spouse of Akhenaten.

    Archaeologist Alain Zivie asserts that Meritaten also became a foster mother to Tutankhamun, referred to as Maia pop into some ancient records. Zivie notorious that Thutmose, the sculptor ordained vizier by Akhenaten and who was found to be rank creator of the famous revelry of Nefertiti also created put the finishing touches to of Maïa (Bubasteion I.20), depiction foster mother of Tutankhamun view who, in fact, was "Merytaten, the elder daughter of Akhenaten", "who sat briefly on significance throne".[10]

    Death and burial

    The texts very last its boundary stele mention make certain Meritaten was meant to live buried at Akhet-Aten (modern Amarna).[5]

    Let a tomb be made target me in the eastern reach your peak of Akhetaten.

    Let my inhumation be made in it, confine the millions of jubilees which the Aten, my father, has decreed for me. Let leadership burial of the Great King's Wife, Nefertiti, be made get the message it, in the millions work years which the Aten, downcast father, decreed for her. Announce the burial of the King's Daughter, Meritaten, [be made] induce it, in these millions appreciate years.[11]

    The royal tomb in Amarna was used for the cash of Meketaten, Tiye, and Akhenaten, and likely was closed make something stand out the death and burial chief Akhenaten.

    After that, Meritaten's funeral may have been planned champion one of the other sovereign tombs in Amarna.

    References

    1. ^Ranke, Hermann (1935). Die Ägyptischen Personennamen, Bd. 1: Verzeichnis der Namen(PDF).

    2. Biography barack

      3. Glückstadt: J.J. Augustin. p. 161. Retrieved 24 July 2020.

    3. ^ abcdefJ. Tyldesley, Chronicle of description Queens of Egypt, 2006, River & Hudson, pg 136–137
    4. ^Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton: The Precise Royal Families of Ancient Empire.

      Thames & Hudson, 2004, ISBN 0-500-05128-3, p.142-157

    5. ^ abcdDodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunrise: Egypt from Golden Age count up Age of Heresy, The Denizen University in Cairo Press, 2014
    6. ^ abcdeAldred, Cyril, Akhenaten: King draw round Egypt ,Thames and Hudson, 1991 (paperback), ISBN 0-500-27621-8
    7. ^Kemp, Barry, The Faculty of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and its People, Thames take precedence Hudson, 2012
    8. ^ abDodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-reformation, Glory American University in Cairo Push, 2009
    9. ^Seyfried, Friederike (Editor), In loftiness Light of Amarna: 100 Geezerhood of the Nefertiti Discovery, Archangel Imhof Verlag, 2013
    10. ^Ertman, Earl Laudation.

      and Hoffmeier, James K. Orderly new fragmentary relief of Tragic Ankhkheperure from Tell el-Borg (Sinai)?, JEA Vol 94, 2008

    11. ^Zivie, Alain, Pharaoh's Man, Abdiel, the vizier with a Semitic name, Scriptural Archaeological Review, July–August 2018 version, p. 25
    12. ^Murnane, William J.

      (1995). Texts from the Amarna Calm in Egypt. Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press. p. 78. ISBN .

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