Maathorneferure
Encyclopedia
Maathorneferure was an Ancient Egypt
ian queen, the Great Royal Wife
of Ramesses II
.
king Hattusili III
and his wife Queen Pudukhepa. She was the sister of crown prince Nerikkaili of Hatti and the sister of the later Hittite king Tudhaliya IV
.
Maathorneferure was married to the Egyptian
Pharaoh
Ramesses II
in the 34th year of his reign, becoming the Great King's Wife. Her original name is unknown, but her Egyptian name translates as "One who sees Horus, the invisible splendor of Ra".
, and Maathorneferure's marriage to the Egyptian king was the conclusion of the peace process which had begun with the signing of a peace treaty
thirteen years earlier.
On the Marriage Stela it is claimed that "The daughter of the great chief of Kheta marched in [front] of the army [...]" (Breasted)
Maathorneferure first lived at the royal palace at Pi-Ramesse. Records indicate that she later lived in the royal harem at Mi-wer (Gurob). Queen Maathorneferure is mentioned on a papyrus.
The partial text on the papyrus states: [...] small bag, the king's wife Maathorneferure (may she live) (the daughter of) the great ruler of Khatti, [...] Dayt garment of 28 cubits, 4 palms, breadth 4 cubits, [bag?] of 14 cubits, 2 palms, breath 4 cubits - 2 items [...] palms, breath 4 cubits(from digitalegypt_
At Tanis
, there is a broken statue of Ramesses that shows her (mostly destroyed) figure touching his leg, together with her cartouche.
During the latter half of the first millennium BCE Maathorneferure's marriage to the pharaoh gave rise to the tale inscribed on the Bentresh Stela in which the sister of a foreign queen is healed by a divine statue sent from Egypt.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian queen, the Great Royal Wife
Great Royal Wife
Great Royal Wife or Chief King's Wife is the term used to refer to the chief wife of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. While most Ancient Egyptians were monogamous, the pharaoh would have had other, lesser wives and concubines in addition to the Great Royal Wife...
of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
.
Family
Maathorneferure was a daughter of the HittiteHittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
king Hattusili III
Hattusili III
Hattusili III was a king of the Hittite empire ca. 1267–1237 BC . He was the fourth and last son of Mursili II...
and his wife Queen Pudukhepa. She was the sister of crown prince Nerikkaili of Hatti and the sister of the later Hittite king Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV
Tudhaliya IV was a king of the Hittite Empire , and the younger son of Hattusili III. He reigned ca. 1237 BCE–1209 BCE. His mother was called Puduhepa...
.
Maathorneferure was married to the Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
in the 34th year of his reign, becoming the Great King's Wife. Her original name is unknown, but her Egyptian name translates as "One who sees Horus, the invisible splendor of Ra".
Life
Egypt and the Hittite empire had been increasingly at odds since the demise of the kingdom of the MitanniMitanni
Mitanni or Hanigalbat was a loosely organized Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria and south-east Anatolia from ca. 1500 BC–1300 BC...
, and Maathorneferure's marriage to the Egyptian king was the conclusion of the peace process which had begun with the signing of a peace treaty
Peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...
thirteen years earlier.
On the Marriage Stela it is claimed that "The daughter of the great chief of Kheta marched in [front] of the army [...]" (Breasted)
Maathorneferure first lived at the royal palace at Pi-Ramesse. Records indicate that she later lived in the royal harem at Mi-wer (Gurob). Queen Maathorneferure is mentioned on a papyrus.
The partial text on the papyrus states: [...] small bag, the king's wife Maathorneferure (may she live) (the daughter of) the great ruler of Khatti, [...] Dayt garment of 28 cubits, 4 palms, breadth 4 cubits, [bag?] of 14 cubits, 2 palms, breath 4 cubits - 2 items [...] palms, breath 4 cubits(from digitalegypt_
At Tanis
Tanis, Egypt
Tanis , the Greek name of ancient Djanet , is a city in the north-eastern Nile delta of Egypt. It is located on the Tanitic branch of the Nile which has long since silted up.-History:...
, there is a broken statue of Ramesses that shows her (mostly destroyed) figure touching his leg, together with her cartouche.
During the latter half of the first millennium BCE Maathorneferure's marriage to the pharaoh gave rise to the tale inscribed on the Bentresh Stela in which the sister of a foreign queen is healed by a divine statue sent from Egypt.