Merytre-Hatshepsut
Encyclopedia
Queen Merytre-Hatshepsut (or sometimes Hatshepsut-Meryet-Ra) was the principal wife of Pharaoh
Thutmose III
and the mother of Amenhotep II
.
, whose statue in the British Museum (EA 1280) shows Huy holding a grandchild and represents the other children of Thutmose III and Merytre-Hatshepsut along the sides of her seated statue. She was the mother of Pharaoh
Amenhotep II
, Prince Menkheperre, and the princesses Nebetiunet, Merytamun C, Merytamun D, and Iset.
Merytre-Hatshepsut is not related to Queen Hatshepsut
, the previous pharaoh of Egypt, though previously was often thought to be her daughter (Hatshepsut's only known child was Neferure
).
Merytre-Hatshepsut became a great royal wife after the death of queen Satiah
. She is attested in the temple of Tuthmosis III in Medinet Habu
. The Queen is depicted standing behind a seated Tuthmosis III. She's depicted in full Queenly regalia, including the vulture cap, modius with double plumes and the fly-whisk. She is called "great royal wife".
Merytre-hatshepsut is depicted in several tombs, including that of her husband Tuthmosis III (KV43
). On one of the pillars the queen, identified as Merytre, is one of three queens following Tuthmosis III. Merytre is followed by queen Satiah
, Queen Nebtu and Princess Nefertari.
In the tomb of Ra (TT72) in Thebes. Merytre Hatshepsut is depicted seated next to / behind her son Amenhotep II. A scene in another tomb in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
seems to depict a statue of Merytre-Hatshepsut that is shown in a small structure on a sled. The other statues depicted all represent Tuthmosis III. A stela (borne by the statue of a courtier) depicts Merytre-Hatshepsut standing before Tuthmosis III. The Queen is shown wearing a modius and double plunes. She is shown holding a fly-whisk in one hand and an ankh in the other.
. Foundation deposits were found in 1921 which clearly establish that the tomb was originally meant for her. She may have been buried in KV35
, the tomb of her son Amenhotep II however. KV42 may have been reused for the Theban Mayor Sennefer and his wife Senetnay.
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...
Thutmose III
Thutmose III
Thutmose III was the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. During the first twenty-two years of Thutmose's reign he was co-regent with his stepmother, Hatshepsut, who was named the pharaoh...
and the mother of Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II was the seventh Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns in Syria; however, he fought much less than his father, and his reign saw the effective cessation of hostilities...
.
Family
Merytre-Hatshepsut was of noble birth. She was the daughter of the Adoratrix HuyHui (priestess)
Hui was an ancient Egyptian priestess during the 18th dynasty. She was the mother of Merytre-Hatshepsut, the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose III....
, whose statue in the British Museum (EA 1280) shows Huy holding a grandchild and represents the other children of Thutmose III and Merytre-Hatshepsut along the sides of her seated statue. She was the mother of 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...
Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II was the seventh Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns in Syria; however, he fought much less than his father, and his reign saw the effective cessation of hostilities...
, Prince Menkheperre, and the princesses Nebetiunet, Merytamun C, Merytamun D, and Iset.
Merytre-Hatshepsut is not related to Queen Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut also Hatchepsut; meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies;1508–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt...
, the previous pharaoh of Egypt, though previously was often thought to be her daughter (Hatshepsut's only known child was Neferure
Neferure
Neferure was an Egyptian princess of the eighteenth dynasty. She was the daughter of two pharaohs, Hatshepsut and Thutmose II. She served in high offices in the government and the religious administration of Ancient Egypt.-Family:...
).
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), God’s Hand (djrt-ntr)..Merytre-Hatshepsut became a great royal wife after the death of queen Satiah
Satiah
Satiah was an Ancient Egyptian queen, the Great Royal Wife of Thutmose III.-Family:Satiah was the daughter of the royal nurse Ipu. It is possible that her father was the important official Ahmose Pen-Nekhebet...
. She is attested in the temple of Tuthmosis III in Medinet Habu
Medinet Habu (temple)
Medinet Habu is the name commonly given to the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, an important New Kingdom period structure in the location of the same name on the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt...
. The Queen is depicted standing behind a seated Tuthmosis III. She's depicted in full Queenly regalia, including the vulture cap, modius with double plumes and the fly-whisk. She is called "great royal wife".
Merytre-hatshepsut is depicted in several tombs, including that of her husband Tuthmosis III (KV43
KV43
Tomb KV43 is the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose IV in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt. It has a dog-leg shape, typical of the layout of early 18th Dynasty tombs. KV43 was rediscovered in 1903 by Howard Carter Tomb KV43 is the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose IV in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt....
). On one of the pillars the queen, identified as Merytre, is one of three queens following Tuthmosis III. Merytre is followed by queen Satiah
Satiah
Satiah was an Ancient Egyptian queen, the Great Royal Wife of Thutmose III.-Family:Satiah was the daughter of the royal nurse Ipu. It is possible that her father was the important official Ahmose Pen-Nekhebet...
, Queen Nebtu and Princess Nefertari.
In the tomb of Ra (TT72) in Thebes. Merytre Hatshepsut is depicted seated next to / behind her son Amenhotep II. A scene in another tomb in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
The necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna is located on the West Bank at Thebes, Egypt.Named after the doomed tomb of the local saint. This is the most frequently visited cemetery on the Theban west bank, with the largest concentration of private tombs....
seems to depict a statue of Merytre-Hatshepsut that is shown in a small structure on a sled. The other statues depicted all represent Tuthmosis III. A stela (borne by the statue of a courtier) depicts Merytre-Hatshepsut standing before Tuthmosis III. The Queen is shown wearing a modius and double plunes. She is shown holding a fly-whisk in one hand and an ankh in the other.
Death and burial
Merytre-Hatshepsut was originally meant to be interred in KV42KV42
Tomb KV42 is located in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. It was constructed for Hatshepsut-Meryetre, the wife of Thutmose III, but she was not buried in the tomb. It was reused by Sennefer, a mayor of Thebes during the reign of Amenhotep II, and by several members of his family...
. Foundation deposits were found in 1921 which clearly establish that the tomb was originally meant for her. She may have been buried in KV35
KV35
Tomb KV35 in the Valley of the Kings is the tomb of Amenhotep II.It was discovered by Victor Loret in March 1898.-Layout and history:...
, the tomb of her son Amenhotep II however. KV42 may have been reused for the Theban Mayor Sennefer and his wife Senetnay.