Michael Matthew Groat PhD's Genealogical Database

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Isetnofret Queen Consort Of Egypt Great Royal Wife



Family 1: Ramesses Usermaatre Setepenre King Of Egypt. Ruler of the Two Lands,    b. 1303 BC in Thebes, Luxor, Qinå, Ancient Egypt    d. 1213 BC (aged 90) in Thebes, Luxor, Qinå, Ancient Egypt
  1. Khaemweset , b. ABT 1275 BC in Egypt     d. 1224 BC in Egypt
  2. Isetnofret II, b. ABT 1270 BC    
  3. Merneptah 4th Pharaoh 19th Dynasty, b. 1272 BC in Egypt     d. 2 MAY 1203 BC in Memphis,, Egypt
  4. Ramesses ben Ramesses II, Crown Prince of Egypt, b. ABT 1280 BC in Egypt    
Sources:
  1. Title: Wikiwand: Ramesses II
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ramesses_II;
    Note: Ramesses II /ˈræməsiːz, ˈræmsiːz, ˈræmziːz/ (variously also spelt Rameses or Ramses (Ancient Egyptian: rꜥ-ms-sw "Ra is the one who bore him" > Koinē Greek: Ῥαμέσσης, romanized: Rhaméssēs); c. 1303 BC – July or August 1213; reigned 1279–1213 BC), also known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the New Kingdom. His successors and later Egyptians called him the "Great Ancestor." He is known as Ozymandias in Greek sources (Koinē Greek: Οσυμανδύας Osymandýas), from the first part of Ramesses' regnal name, Usermaatre Setepenre, "The Maat of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra."
  2. Title: Wikiwand: Nefertari
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Nefertari;
    Note: Nefertari, also known as Nefertari Meritmut, was an Egyptian queen and the first of the Great Royal Wives (or principal wives) of Ramesses the Great. Nefertari means "beautiful companion" and Meritmut means "Beloved of [the goddess] Mut." She is one of the best known Egyptian queens, next to Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and Hatshepsut. She was highly educated and able to both read and write hieroglyphs, a very rare skill at the time. She used these skills in her diplomatic work, corresponding with other prominent royals of the time. Her lavishly decorated tomb, QV66, is one of the largest and most spectacular in the Valley of the Queens. Ramesses also constructed a temple for her at Abu Simbel next to his colossal monument there. Titles Nefertari held many different titles, including: Great of Praises (wrt-hzwt), Sweet of Love (bnrt-mrwt), Lady of Grace (nbt-im3t), Great King’s Wife (hmt-niswt-wrt), his beloved (hmt-niswt-wrt meryt.f), Lady of The Two Lands (nbt-t3wy), Lady of all Lands (hnwt-t3w-nbw), Wife of the Strong Bull (hmt-k3-nxt), god's Wife (hmt-ntr), Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt (hnwt-Shm’w-mhw). Ramesses II also named her "The one for whom the sun shines." Family Although Nefertari's family background is unknown, the discovery in her tomb of a knob inscribed with the cartouche of Pharaoh Ay has led people to speculate she was related to him. The time between the reign of Ay and Ramesses II means that Nefertari could not be a daughter of Ay and if any relation exists at all, she would be a great-granddaughter. There is no conclusive evidence linking Nefertari to the royal family of the 18th dynasty, however. Nefertari married Ramesses II before he ascended the throne. Nefertari had at least four sons and two daughters. Amun-her-khepeshef, the eldest was Crown Prince and Commander of the Troops, and Pareherwenemef would later serve in Ramesses II’s army. Prince Meryatum was elevated to the position of High Priest of Re in Heliopolis. Inscriptions mention he was a son of Nefertari. Prince Meryre is a fourth son mentioned on the façade of the small temple at Abu Simbel and is thought to be another son of Nefertari. Meritamen and Henuttawy are two royal daughters depicted on the façade of the small temple at Abu Simbel and are thought to be daughters of Nefertari. Princesses named Bak(et)mut, Nefertari, and Nebettawy are sometimes suggested as further daughters of Nefertari based on their presence in Abu Simbel, but there is no concrete evidence for this supposed family relation. Biography Nefertari first appears as the wife of Ramesses II in official scenes during the first year of Ramesses II. In the tomb of Nebwenenef, Nefertari is depicted behind her husband as he elevates Nebwenenef to the position of High Priests of Amun during a visit to Abydos. Nefertari also appears in a scene next to a year 1 stela. She is depicted shaking two sistra before Taweret, Thoth, and Nut. Nefertari is an important presence in the scenes from Luxor and Karnak. In a scene from Luxor, Nefertari appears leading the royal children. Another scene shows Nefertari at the Festival of the Mast of Amun-Min-Kamephis. The king and the queen are said to worship in the new temple and are shown overseeing the Erection of the Mast before Amen-Re attended by standard bearers. Nefertari’s speech during this ceremony is recorded: "Your beloved son, the Lord of Both Lands, Usermaatre Setepenre, has come to see you in your beautiful manifestation. He has erected for you the mast of the (pavilion)-framework. May you grant him eternity as King, and victory over those rebellious (against) His Majesty, L.P.H." Nefertari appears as Ramesses II’s consort on many statues in both Luxor and Karnak. In Western Thebes, Nefertari is mentioned on a statuary group from Deir el-BAhari, a stela and blocks from Deir el-Medina. The greatest honor was bestowed on Nefertari however in Abu Simbel. Nefertari is depicted in statue form at the great temple, but the small temple is dedicated to Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. The building project was started earlier in the reign of Ramesses II, and seems to have been inaugurated by ca year 25 of his reign (but not completed until ten years later). Nefertari’s prominence at court is further supported by cuneiform tablets from the Hittite city of Hattusas (today Boghazkoy, Turkey), containing Nefertari's correspondence with the king Hattusili III and his wife Puduhepa. She is mentioned in the letters as "Naptera." Nefertari is known to have sent gifts to Puduhepa: "The great Queen Naptera of the land of Egypt speaks thus: Speak to my sister Puduhepa, the Great Queen of the Hatti land. I, your sister, (also) be well!! May your country be well. Now, I have learned that you, my sister, have written to me asking after my health. ... You have written to me because of the good friendship and brotherly relationship between your brother, the king of Egypt, The Great and the Storm god will bring about peace, and he will make the brotherly relationship between the Egptian king, the Great King, and his brother, the Hatti King, the Great King, last for ever... See, I have sent you a gift, in order to greet you, my sister... for your neck (a necklace) of pure gold, composed of 12 bands and weighing 88 shekels, coloured linen maklalu-material, for one royal dress for the king... A total of 12 linen garments." Nefertari is shown at the inaugural festivities at Abu Simbel in year 24. Her daughter Meritamen is depicted taking part in place of her mother in some of the scenes. Nefertari may well have been in failing health at this point. After her death she was buried in tomb QV66 in the Valley of the Queens. Monuments Abu Simbel, great temple Main article: Abu Simbel temples Nefertari appears twice as one of the royal women represented beside the colossal statues of Ramesses II that stand before the temple. To the left of the doorway, Nefertari, Queen-Mother Tuya and the king's son Amun-her-khepeshef (still called Amunhirwenemef here) flank the colossal statue of the king. To the right of the doorway Nefertari, Baketmut and the king's son Ramesses are shown with the Pharaoh. Inside the temple Nefertari is depicted on one of the pillars in the great pillared hall worshipping Hathor of Ibshek. On the wall of the inner pillared hall Nefertari appears behind Ramesses II. They stand before the barque of Amun, and Nefertari is shown playing the sistra. Elsewhere Nefertari and Ramesses II are shown before a barque dedicated to a deified Ramesses II. Nefertari is shown twice accompanying her husband in Triumph scenes. Abu Simbel, small temple The small temple at Abu Simbel was dedicated to Nefertari and Hathor of Ibshek. The dedication text on one of the buttresses states: "A temple of great and Mighty monuments, for the Great Royal Wife Nefertari Meryetmut, for whose sake the (very) sun does shine, given life and beloved;" (Kitchen) While on other buttresses it says: "King of South and North Egypt, Usermaatre Setepenre; - he has made a Temple by excavation in the mountain, of eternal work(manship) in Nubia, which the King of South and North Egypt, Usermaatre Setepenre has made for the Great Royal Wife Nefertari Meryetmut, in Nubia, like Re forever and ever." (Kitchen) The two colossal standing statues of Nefertari in front of the small temple are equal in size to those of Ramesses II. Nefertari is shown holding a sistrum. She wears a long sheet dress and she is depicted with a long wig, Hathoric cow horns, the solar disk, and tall feathers mounted on a modius. In the interior of the temple, Nefertari appears in a variety of scenes. She is shown for instance offering to a cow (Hathor) in a papyrus thicket, offering before Khnum, Satis, and Anuket, the triad of Elephantine, and offering to Mut and Hathor. Tomb 66 in the Valley of the Queens Main articles: Valley of the Queens and QV66 The tomb of Nefertari, QV66, is one of the largest in the Valley of the Queens. It is 520 square meters, and covered with pictures of Nefertari. Her husband the pharaoh is not represented in any of the pictures. Nefertari can be seen wearing Greek silver earrings with a labrys design in one of the portraits (see lead image). These would have been sent to her as a gift for diplomatic reasons. The tomb was robbed in antiquity. In 1904 it was rediscovered and excavated by Ernesto Schiaparelli. Several items from the tomb, including parts of gold bracelets, shabti figures and a small piece of an earring or pendant are now in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Additional shabti figures are in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It was reported that a pair of mummified legs found in QV66 and now at the Museo Egizio of Turin may indeed be Nefertari's based on the bone structure and the age of the person, which fits the profile of Nefertari.
  3. Title: Wikiwand: Great Royal Wife
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Great_Royal_Wife;
    Note: Great Royal Wife, or alternatively, Chief King's Wife (Ancient Egyptian: "ḥmt nswt wrt"), is the term that was used to refer to the principal wife of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, who served many official functions. Description While most Ancient Egyptians were monogamous, a male pharaoh would have had other, lesser wives and concubines in addition to the Great Royal Wife. This arrangement would allow the pharaoh to enter into diplomatic marriages with the daughters of allies, as was the custom of ancient kings. In the past the order of succession in Ancient Egypt was thought to pass through the royal women. This theory, referred to as the Heiress Theory, has been rejected regarding the eighteenth dynasty ever since a 1980s study of its royalty. The throne likely just passed to the eldest living son of those pharaohs. The mother of the heir to the throne was not always the Great Royal Wife, but once a pharaoh was crowned, it was possible to grant the mother of the king the title of Great Royal Wife, along with other titles. Examples include Iset, the mother of Thutmose III, Tiaa, the mother of Thutmose IV and Mutemwia, the mother of Amenhotep III. Meretseger, the chief wife of Senusret III, may be the earliest queen whose name appears with this title; she also was the first consort known to write her name in a cartouche. However, she is only attested in the New Kingdom so the title might be an anachronism. Perhaps the first holder of its title was Nubkhaes of the Second Intermediate Period. A special place in the history of great royal wives was taken by Hatshepsut. She was Great Royal Wife to her half-brother Thutmose II. During this time Hatshepsut also became God's Wife of Amun (the highest ranking priestess in the temple of Amun in Karnak). After the death of her husband, she became regent because of the minority of her stepson, the only male heir (born to Iset), who eventually would become Thutmose III. During this time Hatshepsut was crowned as pharaoh and ruled as a regent very successfully in her own right for many years. Although other women before her had ruled Egypt, Hatshepsut was the first woman to take the title "pharaoh," as it was a new term being used for the rulers, not having been used before the eighteenth dynasty. When she became pharaoh, she designated her daughter, Neferure, as God's Wife of Amun to perform the duties of high priestess. Her daughter may have been the great royal wife of Thutmose III, but there is no clear evidence for this proposed marriage. Elsewhere, in Kush and other major states of ancient Africa, the rulers often structured their households in much the same way as has just been described. Asiya, the adoptive mother of Moses, often confused with Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus), is regarded to be the chief consort of the Biblical Pharaoh according to Islam. Examples Ancient Egypt Middle Kingdom Dynasty Name Husband Comments 12th Dynasty Meretseger Senusret III Possibly the first holder of the title, but not definitively attested to in contemporary sources Second Intermediate Period Dynasty Name Husband Comments 13th Dynasty Nubhotepti Hor 13th Dynasty Nubkhaes Sobekhotep V, Sobekhotep VI or Wahibre Ibiau 13th Dynasty Ineni Merneferre Ai 13th Dynasty Nehyt (?) Only known from two scarab seals 13th Dynasty Satsobek (?) Only known from one scarab seal 13th Dynasty Sathathor (?) Only known from one scarab seal, reading of name not fully certain 16th Dynasty Mentuhotep Djehuti 16th Dynasty Sitmut Mentuhotep VI (?) 17th Dynasty Nubemhat Sobekemsaf I 17th Dynasty Sobekemsaf Nubkheperre Intef Sister of an unknown king, buried in Edfu 17th Dynasty Nubkhaes Sobekemsaf II 17th Dynasty Tetisheri Tao I the Elder Mother of Tao II the Brave 17th Dynasty Ahhotep I Tao II the Brave Mother of Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari New Kingdom Dynasty Name Husband Comments 18th Dynasty Ahmose-Nefertari Ahmose I Mother of Amenhotep I and Ahmose-Meritamon 18th Dynasty Sitkamose Ahmose I (?) 18th Dynasty Ahmose-Henuttamehu Ahmose I (?) Daughter of Queen Inhapi 18th Dynasty Ahmose-Meritamon Amenhotep I 18th Dynasty Ahmose Thutmose I Mother of Hatshepsut 18th Dynasty Hatshepsut Thutmose II second great royal wife to her father, Thutmose I, and later, ruling pharaoh with her daughter, Neferure, as great royal wife 18th Dynasty Iset Thutmose II Received the title from her son Thutmose III after he became pharaoh 18th Dynasty Neferure (?) Thutmose III No evidence documents their marriage 18th Dynasty Satiah Thutmose III 18th Dynasty Merytre-Hatshepsut Thutmose III Mother of Amenhotep II 18th Dynasty Tiaa Amenhotep II Received the title from her son Thutmose IV after her husband's death - Amenhotep II tried to break the royal lineage by not recording any of his wives, who may not have been royal, and Tiaa was identified only later, by her son 18th Dynasty Nefertari Thutmose IV 18th Dynasty Iaret Thutmose IV 18th Dynasty Tenettepihu Thutmose IV (?) Known from a shabti and funerary statue, thought to date to the time of Tuthmosis IV (?) 18th Dynasty Mutemwia Thutmose IV Received the title from her son, Amenhotep III, after her husband's death to make his own birth seem royal 18th Dynasty Tiye Amenhotep III Mother of Akhenaten 18th Dynasty Sitamun Amenhotep III Eldest daughter of Amenhotep III and Tiye 18th Dynasty Iset Amenhotep III Daughter of Amenhotep III and Tiye 18th Dynasty Nebetnehat Unidentified Known from cartouche found on canopic fragments, she lived during the mid to late 18th Dynasty 18th Dynasty Nefertiti Akhenaten Mother of Meritaten and Ankhesenamun, possible daughter of Ay, likely became pharaoh in her own right as King Neferneferuaten 18th Dynasty Meritaten Smenkhkare Daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti 18th Dynasty Ankhesenamen Tutankhamen Daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti 18th Dynasty Tey Ay 18th Dynasty Mutnedjmet Horemheb Probable daughter of Ay and Tey 19th Dynasty Sitre Ramesses I Mother of Seti I 19th Dynasty Tuya Seti I Mother of Ramesses II 19th Dynasty Nefertari Ramesses II 19th Dynasty Isetnofret Ramesses II Mother of Merenptah 19th Dynasty Bintanath Ramesses II Eldest daughter of Ramesses II and Isetnofret 19th Dynasty Meritamen Ramesses II Daughter of Ramesses II and Nefertari 19th Dynasty Nebettawy Ramesses II Daughter of Ramesses II and Nefertari 19th Dynasty Henutmire Ramesses II Sister or daughter of Ramesses II 19th Dynasty Maathorneferure Ramesses II Hittite princess 19th Dynasty Isetnofret II Merenptah Sister or niece of her husband 19th Dynasty Tawosret Seti II Later pharaoh 19th Dynasty Takhat Seti II (?) Depicted as the wife of Sety II on a (usurped) statue, may have been the mother of Amenmesse (?) 20th Dynasty Tiye-Mereniset Setnakhte Mother of Ramesses III 20th Dynasty Iset Ta-Hemdjert Ramesses III Mother of Ramesses IV and Ramesses VI 20th Dynasty Henutwati Ramesses V Queen mentioned in the Wilbour Papyrus 20th Dynasty Nubkhesbed Ramesses V Mother of Princess Isis, who later, would be the God's Wife of Amun 20th Dynasty Baketwernel Ramesses IX 20th Dynasty Tyti Ramesses X Possibly a wife of Ramesses X, buried in QV52 20th Dynasty Anuketemheb unknown Original owner of sarcophagus and canopic jars later used for Queen Takhat in KV10, dates to the 19th or 20th Dynasty Third Intermediate Period Dynasty Name Husband Comments 21st Dynasty Nodjmet Herihor Probable mother of Pinedjem I 21st Dynasty Mutnedjmet Psusennes I 23rd Dynasty Karomama Takelot II Mother of Osorkon III 25th Dynasty Khensa Piye 25th Dynasty Peksater Piye 25th Dynasty Takahatenamun Taharqa 25th Dynasty Isetemkheb Tanutamon Late Period Dynasty Name Husband Comments 26th Dynasty Mehytenweskhet Psamtik I Mother of Necho II 26th Dynasty Takhuit Psamtik II Mother of Wahibre
  4. Title: Wikiwand: Isetnofret
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Isetnofret;
    Note: Isetnofret (or Isis-nofret or Isitnofret) (Ancient Egyptian: "the beautiful Isis") was one of the Great Royal Wives of Pharaoh Ramesses II and was the mother of his heir, Merneptah. She was one of the most prominent of the royal wives, along with Nefertari, and was the chief queen after Nefertari's death (around the 24th year of the pharaoh's reign). Family The parents of Isetnofret are not known. She must have married Ramesses II even before he came to the throne as her eldest children already appear in scenes from the time of Seti I. She had at least three sons and one daughter. Her children include: Prince Ramesses, Crown Prince from Year 25 to 50 of Ramesses II Princess-Queen Bintanath, firstborn daughter and later wife of Ramesses Prince Khaemwaset, High Priest of Ptah. Crown Prince from Year 50 to 55 of Ramesses II Pharaoh Merneptah, Ramesses' 13th son and ultimate successor (he outlived the first 12 princes) Princess Isetnofret (?), possible wife of Merenptah as Isetnofret II Prince Sethi and Princess Nebettawy have been suggested as further children of Isetnofret, but they are more likely to be the children of Nefertari (or even some other mother). Titles Queen Isetnofret's titles include: Hereditary Princess (iryt-p`t),Great of Praises (wrt-hzwt), King’s Mother (mwt-niswt), Mistress of the entire Two Lands (hnwt-t3wy-tm), King’s Wife (hmt-nisw), Great King’s Wife (hmt-niswt-wrt) Life Isetnofret is known from several inscriptions and small statues. She is not well attested before year 25 of Ramesses II. Most of the items and scenes mentioning Queen Isetnofret seem to be associated with her sons Ramesses, Khaemwaset and Merenptah. Isetnofret is shown on a family stela from Aswan. The upper register shows Ramesses II, Isetnofret and Khaemwaset before the god Khnum. The lower register shows Prince Ramesses, Merneptah and Princess Queen Bintanath. A family stela from the Speos at West Silsila shows Ramesses II, Isetnofret and Bintanath with a much smaller Khaemwaset before the gods Ptah and Nefertem. The lower register shows Prince Ramesses and Prince (later Pharaoh) Merenptah. A Statue with Prince's Figure (Brussels E.7500). Her son is named on the statue: the Sem-Priest and King's Son Khaemwaset. A Statue group with Sons (Louvre 2272): A "hetep-di-nesu" offering for the King's Son, Sem priest of Ptah, Khaemwaset and the royal scribe, Generalissimo and King's Son Ramesses. The text mentions Queen Isetnofret (the princes' mother). The Head of a Statue (Brussels E.5924): On right shoulder the name of Isetnofret appears. A naophorous Statue of Prince Khaemwaset mentions his mother. On the dorsal pillar it reads: Iunmutef-priest, born of the Great Royal Wife Isetnofret, the Sem-priest of Ptah Khaemwaset. Relief for offering for Prince Khaemwaset in Horemheb's Speos. The text above the prince reads: Sitting at table, making purification with natron and reading out the (funerary) menu, every good offering, for the King's Son of Usermaatre Setepenre, born of the Great Royal Wife, Isetnofret, the Sem-priest Khaemwaset. Shabtis from Middle cemetery of Abydos: One of these has a cartouche of Queen Isetnofret. West Silsila: Rock shrine of Merneptah. A scene depicts Ramesses II, Queen Isetnofret with sistra before Taweret (as a hippopotamus), Thoth and Nut. A daughter of her son Khaemwaset (sometimes called Isetnofret III) was named after her. It is possible that this Isetnofret was Merenptah's wife, not her aunt Isetnofret II. A possible daughter of Merneptah also bears this name.
  5. Title: Winiwand: Bintanath
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bintanath;
    Note: Bintanath (or Bentanath) was the firstborn daughter and later Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II. Family Bintanath was likely born during the reign of her grandfather Seti I. Her mother was Isetnofret, one of the two most prominent wives of Ramesses II. Her name is Semitic, meaning Daughter of Anath, referring to the Canaanite goddess Anath. She had at least three brothers, Ramesses, Khaemwaset and Merneptah and a sister who was named Isetnofret after their mother. Bintanath had a daughter who appears on the paintings in her tomb in the Valley of the Queens. She is unnamed there but according to Joyce Tyldesley it is possible that her name was also Bintanath and she married the next pharaoh, Merneptah. According to Tyldesley, a statue of Merneptah in Luxor mentions "the Great Royal Wife Bintanath," who is, possibly, this daughter, since it is unlikely that the older Bintanath married Merneptah when both of them were well over sixty. However, it is entirely possible that Bintanath never married Merenptah and used the "Great Royal Wife" title only because she was entitled to it due to her first marriage. Life Bintanath is depicted in a scene on a pylon in Luxor dated to year 3 of Ramesses II. She is said to be the King's daughter of his body, and is the first in a procession of princesses. She is followed by Meritamen in this procession. Bintanath appears twice as a princess in Abu Simbel. Together with Nebettawy she flanks the southernmost colossus on the facade of the great temple. On one of the pillars inside the temple she is shown offering flowers to the goddess Anuqet. Bentanath became Great Royal Wife around the 25th year of her father's reign. During her time as queen she held many titles including hereditary princess, the great first one (iryt-p`t-tpit-wrt), Lady of The Two Lands (nbt-t3wy), Great King’s Wife (hmt-niswt-wrt), Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt (hnwt-Shm’w -mhw), King’s Daughter (s3t-niswt), and eventually King’s Sister (snt-niswt). As (great) royal wife Bintanath appears on several statues of Pharaoh Ramesses II. She is depicted on a statue from the Sinai (BM 697), on two sandstone colossi found in Tanis, but probably originally from Pi-Ramesse, and on a statue from the south gate of the Ptah precinct in Memphis. A usurped Middle Kingdom statue from Heracleopolis depicts both Bintanath and her sister Meritamen, and a statue from Hermopolis depicts Bintanath and Henutmire (both as great royal wives). Bintanath is depicted on statues of her father at least three times in Karnak and Luxor, and she appears in statues in Wadi es-Sebua. Two family stelae show Bintanath with her immediate family. The Aswan rock stela shows Ramesses II, Isetnofret and Khaemwaset before the god Khnum, while in another register Bintanath appears with her brothers Ramesses and Merneptah. Another stela from West Silsila depicts Bint-Anath standing behind her mother Isetnofret and her father Ramesses II as the king offers Maat to the gods Ptah and Nefertem. Prince Khaemwaset stands in front of the king, while her brothers Ramesses and Merneptah are shown in a lower register. Death and burial Despite her being Ramesses' first daughter, she was actually one of the few children who outlived their long-lived father. She was depicted on a statue usurped by Merenptah. She died during the reign of her brother Merneptah and was buried in the tomb QV71 in the Valley of the Queens. The tomb is described by Lepsius (number 4). The name of Bintanath is given in slightly different spellings in the tomb. Bintanath is shown before Osiris and Nephtys. Both gods say: "I grant you a place of repose in the land of righteousness." Queen Bintanath is depicted with her daughter, who is not named. Bintanath's sarcophagus was later usurped by a man.
  6. Title: Wikiwand: Merneptah
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Merneptah;
    Note: Merneptah or Merenptah (reigned July or August 1213 BC – May 2, 1203 BC) was the fourth pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. He ruled Egypt for almost ten years from late July or early August 1213 BC until his death on May 2, 1203 BC, according to contemporary historical records. He was the thirteenth son of Ramesses II and only came to power because all his older brothers, including his full brother Khaemwaset or Khaemwase, had died. By the time he ascended to the throne, he was probably around seventy years old. His throne name was Ba-en-re Mery-netjeru, which means "The Soul of Ra, Beloved of the Gods." Merneptah was probably the fourth child of Isetnofret I, the second wife of Ramesses II, and he was married to Queen Isetnofret II, his royal wife, who was likely his full sister bearing the name of their mother. It is presumed that Merneptah was also married to Queen Takhat and one of their sons would succeed him as Seti II. They also were the parents of Prince Merenptah and possibly the usurper, Amenmesse, and Queen Twosret, wife of Seti II and later pharaoh in her own right. Pre-accession Merneptah was probably the thirteenth son of Ramesses II. This is a result of the latter's advanced age and the fact that he outlived many of his heirs (In his 90s, Ramesses was one of the oldest pharaohs in Egyptian history, if not the oldest). By year 40 of Ramesses II, Merneptah had been promoted to Overseer of the Army, and in year 55 of Ramesses II, Merneptah was officially proclaimed heir and crown prince as Ramesses celebrated his eightieth birthday. After becoming heir, Merneptah took on new responsibilities in administration, mainly becoming prince regent for his elderly and perhaps senile father for the last twelve years of the king's life. Chronology According to one reading of contemporary historical records, Merneptah ruled Egypt for almost ten years from late July or early August 1213 BC until his death on 2 May 1203 BC. Alternatively, astronomical calculations of a potentially reported annular eclipse (Joshua 10:10-14) that precedes Merneptah's Canaanite campaign against the Israelites place the beginning of his reign in 1209 or 1210 BC. Campaigns Merneptah had to carry out several military campaigns during his reign. In year 5 he fought against the Libyans, who— with the assistance of the Sea Peoples— were threatening Egypt from the West. Merneptah led a victorious six-hour battle against a combined Libyan and Sea People force at the city of Perire, probably located on the western edge of the Delta. His account of this campaign against the Sea Peoples and Libu is described in prose on a wall beside the sixth pylon at Karnak, which states: "[Beginning of the victory that his majesty achieved in the land of Libya] -I, Ekwesh, Teresh, Lukka, Sherden, Shekelesh, Northerners coming from all lands." Later in the inscription, Merneptah receives news of the attack: "... the third season, saying: 'The wretched, fallen chief of Libya, Meryre, son of Ded, has fallen upon the country of Tehenu with his bowmen--Sherden, Shekelesh, Ekwesh, Lukka, Teresh, Taking the best of every warrior and every man of war of his country. He has brought his wife and his children--leaders of the camp, and he has reached the western boundary in the fields of Perire.'" In the Athribis Stele, in the garden of Cairo Museum, it states "His majesty was enraged at their report, like a lion," assembled his court and gave a rousing speech. Later he dreamed he saw Ptah handing him a sword and saying "Take thou (it) and banish thou the fearful heart from thee." When the bowmen went forth, says the inscription, "Amun was with them as a shield." After six hours the surviving Nine Bows threw down their weapons, abandoned their baggage and dependents, and ran for their lives. Merneptah states that he defeated the invasion, killing 6,000 soldiers and taking 9,000 prisoners. To be sure of the numbers, among other things, he took the penises of all uncircumcised enemy dead and the hands of all the circumcised, from which history learns that the Ekwesh were circumcised, a fact causing some to doubt they were Greek. There is also an account of the same events in the form of a poem from the Merneptah Stele, widely known as the "Israel Stele," which makes reference to the supposed utter destruction of "Israel" in a campaign prior to his 5th year, in Canaan: "Israel has been wiped out...its seed is no more." This is the first recognized ancient Egyptian record of the existence of Israel--"not as a country or city, but as a tribe" or people. Succession Merneptah was already an elderly man in his late 60s, if not early 70s, when he assumed the throne. Merneptah moved the administrative center of Egypt from Piramesse (Pi-Ramesses), his father's capital, back to Memphis, where he constructed a royal palace next to the temple of Ptah. This palace was excavated in 1915 by the University of Pennsylvania Museum, led by Clarence Stanley Fisher. Merneptah's successor, Seti II, was a son of Queen Isetnofret. However, Seti II's accession to the throne was not unchallenged: a rival king named Amenmesse, who was either another son of Merneptah by Takhat or, much less likely, of Ramesses II, seized control of Upper Egypt and Kush during the middle of Seti II's reign. Seti was able to reassert his authority over Thebes in his fifth year, only after he overcame Amenmesse. It is possible that before seizing Upper Egypt, Amenmesse had been known as Messuy and had been viceroy of Kush. Mummy Merneptah suffered from arthritis and atherosclerosis and died an old man after a reign that lasted for nearly a decade. Merneptah was originally buried within tomb KV8 in the Valley of the Kings, but his mummy was not found there. In 1898 it was located along with eighteen other mummies in the mummy cache found in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) by Victor Loret. Merneptah's mummy was taken to Cairo and eventually unwrapped by Dr. G. Elliott Smith on July 8, 1907. Dr. Smith notes that: "The body is that of an old man and is 1 meter 714 milimeters in height. Merneptah was almost completely bald, only a narrow fringe of white hair (now cut so close as to be seen only with difficulty) remaining on the temples and occiput. A few short (about 2 mill) black hairs were found on the upper lip and scattered, closely clipped hairs on the cheeks and chin. The general aspect of the face recalls that of Ramesses II, but the form of the cranium and the measurements of the face much more nearly agree with those of his [grand]father, Seti the Great."
  7. Title: Wikiwand: Queen consort
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Queen_consort;
    Note: A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, or an empress consort in the case of an emperor. A queen consort usually shares her husband's social rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles, but historically, she does not share the king's political and military powers. In contrast, a queen regnant is a queen in her own right with all the powers of a monarch, who (usually) has become queen by inheriting the throne upon the death of the previous monarch. In Brunei, the wife of the Sultan is known as a "Raja Isteri" with prefix "Pengiran Anak," equivalent to queen consort in English, as were the consorts of tsars when Bulgaria was still a monarchy. Titles The title of king consort for the husband of a reigning queen is rare. Examples are Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, in Scotland; Antoine of Bourbon-Vendôme in Navarre; and Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in Portugal. Where some title other than that of king is held by the sovereign, his wife is referred to by the feminine equivalent, such as princess consort or empress consort. In monarchies where polygamy has been practiced in the past (such as Morocco and Thailand), or is practiced today (such as the Zulu nation and the various Yoruba polities), the number of wives of the king varies. In Morocco, King Mohammed VI has broken with tradition and given his wife, Lalla Salma, the title of princess. Prior to the reign of King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan monarchy had no such title. In Thailand, the king and queen must both be of royal descent. The king's other consorts are accorded royal titles that confer status. Other cultures maintain different traditions on queenly status. A Zulu chieftain designates one of his wives as "Great Wife," which would be the equivalent to queen consort. Conversely, in Yorubaland, all of a chief's consorts are essentially of equal rank. Although one of their number, usually the one who has been married to the chief for the longest time, may be given a chieftaincy of her own to highlight her relatively higher status when compared to the other wives; she does not share her husband's ritual power as a chieftain. When a woman is to be vested with an authority similar to that of the chief, she is usually a lady courtier in his service who is not married to him, but who is expected to lead his female subjects on his behalf. Role In general, the consorts of monarchs have no power "per se," even when their position is constitutionally or statutorily recognized. However, often the queen consort of a deceased king (the dowager queen or queen mother) has served as regent if her child, the successor to the throne, was still a minor—for example: . Anne of Kiev, wife of Henry I of France . Munjeong, mother of King Myeongjong of Korea . Mary of Guise, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots . Catherine of Austria, grandmother of Sebastian of Portugal . Marie de Medici, mother of Louis XIII of France . Kösem Sultan, mother of Sultan Murad IV of the Ottoman Empire . Luisa de Guzmán, mother of Afonso VI of Portugal . Lakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi and mother of Damodar Rao . Maria Christina of Austria, mother of Alfonso XIII of Spain . Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, mother of Wilhelmina of the Netherlands . Anna Khanum, mother of Abbas II of Persia . Helen of Greece, mother of King Michael of Romania Besides these examples, there have been many cases of queens consort being shrewd or ambitious stateswomen and, usually (but not always) unofficially, being among the king's most trusted advisors. In some cases, the queen consort has been the chief power behind her husband's throne; e.g. Maria Luisa of Parma, wife of Charles IV of Spain. Examples of queens and empresses consort Past queens consort: . Queen Jang, consort to Sukjong of Joseon. Demoted back in 1694 to the rank of hui-bin, Royal Noble Consort Joseon rank 1 . Queen Marie Antoinette, consort to Louis XVI of France . Queen Charlotte was George III's consort for 57 years, 70 days, between 1761 and 1818, making her Britain's longest-tenured queen consort. . Queen Mary, consort of George V . Queen Elizabeth, consort of George VI . Queen Fabiola, consort of Baudouin I of the Belgians . Queen Paola, consort of Albert II of Belgium . Queen Anne Marie, consort of Constantine II of Greece . Queen Geraldine, consort of Zog I of Albania . Queen Marie José, consort of Umberto II of Italy . Queen Kapiolani, consort of King Kalākaua of Hawaiʻi . Queen Soraya Tarzi, consort of King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan . Tsaritsa Ioanna, consort of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria . Queen Regent Saovabha Phongsri, consort of Chulalongkorn of Siam . Panapillai Amma (queen consort) Srimathi Lakshmi Pilla Kochamma Chempakaraman Arumana Ammaveedu, wife of Visakham Thirunal Maharajah of Travancore . Queen Catherine, first queen consort of Henry VIII of England, was also regent when he was in a war in France. . Queen Hortense, consort of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland . Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi, consort of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran . Queen Wilhelmine, consort of William I of the Netherlands . Queen Anna Pavlovna, consort of William II of the Netherlands . Queen Sophie, first consort of William III of the Netherlands . Queen Emma, second consort of William III of the Netherlands: When William died on 23 November 1890, Emma became regent (1890–1898) for her underaged daughter, Wilhelmina, the late king's only surviving child. . Queen Ratna, second consort of Mahendra of Nepal . Queen Sirikit, consort of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand . Queen Ruth, consort of Seretse Khama, King of the Bamangwato Tswanas of Botswana Past empresses consort: . Empress Theodora, consort of Justinian I, East Roman Emperor . Empress Ruqaiya Sultan Begum, consort of Akbar the Great, the third Mughal Emperor. . Empress Hürrem Sultan, consort of Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Her imperial title was Haseki Sultan . Empress Nurbanu Sultan, consort of Selim II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Her imperial title was Haseki Sultan . Empress Safiye Sultan, consort of Murad III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Her imperial title was Haseki Sultan . Empress Kösem Sultan, consort of Ahmed I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Her imperial title was Haseki Sultan . Empress Nur Jahan, consort of Jahangir, Mughal Emperor . Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, consort of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor . Titular Empress Carlota Joaquina of Spain, consort of John VI of Portugal, Titular Emperor of Brazil . Empress Maria Leopoldina, consort of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil . Empress Xiao Zhen Xian, consort of Xianfeng, Qing Emperor . Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, consort of Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia . Empress Shubhadrangi, consort of Bindusara, Mauryan emperor . Empress Durdhara, consort Chandragupta Maurya, first Mauryan emperor . Empress Asandhimitra, principal consort ( agramahishi) of Ashoka, third Mauryan emperor . Empress Devi, first consort of Ashoka . Empress Karuvaki, consort of Ashoka . Empress Padmavati, consort of Ashoka . Empress Tishyaraksha, consort of Ashoka . Empress Michiko, consort of Emperor Akihito of Japan Current queens consort: . Queen Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, consort of Tupou VI of Tonga . Queen 'Masenate, consort of Letsie III of Lesotho . Queen Jetsun Pema, consort of Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck of Bhutan . Queen Saleha, consort of Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam . Queen Máxima, consort of Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands . Queen Mathilde, consort of Philippe of Belgium . Queen Rania, consort of Abdullah II of Jordan . Queen Silvia, consort of Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden . Queen Suthida, consort of Vajiralongkorn of Thailand . Queen Letizia, consort of Felipe VI of Spain . Queen Sonja, consort of Harald V of Norway . Queen Sylvia, consort of Muwenda Mutebi II of Buganda, Uganda. Her official title is Nnabagereka of Buganda. Current empress consort: . Empress Masako, consort of Emperor Naruhito of Japan Because queens consort lack an ordinal with which to distinguish between them, many historical texts and encyclopedias refer to deceased consorts by their premarital (or maiden) name or title, not by their marital royal title (examples: Queen Mary, consort of George V, is usually called Mary of Teck, and Queen Maria José, consort of Umberto II of Italy, is usually called Marie José of Belgium).
  8. Title: Wikiwand: Ancient Egyptian religion
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ancient_Egyptian_religion;
    Note: Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals that formed an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with many deities believed to be present in, and in control of, the world. Rituals such as prayer and offerings were provided to the gods to gain their favor. Formal religious practice centered on the pharaohs, the rulers of Egypt, believed to possess a divine power by virtue of their position. They acted as intermediaries between their people and the gods, and were obligated to sustain the gods through rituals and offerings so that they could maintain Ma'at, the order of the cosmos. The state dedicated enormous resources to religious rituals and to the construction of temples. Individuals could interact with the gods for their own purposes, appealing for help through prayer or compelling the gods to act through magic. These practices were distinct from, but closely linked with, the formal rituals and institutions. The popular religious tradition grew more prominent over the course of Egyptian history as the status of the pharaoh declined. Egyptian belief in the afterlife and the importance of funerary practices is evident in the great efforts made to ensure the survival of their souls after death - via the provision of tombs, grave goods, and offerings to preserve the bodies and spirits of the deceased. The religion had its roots and branches in Egypt's prehistory and lasted for more than 3,000 years. The details of religious belief changed over time as the importance of particular gods rose and declined, and their intricate relationships shifted. At various times, certain gods became preeminent over the others, including the sun god Ra, the creator god Amun, and the mother goddess Isis. For a brief period, in the theology promulgated by the pharaoh Akhenaten, a single god, the Aten, replaced the traditional pantheon. Ancient Egyptian religion and mythology left behind many writings and monuments, along with significant influences on ancient and modern cultures. Beliefs The beliefs and rituals now referred to as "ancient Egyptian religion" were integral within every aspect of Egyptian culture. The Egyptian language possessed no single term corresponding to the modern European concept of religion. Ancient Egyptian religion consisted of a vast and varying set of beliefs and practices, linked by their common focus on the interaction between the world of humans and the world of the divine. The characteristics of the gods who populated the divine realm were inextricably linked to the Egyptians' understanding of the properties of the world in which they lived. Deities Main article: Ancient Egyptian deities The Egyptians believed that the phenomena of nature were divine forces in and of themselves. These deified forces included the elements, animal characteristics, or abstract forces. The Egyptians believed in a pantheon of gods, which were involved in all aspects of nature and human society. Their religious practices were efforts to sustain and placate these phenomena and turn them to human advantage. This polytheistic system was very complex, as some deities were believed to exist in many different manifestations, and some had multiple mythological roles. Conversely, many natural forces, such as the sun, were associated with multiple deities. The diverse pantheon ranged from gods with vital roles in the universe to minor deities or "demons" with very limited or localized functions. It could include gods adopted from foreign cultures, and sometimes humans: deceased pharaohs were believed to be divine, and occasionally, distinguished commoners such as Imhotep also became deified. The depictions of the gods in art were not meant as literal representations of how the gods might appear if they were visible, as the gods' true natures were believed to be mysterious. Instead, these depictions gave recognizable forms to the abstract deities by using symbolic imagery to indicate each god's role in nature. This iconography was not fixed, and many of the gods could be depicted in more than one form. Many gods were associated with particular regions in Egypt where their cults were most important. However, these associations changed over time, and they did not mean that the god associated with a place had originated there. For instance, the god Montu was the original patron of the city of Thebes. Over the course of the Middle Kingdom, however, he was displaced in that role by Amun, who may have arisen elsewhere. The national popularity and importance of individual gods fluctuated in a similar way. Deities had complex interrelationships, which partly reflected the interaction of the forces they represented. The Egyptians often grouped gods together to reflect these relationships. One of the more common combinations was a family triad consisting of a father, mother, and child, who were worshipped together. Some groups had wide-ranging importance. One such group, the Ennead, assembled nine deities into a theological system that was involved in the mythological areas of creation, kingship, and the afterlife. The relationships between deities could also be expressed in the process of syncretism, in which two or more different gods were linked to form a composite deity. This process was a recognition of the presence of one god "in" another when the second god took on a role belonging to the first. These links between deities were fluid, and did not represent the permanent merging of two gods into one; therefore, some gods could develop multiple syncretic connections. Sometimes, syncretism combined deities with very similar characteristics. At other times it joined gods with very different natures, as when Amun, the god of hidden power, was linked with Ra, the god of the sun. The resulting god, Amun-Ra, thus united the power that lay behind all things with the greatest and most visible force in nature. Many deities could be given epithets that seem to indicate that they were greater than any other god, suggesting some kind of unity beyond the multitude of natural forces. This is particularly true of a few gods who, at various points, rose to supreme importance in Egyptian religion. These included the royal patron Horus, the sun god Ra, and the mother goddess Isis. During the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BC) Amun held this position. The theology of the period described in particular detail Amun's presence in and rule over all things, so that he, more than any other deity, embodied the all-encompassing power of the divine. Cosmology The Egyptian conception of the universe centered on "Ma'at," a word that encompasses several concepts in English, including "truth," "justice," and "order." It was the fixed, eternal order of the universe, both in the cosmos and in human society, and it was often personified as a goddess. It had existed since the creation of the world, and without it the world would lose its cohesion. In Egyptian belief, "maat" was constantly under threat from the forces of disorder, so all of society was required to maintain it. On the human level this meant that all members of society should cooperate and coexist; on the cosmic level it meant that all of the forces of nature—the gods—should continue to function in balance. This latter goal was central to Egyptian religion. The Egyptians sought to maintain "maat" in the cosmos by sustaining the gods through offerings and by performing rituals which staved off disorder and perpetuated the cycles of nature. The most important part of the Egyptian view of the cosmos was the conception of time, which was greatly concerned with the maintenance of Maat. Throughout the linear passage of time, a cyclical pattern recurred, in which Maat was renewed by periodic events which echoed the original creation. Among these events were the annual Nile flood and the succession from one king to another, but the most important was the daily journey of the sun god Ra. When thinking of the shape of the cosmos, the Egyptians saw the earth as a flat expanse of land, personified by the god Geb, over which arched the sky goddess Nut. The two were separated by Shu, the god of air. Beneath the earth lay a parallel underworld and undersky, and beyond the skies lay the infinite expanse of Nu, the chaos that had existed before creation. The Egyptians also believed in a place called the Duat, a mysterious region associated with death and rebirth, that may have lain in the underworld or in the sky. Each day, Ra traveled over the earth across the underside of the sky, and at night he passed through the Duat to be reborn at dawn. In Egyptian belief, this cosmos was inhabited by three types of sentient beings. One was the gods; another was the spirits of deceased humans, who existed in the divine realm and possessed many of the gods' abilities. Living humans were the third category, and the most important among them was the pharaoh, who bridged the human and divine realms. Kingship See also: Pharaoh Egyptologists long have debated the degree to which the pharaoh was considered a god. It seems most likely that the Egyptians viewed royal authority itself as a divine force. Therefore, although the Egyptians recognized that the pharaoh was human and subject to human weakness, they simultaneously viewed him as a god, because the divine power of kingship was incarnated in him. He therefore acted as intermediary between Egypt's people and the gods. He was key to upholding Maat, both by maintaining justice and harmony in human society and by sustaining the gods with temples and offerings. For these reasons, he oversaw all state religious activity. However, the pharaoh's real-life influence and prestige could differ from his portrayal in official writings and depictions, and beginning in the late New Kingdom his religious importance declined drastically. The king also was associated with many specific deities. He was ident..
  9. Title: Wikiwand: Khaemweset
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Khaemweset;
    Note: Prince Khaemweset (also translated as Khamwese, Khaemwese or Khaemwaset or Setne Khamwas) was the fourth son of Ramesses II, who was born c. 1303 BCE; died July or August 1213 BCE; reigned 1279–1213 BCE, and the second son by his queen Isetnofret. He is by far the best known son of Ramesses II, and his contributions to Egyptian society were remembered for centuries after his death. Khaemweset has been described as "the first Egyptologist" due to his efforts in identifying and restoring historic buildings, tombs and temples. Life According to historian Miriam Lichtheim: While first exploring the Serapeum of Saqqara between 1851 and 1853, French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette was confronted by a huge rock, which could only be moved by the use of explosives. Once the shattered remnants of the rock were removed, an intact coffin was discovered which contained the mummy of a man, accompanied by numerous funerary treasures. A gold mask covered his face, and amulets gave his name as Prince Khaemweset, son of Ramesses II and builder of the Serapeum. These remains have now been lost but Egyptologists believe that this was not the grave of Khaemweset and that the remains were those of an Apis Bull made into a human form to resemble the Prince. The Egyptologist Aidan Dodson is quoted writing in his book "Canopic Equipment from the Serapeum of Memphis": "Designated Apis XIV, it comprised a wooden sarcophagus, largely embedded in the ground, with its upper part largely crushed. Inside, there was what had the appearance of a human mummy, its face covered by a somewhat crude gold mask, damaged by damp and bearing a considerable quantity of jewelry, some bearing the name of Prince Khaemweset. In spite of its appearance, the mummy proved to be a mass of fragrant resin, containing a quantity of disordered bone. Although frequently stated to be the mummy of Khaemweset, on the basis of its possessing his jewelry, the mass of resin containing bony fragments is far more reminiscent of the undoubted Apis of tombs E and G. Its formation into the simulacrum of a human mummy also finds echo in the anthropoid coffin lids that covered the resinous masses within the sarcophagi of Apis VII and IX, there can thus be no doubt that the burial is actually that of the bull, Apis XIV." During earlier excavations the Waseda University expedition found the remains of a monument which may have been Khaemweset's "ka-house." Khaemweset in Ancient Egyptian fiction In later periods of Egyptian history, Khaemweset was remembered as a wise man, and portrayed as the hero in a cycle of stories dating to the Hellenistic period. In these stories his name is Setne, a distortion of the real Khaemwaset's title as setem-priest of Ptah; modern scholars call this character "Setne Khamwas." The first tale, dubbed "Setne I" or "Setne Khamwas and Naneferkaptah," describes how Khaemwaset seeks and finds a book of powerful magical spells, the "Book of Thoth," in the tomb of Prince Naneferkaptah. Against the wishes of the Naneferkaptah's spirit, Khaemwaset takes the book and becomes cursed. Setne then meets a beautiful woman who seduces him into killing his children and humiliating himself in front of the pharaoh. He discovers that this episode was an illusion created by Neferkaptah, and in fear of further retribution, Setne returns the book to Neferkaptah's tomb. At Neferkaptah's request, Setne also finds the bodies of Neferkaptah's wife and son and buries them in Neferkaptah's tomb, which is then sealed. The second tale is known as Setne II or the Tale of Setne Khamwas and Si-Osire. Khaemwaset and his wife have a son named Si-Osire who turns out to be a highly skilled magician. In the first part of the story, Si-Osire brings his father to visit the Duat, the land of the dead, where they see the pleasant fate of the deceased spirits who lived justly and the torments inflicted on spirits who sinned during their lives. In the second part, it is revealed that Si-Osire is actually a famous magician from the time of Thutmose III who returned to save Egypt from a Nubian magician. After the confrontation, Si-Osire disappears, and Khaemwaset and his wife have a real son who is also named Si-Osire in honor of the magician. Popular culture . In The Kane Chronicles book "The Serpent's Shadow," Khaemweset appears as a ghost under the name of Setne. Unlike contemporary and fictional portrayals by the Egyptians, he is portrayed as a ruthless and power-hungry priest who wants to become a god. On the other hand, he is known to be extremely charismatic and can persuade people to agree to his line of thinking. At the end of the book, he steals the Book of Thoth and begins to dabble in Greek and Egyptian magic in later related media. He is defeated by the Kanes, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase in the end and imprisoned in a miniature snow globe. . Khaemwaset appears in the game "Age of Mythology" under the name of Setna, where he is portrayed as a priest of Osiris rather than Ptah. . Khaemwaset is the protagonist of Pauline Gedge's novel "Scroll of Saqqara."
  10. Title: Ancient Egypt: Queen Isetnofret
    Author: Page by Anneke Bart Most of the quotes below are taken directly from: Kitchen, K.A., Rammeside Inscriptions, Translated & Annotated, Translations, Volume II, Blackwell Publishers, 1996. Sometimes part of the text was omitted and for any further information one should of course consult above mentioned publication. [PM] Refers to Porter and Moss.
    Publication: Name: http://euler.slu.edu/Dept/Faculty/bart/egyptianhtml/kings and Queens/Isetnofret.html;
    Note: Titles and epithets used by Isetnofret: Hereditary Princess (iryt-p`t) Great of Praises (wrt-hzwt) King’s Mother (mwt-niswt) Mistress of the entire Two Lands (hnwt-t3wy-tm) King’s Wife (hmt-nisw) Great King’s Wife (hmt-niswt-wrt) she who fills the colonnaded halls with the scent of her perfume; her fragrance is like (that of) Punt, even the ointment of her limbs; her beauty pervades the Adience-Chamber, her fragrance fills the colonnaded hall; sweet-scented alongside her father who at seeing her, rejoices Her name is also written as Asetnofret, Isisnofret, or Istnofret Isetnofret was one of the wives of Ramesses II. The names of her parents are nowhere recorded and the fact that she never bore the title King’s Daughter indicates that she was of non-royal birth. Her children appear on monuments dating to the very early years of the reign of Ramesses II. This implies that she likely married Ramesses even before he came to the throne. If she married and bore children during the reign of her father-in-law Sety I, she must have been born sometime during the later years of King Horemheb. During the early reign of Ramesses II Isetnofret stood in the shadow of Queen Nefertari. Nefertari had given birth to the heir of the throne and played a dominant role at court. Isetnofret gave birth to at least four children. Her eldest son Ramesses was named after his father and great-grandfather. Ramesses rose to the rank of Generallisimo in the Egyptian army and after the death of his older half-brother became crown prince of Egypt. Isetnofret’s second son Khaemwaset served in the army for a short time, but he is most famous for the work he did as a priest. Khaemwaset first became a sem-priest of Ptah in Memphis. In this capacity he officiated at some of the burials of the Apis bulls. Later he became the High Priest of Ptah in Memphis and after the death of his brother Ramesses he served as crown-prince for ca. five years. Isetnofret’s third son Merenptah was the thirteenth son as depicted in the procession of sons. He was destined to become the next Pharaoh. Isetnofret’s daughter Bint-Anath became a great royal wife in ca year 25 of her father’s reign. This daughter became an important lady at the royal court. Not many statues of Isetnofret exist today. Some small statues are in existence, but no remains of statues reminiscent of the great statues of Nefertari or Merytamen. Isetnofret is best known from some monuments belonging to her son Khaemwaset. The Aswan rockstela and a family monument from Gebel-el Silsila show Queen Isetnofret in the presence of Pharaoh Ramesses II and her known children Ramesses, Khaemwaset, Merenptah and Bint-Anath. It is not known where Isetnofret was buried. Many other Queens from this period were buried in the Valley of the Queens, but no tomb for Isetnofret has ever been found there. An ostraca was found making reference to the tomb of a Queen Isetnofret, but it is not certain that this text refers to this queen. Inscriptions and objects related to Queen Isetnofret
  11. Title: Wikiwand: Egyptian language
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Egyptian_language;
    Note: The Egyptian language (Egyptian: "r n km.t", Middle Egyptian pronunciation: [ˈraʔ n̩ˈku.mat]) was an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in ancient Egypt. Its attestation stretches over an extraordinarily long time, from the Old Egyptian stage (mid-4th millennium BC, Old Kingdom of Egypt). Its earliest known complete written sentence has been dated to about 2690 BC, which makes it one of the oldest recorded languages known, along with Sumerian. Its classical form is known as Middle Egyptian, the vernacular of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt which remained the literary language of Egypt until the Roman period. The spoken language had evolved into Demotic by the time of Classical Antiquity, and finally into Coptic by the time of Christianization. Spoken Coptic was almost extinct by the 17th century, but it remains in use as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Classification The Egyptian language belongs to the Afroasiatic language family. Among the typological features of Egyptian that typically are Afroasiatic are its fusional morphology, nonconcatenative morphology, a series of emphatic consonants, a three-vowel system /a i u/, nominal feminine suffix *"-at," nominal "m-," adjectival *"-ī" and characteristic personal verbal affixes. Of the other Afroasiatic branches, linguists have variously suggested that the Egyptian language shares its greatest affinities with Berber, and Semitic. In Egyptian, the Proto-Afroasiatic voiced consonants */d z ð/ developed into pharyngeal ⟨ꜥ⟩ /ʕ/: ꜥr.t 'portal', Semitic dalt 'door'. Afroasiatic */l/ merged with Egyptian ⟨n⟩, ⟨r⟩, ⟨ꜣ⟩, and ⟨j⟩ in the dialect on which the written language was based, but it was preserved in other Egyptian varieties. Original */k g ḳ/ palatalize to ⟨ṯ j ḏ⟩ in some environments and are preserved as ⟨k g q⟩ in others. The Egyptian language has many biradical and perhaps monoradical roots, in contrast to the Semitic preference for triradical roots. Egyptian is probably more conservative, and Semitic likely underwent later regularizations converting roots into the triradical pattern. Although Egyptian is the oldest Afroasiatic language documented in written form, its morphological repertoire is very different from that of the rest of the Afroasiatic, in general, and Semitic, in particular. There are multiple possibilities: Egyptian had already undergone radical changes from Proto-Afroasiatic before it was recorded, the Afroasiatic family has so far been studied with an excessively Semito-centric approach, or, as G. W. Tsereteli suggests, Afroasiatic is an allogenetic rather than a genetic group of languages. History The Egyptian language conventionally is grouped into six major chronological divisions: . Archaic Egyptian (before 2600 BC), the reconstructed language of the Early Dynastic Period, . Old Egyptian (c. 2600 – 2000 BC), the language of the Old Kingdom, . Middle Egyptian (c. 2000 – 1350 BC), the language of the Middle Kingdom to early New Kingdom and continuing on as a literary language into the 4th century, . Late Egyptian (c. 1350 – 700 BC), Amarna period to Third Intermediate Period, . Demotic (c. 700 BC – AD 400), the vernacular of the Late Period, Ptolemaic and early Roman Egypt, . Coptic (after c. 200 AD), the vernacular at the time of Christianisation, and liturgical language of Egyptian Christianity. Old, Middle, and Late Egyptian were all written using both the hieroglyphic and hieratic scripts. Demotic is the name of the script derived from hieratic beginning in the 7th century BC. The Coptic alphabet was derived from the Greek alphabet, with adaptations for Egyptian phonology. It was developed first in the Ptolemaic period, and gradually replaced the Demotic script in about the 4th to 5th centuries of the Christian era. Old Egyptian The term "Archaic Egyptian" is sometimes reserved for the earliest use of hieroglyphs, from the late 4th through the early 3rd millennia BC. At the earliest stage, around 3300 BC; hieroglyphs were not a fully developed writing system, being at a transitional stage of proto-writing; over the time leading up to the 27th century BC, grammatical features such as nisba formation can be seen to occur. Old Egyptian is dated from the oldest known complete sentence, including a finite verb, which has been found. Discovered in the tomb of Seth-Peribsen (dated c. 2690 BC), the seal impression reads: "He has united the Two Lands for his son, Dual King Peribsen." Extensive texts appear from about 2600 BC. The Pyramid Texts are the largest body of literature written in this phase of the language. One of its distinguishing characteristics is the tripling of ideograms, phonograms, and determinatives to indicate the plural. Overall, it does not differ significantly from Middle Egyptian, the classical stage of the language, though it is based on a different dialect. In the period of the 3rd dynasty (c. 2650 – c. 2575 BC), many of the principles of hieroglyphic writing were regularized. From that time on, until the script was supplanted by an early version of Coptic (about the 3rd and 4th centuries AD), the system remained virtually unchanged. Even the number of signs used remained constant at about 700 for more than 2,000 years. Middle Egyptian Middle Egyptian was spoken for about 700 years, beginning around 2000 BC. As the classical variant of Egyptian, Middle Egyptian is the best-documented variety of the language, and has attracted the most attention by far from Egyptology. While most Middle Egyptian is seen written on monuments by hieroglyphs, it was also written using a cursive variant, and the related hieratic. Middle Egyptian first became available to modern scholarship with the decipherment of hieroglyphs in the early 19th century. The first grammar of Middle Egyptian was published by Adolf Erman in 1894, surpassed in 1927 by Alan Gardiner's work. Middle Egyptian has been well-understood since then, although certain points of the verbal inflection remained open to revision until the mid-20th century, notably due to the contributions of Hans Jakob Polotsky. The Middle Egyptian stage is taken to have ended around the 14th century BC, giving rise to Late Egyptian. This transition was taking place in the later period of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (known as the Amarna Period). Middle Egyptian was retained as a literary standard language, and in this usage survived until the Christianization of Roman Egypt in the 4th century. Late Egyptian Late Egyptian, appearing around 1350 BC, is represented by a large body of religious and secular literature, comprising such examples as the "Story of Wenamun," the love poems of the Chester–Beatty I papyrus, and the "Instruction of Any." Instructions became a popular literary genre of the New Kingdom, which took the form of advice on proper behavior. Late Egyptian was also the language of New Kingdom administration. The Hebrew Bible contains some words, terms and names that are thought by scholars to be Egyptian in origin. An example of this is Zaphnath-Paaneah, the Egyptian name given to Joseph. Demotic and Coptic Demotic is the name given to the Egyptian vernacular of the Late and Ptolemaic periods. It was written in the Demotic script, derived from a northern variety of hieratic writing. Coptic is the name given to the stage of the language at the time of Christianization. It survived into the medieval period, but by the 16th century was dwindling rapidly due to the persecution of Coptic Christians under the Mamluks. It probably survived in the Egyptian countryside as a spoken language for several centuries after that. Coptic survives as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Coptic Catholic Church. Dialects Pre-Coptic Egyptian does not show great dialectal differences in the written language because of the centralized nature of Egyptian society. However, a letter from c. 1200 BC attests to difference in speech as the writer complains that the language of a correspondent is as unintelligible as the speech of a northern Egyptian to a southerner. Recently, some evidence of internal dialects has been found in pairs of similar words in Egyptian that, based on similarities with later dialects of Coptic, may be derived from northern and southern dialects of Egyptian. Written Coptic has five major dialects, which differ mainly in graphic conventions, most notably the southern Saidic dialect, the main classical dialect, and the northern Bohairic dialect, currently used in Coptic Church services. Writing systems Most surviving texts in the Egyptian language are written on stone in hieroglyphs. The native name for Egyptian hieroglyphic writing is "zẖꜣ n mdw-nṯr" ("writing of the gods' words"). In antiquity, most texts were written on perishable papyrus in hieratic and (later) demotic, which are now lost. There was also a form of cursive hieroglyphs, used for religious documents on papyrus, such as the "Book of the Dead" of the Twentieth Dynasty; it was simpler to write than the hieroglyphs in stone inscriptions, but it was not as cursive as hieratic and lacked the wide use of ligatures. Additionally, there was a variety of stone-cut hieratic, known as "lapidary hieratic." In the language's final stage of development, the Coptic alphabet replaced the older writing system. Hieroglyphs are employed in two ways in Egyptian texts: as ideograms to represent the idea depicted by the pictures and, more commonly, as phonograms to represent their phonetic value. As the phonetic realisation of Egyptian cannot be known with certainty, Egyptologists use a system of transliteration to denote each sound that could be represented by a uniliteral hieroglyph. Phonology Further information: Transliteration of Ancient Egyptian While the consonantal phonology of the Egyptian language may be reconstructed, the exact phonetics are unknown, and there are varying opinions on how to classify the individual phonemes. In addi..
  12. Title: Wikiwand: Ramesses (prince)
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ramesses_(prince);
    Note: Ramesses (sometimes referred as Ramesses B) was an Ancient Egyptian crown prince during the 19th Dynasty. Family Ramesses was the eldest son of Ramesses II and Queen Isetnofret, and the second son overall after Amunherkhepeshef, the eldest son of the Great Royal Wife Nefertari. Born during the reign of his grandfather Sethi I, he had at least one sister and two brothers. His sister Bintanath was elevated to the position of Great Royal Wife later in the reign of Ramesses II and played an important role at court. A possible sister named Isetnofret may have married her brother Merneptah and been his queen, however, it is possible that Merneptah's queen was his niece, not his sister. His known younger brothers are Khaemwaset and Merneptah. Ramesses is listed on several monuments with his younger brothers Khaemwaset and Merenptah. He appears as the second prince in the list of procession of Ramesses' sons in Luxor and Abu Simbel. Life He is attested in numerous inscriptions including the Egyptian 'triumph' scenes after the Battle of Kadesh. Ramesses bears the titles of Royal scribe, Generalissimo and "bodily King's Son beloved of him," and is shown presenting the "Maryannu-warriors of the despicable Naharina" to the gods as spoils of war. In scenes from the battle of Qode in year 10 at Luxor, the princes Amunherkhepeshef, Ramesses, Pareherwenemef and Khaemwaset are shown leading prisoners before their father the king. Ramesses is depicted as just one of two princes depicted by the colossi of Ramesses II in front of the Great Temple at Abu Simbel. He appears in front of the colossus to the north of the entrance. Prince Ramesses is said to be the Royal Scribe and first Generalissimo of His Majesty, Bodily King's Son (of his body). Ramesses served as the heir to the Egyptian throne from around year 25 to year 50 of his father's reign. He succeeded his older half-brother Amunherkhepeshef as heir to the throne after his death. He has also attested in Saqqara. He must have participated in some of the ceremonies for the Apis bulls, when his brother Khaemwaset was first sem-priest of Ptah and later High Priest of Ptah in Memphis. The King's Son and Generalissimo Ramesses donated a votive statue for one of the Apis burials sometime between years 16 and 30 of his father's reign. Prince Ramesses is depicted in the Speos of West Silsila on a royal family stela dating to ca. year 30, and on a family stela from Aswan. On these stelae he is accompanied by his parents and his brothers and sister. Ramesses and Khaemwaset together appear on a statue group with their mother Queen Isetnofret which is now in the Louvre (Louvre 2272). Death and burial After his death around year 50 of Ramesses II, he was buried in Tomb KV5 in the Valley of the Kings. His brother Khaemwaset succeeded him to become Egypt's new crown-prince in his place. Khaemwaset was the fourth son of Ramesses II; the third, Pareherwenemef died earlier.
  13. Title: Wikiwand: List of children of Ramesses II
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_children_of_Ramesses_II;
    Note: The Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II had a large number of children: between 48 and 50 sons, and 40 to 53 daughters–whom he had depicted on several monuments. Ramesses apparently made no distinctions between the offspring of his first two principal wives, Nefertari and Isetnofret. Both queens' firstborn sons and first few daughters had statues at the entrance of the Greater Abu Simbel temple, although only Nefertari's children were depicted in the smaller temple, dedicated to her. Other than Nefertari and Isetnofret, Ramesses had six more great royal wives during his reign – his own daughters Bintanath, Meritamen, Nebettawy and Henutmire (who, according to another theory was his sister), and two daughters of Hattusili III, King of Hatti. Except the first Hittite princess Maathorneferure and possibly Bintanath, none are known to have borne children to the pharaoh. The first few children of Ramesses usually appear in the same order on depictions. Lists of princes and princesses were found in the Ramesseum, Luxor, Wadi es-Sebua and Abydos. Some names are known to us from ostraka, tombs and other sources. The sons of Ramses appear on depictions of battles and triumphs–such as the Battle of Kadesh and the siege of the Syrian city of Dapur–already early in his reign (Years 5 and 10, respectively), thus it is likely that several of them were born before he ascended to the throne. Many of his sons were buried in the tomb KV5. Ramesses' efforts to have his children depicted on several of his monuments are in contradiction with the earlier tradition of keeping royal children, especially boys in the background unless they held important official titles. This was probably caused by the fact that his family was not of royal origin and he wanted to stress their royal status. Sons 1. Amun-her-khepeshef ("Amun Is with His Strong Arm"), firstborn son of Nefertari; crown prince until his death in Year 26. He is likely to be the same person as Seth-her-khepeshef or Sethirkopshef. 2. Ramesses ("Born of Rê"), eldest son of Isetnofret, crown prince between Years 25 and 50. 3. Pareherwenemef ("Re Is with His Right Arm"), Nefertari's second son. Appears on depictions of the triumph after the Battle of Kadesh and in the smaller Abu-Simbel temple. He was never crown prince; it is likely he predeceased his elder brothers. 4. Khaemweset ("He who appears/appeared in Thebes"), Isetnofret's second son, "the first Egyptologist," crown prince until about the 55th year. 5. Mentu-her-khepeshef or Montuhirkhopshef or Mentuherwenemef ("Menthu Is with His Strong/Right Arm") was mentioned on a stela from Bubastis. A statue of him is in Copenhagen. He was present at the siege of Dapur. 6. Nebenkharu 7. Meryamun or Ramesses-Meryamun (“Beloved of Amun”) was present at the triumph and the siege; was buried in KV5 where fragments of his canopic jars were found. 8. Amunemwia or Sethemwia (“Amun/Seth in the Divine Bark”) also appears at Dapur. He changed his name from Amunemwia to Sethemwia around the same time when his eldest brother changed it. 9. Sethi was also present at Kadesh and Dapur. He was buried in KV5 – where two of his canopic jars were found – around Year 53. On his funerary equipment his name is spelled Sutiy. He might have been identical with another Sethi, mentioned on an ostrakon which is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. 10. Setepenre ("Chosen of Re") was present at Dapur too. 11. Meryre ("Beloved of Re") was the son of Nefertari. It is likely that he died at a young age; a brother of his (18th on the list of princes) was probably named after him. 12. Horherwenemef (“Horus Is with His Right Arm”) 13. Merneptah ("Beloved of Ptah"), son of Isetnofret, crown prince after the 55th year, then pharaoh. 14. Amenhotep ("Amun Is Pleased") 15. Itamun ("Amun Is The Father") 16. Meryatum ("Beloved of Atum"), son of Nefertari. High Priest of Heliopolis. 17. Nebentaneb/Nebtaneb ("Lord of All Lands") 18. Meryre 19. Amunemopet ("Amun on the Opet Feast") 20. Senakhtenamun ("Amun Gives Him Strength") is likely to have been resided in Memphis, as it is suggested by a votive plaque belonging to his servant Amenmose. 21. Ramesses-Merenre 22. Djehutimes/Thutmose ("Born of Thoth") 23. Simentu ("Son of Mentu") was the overseer of the royal vineyards in Memphis. He was married to Iryet, daughter of a Syrian captain, Benanath. 24. Mentuemwaset (“Mentu in Thebes”) 25. Siamun ("Son of Amon") 26. (Ramesses)-Siptah ("Son of Ptah") was probably the son of a secondary wife called Sutererey. A relief of them is in the Louvre. A Book of the Dead, which was probably his, is now in Florence. 27. Unknown 28. Mentuenheqau ("Mentu is with the rulers") The following sons of Ramses are known from various sources other than lists: . Astarteherwenemef (“Astarte Is with His Right Arm”) is shown on a stone block originally from the Ramesseum, reused in Medinet Habu. His name shows Asian influence like that of Bintanath and Mahiranath. . Geregtawy ("Peace of the Two Lands") is known from a stone block, from the Ramesseum, reused in Medinet Habu. . Merymontu ("Beloved of Menthu") was depicted in Wadi es-Sebua and Abydos. Neben[…] is mentioned on an ostrakon in Cairo. [Ramesses-…]pare is the 20th on the Abydos procession of princes, which shows a slightl different order of them. Ramesses-Maatptah (“Justice of Ptah”) is only known from a letter, in which the palace servant Meryotef rebukes him. Ramesses-Meretmire ("Loving like Re") is the 48th on the Wadi es-Sebua procession. Ramesses-Meryamun-Nebweben is known from his coffin's inscriptions. Ramesses-Meryastarte (“Beloved of Astarte”) is the 26th in the Abydos procession. Ramesses-Merymaat (“Beloved of Maat”) is the 25th in the Abydos procession. Ramesses-Meryseth (“Beloved of Seth”) is known from a stone block from the Ramesseum, reused in Medinet Habu. He is the 23rd in the Abydos procession and is named on a stela, a door lintel and on a doorjamb. Ramesses-Paitnetjer ("The priest") is known from a Cairo ostrakon. Ramesses-Siatum (“Son of Atum”) is the 19th in the Abydos procession. Ramesses-Sikhepri ("Son of Khepri") is the 24th in the Abydos procession. (Ramesses)-Userkhepesh (“Strong of Arm”) is the 22nd in the Abydos procession. Ramesses-Userpehti ("Strong of strength") is probably a son of Ramesses II. He is mentioned on a Memphis statue and on a plaque. Seshnesuen[…] and Sethemhir[…] are mentioned on a Cairo ostrakon. [Seth]emnakht ("Seth as the champion") and Shepsemiunu ("The noble one in Heliopolis") are known from stone blocks from the Ramesseum, reused in Medinet Habu. [Seth]emnakht is also mentioned on a doorway. Wermaa[…] is mentioned on a Cairo ostrakon.
  14. Title: Wikiwand: Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt
    Author: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Publication: Name: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Nineteenth_Dynasty_of_Egypt;
    Note: The Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XIX, alternatively 19th Dynasty or Dynasty 19) is classified as the second Dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom period, lasting from 1292 BC to 1189 BC. The 19th Dynasty and the 20th Dynasty furthermore together constitute an era known as the "Ramesside period." This Dynasty was founded by Vizier Ramesses I, whom Pharaoh Horemheb chose as his successor to the throne. History Background The warrior kings of the early 18th Dynasty had encountered only little resistance from neighboring kingdoms, allowing them to expand their realm of influence easily, but the international situation had changed radically towards the end of the dynasty. The Hittites had gradually extended their influence into Syria and Canaan to become a major power in international politics, a power that both Seti I and his son Ramesses II would confront in the future. 19th Dynasty Seti and Ramesses II New Kingdom Egypt reached the zenith of its power under Seti I and Ramesses II ("The Great"), who campaigned vigorously against the Libyans and the Hittites. The city of Kadesh was first captured by Seti I, who decided to concede it to Muwatalli of Hatti in an informal peace treaty between Egypt and Hatti. Ramesses II later attempted unsuccessfully to alter this situation in his fifth regnal year by launching an attack on Kadesh in his Second Syrian campaign in 1274 BC; he was caught in history's first recorded military ambush, but thanks to the arrival of the Ne'arin (a force allied with Egypt), Ramesses was able to rally his troops and turn the tide of battle against the Hittites. Ramesses II later profited from the Hittites' internal difficulties, during his eighth and ninth regnal years, when he campaigned against their Syrian possessions, capturing Kadesh and portions of Southern Syria, and advancing as far north as Tunip, where no Egyptian soldier had been seen for 120 years. He ultimately accepted that a campaign against the Hittites was an unsupportable drain on Egypt's treasury and military. In his 21st regnal year, Ramesses signed the earliest recorded peace treaty with Urhi-Teshub's successor, Hattusili III, and with that act Egypt-Hittite relations improved significantly. Ramesses II even married two Hittite princesses, the first after his second Sed Festival. Merneptah This dynasty declined as infighting for the throne between the heirs of Merneptah increased. Amenmesse apparently usurped the throne from Merneptah's son and successor, Seti II, but he ruled Egypt for only four years. After his death, Seti regained power and destroyed most of Amenmesse's monuments. Seti was served at court by Chancellor Bay, who was originally just a "royal scribe" but quickly became one of the most powerful men in Egypt, gaining the unprecedented privilege of constructing his own tomb in the Valley of the Kings (KV17). Both Bay and Seti's chief wife, Twosret, had a sinister reputation in Ancient Egyptian folklore. After Siptah's death, Twosret ruled Egypt for two more years, but she proved unable to maintain her hold on power amid the conspiracies and powerplays being hatched at the royal court. She was likely ousted in a revolt led by Setnakhte, founder of the 20th Dynasty. Pharaohs of the 19th Dynasty Main article: List of pharaohs The pharaohs of the 19th Dynasty ruled for approximately 110 years: from c. 1292 to 1187 BC. Many of the pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes (designated KV). More information can be found on the Theban Mapping Project website. Pharaoh Image Throne Name / Prenomen Reign Burial Consort(s) Ramesses I Menpehtyre 1292–1290 BC KV16 Sitre Seti I Menmaatre 1290–1279 BC[4] KV17 (Mut-)Tuya Ramesses II Usermaatre Setepenre 1279–1213 BC KV7 Nefertari Isetnofret Maathorneferure Meritamen Bintanath Nebettawy Henutmire Merneptah Baenre Merynetjeru 1213–1203 BC KV8 Isetnofret II Takhat? Seti II Userkheperure Setepenre 1203–1197 BC KV15 Takhat? Twosret Tiaa Amenmesse Menmire Setepenre 1201–1198 BC KV10 Unknown Siptah Sekhaienre Meryamun, later Akhenre Setepenre 1197–1191 BC KV47 Unknown Twosret Sitre Meryamun 1191–1189 BC KV14 None Timeline of the 19th Dynasty
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