Nefertari

Nefertari (Nefertari Merytmut) c. (1300–1250 BC) was the Great Royal Wife (or principal wife) of Ramesses the Great. She is one of the best known Egyptian queens, next to Cleopatra, Nefertiti and Hatshepsut. Her lavishly decorated tomb, QV66, is the largest and most spectacular in the Valley of the Queens.

Biography

Nefertari’s origins are unknown, but she is thought to have been a member of the nobility. While she was queen, her brother Amenmose held the position of Mayor of Thebes. Nefertari at age thirteen married Ramesses, only fifteen, before he ascended the throne, and remained the most important of his eight wives in Upper Egypt for at least the next twenty years. By the 1240s BC her prominence appears to wane, and her images by the Pharaoh's side become scarce.

Nefertari had at least four sons and two daughters, although none of these children succeeded the throne. Ramesses’ heir was Prince Merneptah, his 13th son by another wife, Isetnofret. Ramesses sired at least fifty sons during his long reign.

She may have accompanied her husband to many of his battles.

She died sometime during the Regnal Year 25 of Ramesses' reign, and Isetnofret became his new principal wife.

Status

Nefertari was quite probably the only Egyptian royal wife, other than Queen Tiy, to be deified during her lifetime. Ramesses' temple at Abu Simbel also has a smaller temple nearby dedicated to Nefertari and the goddess Hathor—a very unusual act, as temples were usually dedicated to deities, not mortals.

Her status is confirmed by the fact that she was depicted as part of her husband’s entourage, even during important voyages such as a trip to Nubia to commission a new temple built at Abu Simbel. Nefertari is also depicted as being equal in size to Ramesses, a rarity indicating her importance to the pharaoh.

Her prominence is further supported by cuneiform tablets from the Hittite city of Boghazkoy, containing Nefertari's correspondence with the king Hattusilis and his wife Pudukhepra. She appears to have been instrumental in maintaining peace between Egyptians and Hittites, which eventually lead to Ramesses' marriage to a Hittite princess.

Ramesses’ unusual affection for his wife, as written on her tomb's walls, shows that some Egyptian marriages were not simply matters of convenience or means to accumulate greater power and alliances, but were based around emotional attachment. Poetry written by Ramesses about his dead wife is featured on some of the walls of her burial chamber. ("My love is unique—no one can rival her, for she is the most beautiful woman alive. Just by passing, she has stolen away my heart.")

Titles

Nefertari's full range of titles were wrt ḥswt (great of praise), bnrt mrwt (sweet of love), ḥmt nswt wrt (Great Royal Wife), nbt im3t (lady of charm), ḥmt nswt wrt mryt.f (Great Royal Wife, his beloved), nbt t3wy (lady of the two lands), ḥnwt t3w nbw (lady of all lands), ḥmt k3 nẖt (wife of the strong bull), ḥmt-nṯr (god's wife) ḥnwt šmḥw mẖw (lady of Upper and Lower Egypt).

Ramesses referred to his beloved wife as "the one for whom the sun shines." She was also often referred to as Nefertari Merit-en-Mut, meaning "the Lovely One, Beloved of Mut."

Nefertari's Children

Ramesses II fathered at least 100 children during his lifetime. Not all of their names are known, and in many cases their mothers are difficult to establish with any kind of certainty. These children of Ramesses have been attributed to Nefertari by various authors; however, the list is by no means conclusive.

Prince Amun-her-khepeshef, Crown Prince, Commander of the Troops
Prince Pareherwenemef

Prince Meriatum, High Priest of Heliopolis
Prince Meryre
Princess Meritamen, Singer of Amun and Priestess of Hathor
Princess Henuttawy
Princess Beketmut (?)
Princess Nefertari (?)
Princess Nebettawy (?)

External links

Nefertari, Antique Beauty & Royality

References

Grajetzki, Wolfram (2005) Ancient Egyptian Queens – a hieroglyphic dictionary
Reeves, N et al, (1996) The Complete Valley of the Kings
Rosalie David, (1998) Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt
Shaw, Ian (2000), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt
Shaw, Ian (1995), The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt
Siliotti, A. (2002), Egypt: Splendours of an Ancient Civilisation. Italy: Thames & Hudson.
Bradley, P. (1999), Ancient Egypt: Reconstructing the Past. United Kingdom: Cambridge.
Hagen,R&R. (2003), Egypt: People, Gods, Pharaohs. Maat & cartouche of Nefertari, pg 41.
Leblanc, C. (2001). Osiris.net unknown. Available from: [27/02/2005" target="_blank" >^*.
"Women in power B.C. 4500-1000 from Guide2womenleaders.com, URL accessed 03/21/06