Meketaten: Difference between revisions

Meketaten
Meketaten
King's Daughter
	Meketaten on her mother's lap (left)
Died	Amarna
Burial	Royal Tomb, Amarna
Egyptian name
Dynasty	18th Dynasty
Father	Akhenaten
Mother	Nefertiti
Religion	Atenist religion

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Meketaten (Ancient Egyptian: mꜥkt itn, meaning "Behold the Aten" or "Protected by Aten") was the second of six daughters born to the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti. She likely lived between Year 4 and Year 14 of Akhenaten's reign. Although little is known about her, she is frequently depicted with her sisters accompanying her royal parents in the first two-thirds of the Amarna Period.

Biography

Fragmentary quartzite statue of the Amarna princess Meketaten, from the reign of Akhenaten, circa 1352–1336 B.C. On display at the Brooklyn Museum. The broken hand over the figure's right breast was common to images depicting young girls, and likely once held a flower or rattle.

Meketaten was born approximately in Year 4 of Akhenaten's reign to him and his Great Royal Wife, Nefertiti.^[1] She had an elder sister, Meritaten, and four younger sisters: Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure and Setepenre. Tutankhaten was likely their full brother or half-brother through their father.^[2]

Her birth year is estimated based on the dates of inscriptions that reference her. The first known depiction of Meketaten is on the walls of the Hwt-benben temple in Thebes, which is dedicated to her mother, Nefertiti. Meketaten additionally appears behind Meritaten in later inscriptions, thought to date to Year 4 or later.^[3] Further, her figure was added to a Boundary Stela at Akhetaten that states events from Year 4 and was carved in Year 5.^[4]

Meketaten and the royal family moved to Akhetaten, or Amarna, while she was still a small child. The tombs of the Amarnan nobility depict the royal family, including Meketaten, in various scenes of royal life. In Ay's tomb, Meketaten is depicted holding a tray of gifts while wrapping an arm around Nefertiti’s neck.^[1] In her father's regnal year 12, Meketaten and her family attended the reception of foreign tributes. This can be seen on several scenes depicted within the private tombs of the official Huya, and High Priest Meryre II.^[1]^[3]

Other monuments mentioning Meketaten include a stela from Heliopolis, a statue base from the Fayoum, and the tombs of Panehesy and Parennefer.^[5]

Death and burial

Meketaten died in approximately Year 14 of Akhenaten's reign.^[3] She most likely died of a plague along with other members of the royal family. Between Years 12 and 15, many members of the royal family disappear from the record and cease to be mentioned again: Queen Mother Tiye, King's second consort Kiya, and the King's Daughters Neferneferure, Setepenre, and Meketaten.^[1]

Meketaten was likely buried in the Royal Tomb at Akhetaten, where fragments of her sarcophagus were found. Inscriptions upon the fragments mention her parents, her sister Ankhesenpaaten, and her grandparents Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.^[5] While the names in the scene in the chamber denoted $\alpha$ have been hacked out, hieroglyphs in chamber $\gamma$ identify a portrayal of a dead young woman as Meketaten.

In chamber $\gamma$ , another scene shows a figure labeled Meketaten standing under a canopy. In front of her, stand Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their three daughters, Meritaten, Ankhesenpaaten, and Neferneferuaten Tasherit. Several others scenes within the tomb possibly relate to her. In both chambers $\alpha$ and $\gamma$ , Akhenaten and Nefertiti bend over a woman's inert body. The pharaoh and his Great Royal Wife weep and grip each other's arms for support. Behind them, a nurse cradles a baby in her arms and is accompanied by a fan-bearer, which indicates the baby's royal status.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen. Penguin. 1998. ISBN 0-670-86998-8
^ Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. ISBN 0-500-05128-3
^ ^a ^b ^c Redford, Donald B. Akhenaten: The Heretic King. Princeton University Press. 1987. ISBN 978-0-691-00217-0
^ ^a ^b Dodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. The American University in Cairo Press. 2009, ISBN 978-977-416-304-3
^ ^a ^b Murnane, William J., Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt, Society of Biblical Literature, 1995 ISBN 1-55540-966-0

[Tyldesley-1] Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen. Penguin. 1998. ISBN 0-670-86998-8

[2] Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. ISBN 0-500-05128-3

[Redford-3] Redford, Donald B. Akhenaten: The Heretic King. Princeton University Press. 1987. ISBN 978-0-691-00217-0

[Dodson-4] Dodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. The American University in Cairo Press. 2009, ISBN 978-977-416-304-3

[Murnane-5] Murnane, William J., Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt, Society of Biblical Literature, 1995 ISBN 1-55540-966-0

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description| Daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti}}
-{{infobox hieroglyphs
+{{Infobox royalty
-|title = Meketaten
+| name         = Meketaten
-|name = <hiero>i-t:n:ra Aa16:D36:V31 t: B1</hiero>
+| title        = King's Daughter
-|name transcription = Maketaten <br> ''{{Unicode|mꜥkt itn}}''
+| image        = File:Meketaten-Nefertiti.tiff
-|name explanation = ''Protected by Aten''
+| alt          =
-|image1 = Meketaten-Nefertiti.tiff
+| caption      = Meketaten on her mother's lap (left)
-|image1 width = 100px
+| birth_date   =
-|image1 description = Meketaten on her mother's lap (left).
+| birth_place  =
+| death_place  = [[Amarna]]
+| burial_place = [[Royal Tomb of Akhenaten|Royal Tomb]], Amarna
+| native_lang1 = [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] name
+| native_lang1_name1 = <hiero>i-t:n:ra Aa16:D36:V31 t: B1</hiero>
+| dynasty      = [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th Dynasty]]
+| father       = [[Akhenaten]]
+| mother       = [[Nefertiti]]
+| religion     = [[Atenism|Atenist]] religion
 }}
-[[File:Meketaten-FragmentaryStatue-BrooklynMuseum.png|thumb|right|Fragmentary [[quartzite]] statue of the Amarna princess Meketaten, from the reign of Akhenaten, circa 1352-1336 B.C. On display at the [[Brooklyn Museum]]. The broken hand over the figure's right breast was common to images depicting young girls, and likely once held a flower or rattle.]]
-'''Meketaten''' ("Behold the Aten" or "Protected by Aten") was the second daughter of six born to the Egyptian [[Pharaoh]] [[Akhenaten]] and his [[Great Royal Wife]] [[Nefertiti]]. She was probably born in year 4 of Akhenaten's reign. Although little is known about her, she is frequently depicted with her sisters accompanying her royal parents in the first two thirds of Akhenaten's seventeen-year reign.
+'''Meketaten''' ({{langx|egy|mꜥkt itn}}, meaning "Behold the Aten" or "Protected by Aten") was the second of six daughters born to the Egyptian [[Pharaoh]] [[Akhenaten]] and his [[Great Royal Wife]] [[Nefertiti]]. She likely lived between Year 4 and Year 14 of Akhenaten's reign. Although little is known about her, she is frequently depicted with her sisters accompanying her royal parents in the first two-thirds of the [[Amarna Period]].
-==Family==
+==Biography==
-Meketaten was the second daughter born to [[Akhenaten]] and [[Nefertiti]]. She  had an older sister named [[Meritaten]] and four younger sisters named [[Ankhesenpaaten]], [[Neferneferuaten Tasherit]], [[Neferneferure]] and [[Setepenre (princess)|Setepenre]]. Tutankhaten was a half-brother.<ref>Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. ISBN 0-500-05128-3</ref>
+[[File:Meketaten-FragmentaryStatue-BrooklynMuseum.png|thumb|upright|Fragmentary [[quartzite]] statue of the Amarna princess Meketaten, from the reign of Akhenaten, circa 1352–1336 B.C. On display at the [[Brooklyn Museum]]. The broken hand over the figure's right breast was common to images depicting young girls, and likely once held a flower or rattle.|left]]Meketaten was born approximately in Year 4 of [[Akhenaten]]'s reign to him and his Great Royal Wife, [[Nefertiti]].<ref name="Tyldesley">Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen. Penguin. 1998. {{ISBN|0-670-86998-8}}</ref> She had an elder sister, [[Meritaten]], and four younger sisters: [[Ankhesenpaaten]], [[Neferneferuaten Tasherit]], [[Neferneferure]] and [[Setepenre (princess)|Setepenre]]. [[Tutankhamun|Tutankhaten]] was likely their full brother or half-brother through their father.<ref>Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. {{ISBN|0-500-05128-3}}</ref>
+Her birth year is estimated based on the dates of inscriptions that reference her. The first known depiction of Meketaten is on the walls of [[Temple of Amenhotep IV|the ''Hwt-benben'' temple]] in Thebes, which is dedicated to her mother, Nefertiti. Meketaten additionally appears behind [[Meritaten]] in later inscriptions, thought to date to Year 4 or later.<ref name="Redford">Redford, Donald B. Akhenaten: The Heretic King. Princeton University Press. 1987. {{ISBN|978-0-691-00217-0}}</ref> Further, her figure was added to a [[Boundary Stelae of Akhenaten|Boundary Stela at Akhetaten]] that states events from Year 4 and was carved in Year 5.<ref name="Dodson">Dodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. The American University in Cairo Press. 2009, {{ISBN|978-977-416-304-3}}</ref>
-==Life==
-Meketaten’s approximate year of birth is in or before year 4 of Akhenaten.<ref name="Tyldesley">Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen. Penguin. 1998. ISBN 0-670-86998-8</ref> Meketaten is first depicted on the walls of the ''Hut-benben'' temple dedicated to her mother Nefertiti in [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]]. Meketaten appears behind her older sister [[Meritaten]] in some of the later inscriptions, thought to date to year 4 or later.<ref name="Redford">Redford, Donald B. Akhenaten: The Heretic King. Princeton University Press. 1987. ISBN 978-0-691-00217-0</ref> Further arguments to suggest Meketaten was born in or before year 4 come from the fact that her figure was added to one of the boundary stela recording events in year 4  and carved in year 5.<ref name="Dodson">Dodson, Aidan, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. The American University in Cairo Press. 2009, ISBN 978-977-416-304-3</ref>
-Meketaten moved to the new capital city Akhetaten with her family when she was still a small child. She is depicted in several of the tombs of the nobles in Amarna. Meketaten is depicted in the tomb of [[Ay]] holding a tray of gifts while wrapping one arm around her mother’s neck.<ref name="Tyldesley"/> Other monuments mentioning Meketaten include a stela from Heliopolis, a statue base from the Fayoum, and the tombs of Panehesy and Parennefer.<ref name="Murnane"/> Meketaten was depicted with her parents and sisters at the reception of foreign tributes – a ceremony dating to year 12 - that can be seen on several scenes in the private tombs in Amarna of high-ranking officials named Huya and High Priest Meryre II.<ref name="Tyldesley"/><ref name="Redford"/>
+Meketaten and the royal family moved to [[Amarna|Akhetaten, or Amarna]], while she was still a small child. [[Tombs of the Nobles (Amarna)|The tombs of the Amarnan nobility]] depict the royal family, including Meketaten, in various scenes of royal life. In [[Ay (pharaoh)|Ay]]'s tomb, Meketaten is depicted holding a tray of gifts while wrapping an arm around Nefertiti’s neck.<ref name="Tyldesley" /> In her father's regnal year 12, Meketaten and her family attended the reception of foreign tributes. This can be seen on several scenes depicted within the private tombs of the official Huya, and High Priest Meryre II.<ref name="Tyldesley" /><ref name="Redford" />
+Other monuments mentioning Meketaten include a stela from Heliopolis, a statue base from the Fayoum, and the tombs of Panehesy and Parennefer.<ref name="Murnane">Murnane, William J., Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt, Society of Biblical Literature, 1995 {{ISBN|1-55540-966-0}}</ref>
-==Death and burial==
-Meketaten died in approximately year 14 of [[Akhenaten]].<ref name="Redford"/> It is very likely that a plague swept across Egypt between Akhenaten's 12th and 15th regnal years, for many members of the royal family cease to be mentioned again; among them Queen Mother [[Tiye]], Queen [[Nefertiti]], Akhenaten's secondary wife [[Kiya]], Meketaten and the two youngest princesses, [[Neferneferure]] and [[Setepenre (princess)|Setepenre]].<ref name="Tyldesley"/> Meketaten's death could have resulted either from a plague, or from childbirth. The presence of a royal baby causes many to believe the young princess died in childbirth (in this case the father is most likely to had been Akhenaten himself, marrying his daughter), but it cannot be proven.<ref name="Tyldesley"/> An alternative interpretation suggested by van Dijk is that the child depicted in the scenes is the soul (the ka) of Meketaten.<ref name="Dodson"/>
+== Death and burial ==
-[[File:Dibujo de tumba.jpg|575px|center|thumb|Meketaten under the canopy, on the wall paintings of the Chamber <math>\gamma</math>. In front of her: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Meritaten, Ankhesenpaaten and Neferneferuaten Tasherit.]]
+Meketaten died in approximately Year 14 of [[Akhenaten]]'s reign.<ref name="Redford" /> She most likely died of a plague along with other members of the royal family. Between Years 12 and 15, many members of the royal family disappear from the record and cease to be mentioned again: Queen Mother [[Tiye]], King's second consort [[Kiya]], and the King's Daughters [[Neferneferure]], [[Setepenre (princess)|Setepenre]], and Meketaten.<ref name="Tyldesley" />
+[[File:Dibujo de tumba.jpg|575px|thumb|Meketaten under the canopy, on the wall paintings of the Chamber <math>\gamma</math>. In front of her: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Meritaten, Ankhesenpaaten, and Neferneferuaten Tasherit.]]Meketaten was likely buried in the [[Royal Tomb of Akhenaten|Royal Tomb]] at Akhetaten, where fragments of her sarcophagus were found. Inscriptions upon the fragments mention her parents, her sister [[Ankhesenpaaten]], and her grandparents [[Amenhotep III]] and [[Queen Tiye]].<ref name="Murnane" /> While the names in the scene in the chamber denoted <math>\alpha</math> have been hacked out, hieroglyphs in chamber <math>\gamma</math> identify a portrayal of a dead young woman as Meketaten.
-Three chambers, denoted as Chambers <math>\alpha, \ \beta</math> and <math>\gamma</math> of the [[Royal Tomb of Akhenaten|Royal Tomb]] are believed to be used for the burials. Chambers <math>\alpha</math> and <math>\gamma</math>  depict very similar scenes: Akhenaten and Nefertiti bend over the inert body of a woman, weeping and gripping each other's arms for support. Nearby a nurse stands with a baby in her arms, accompanied by a fan-bearer, which indicates the baby's royal status.
-The names in the scene in chamber <math>\alpha</math>  have been hacked out. In the chamber <math>\gamma</math> however the hieroglyphs identify the dead young woman as Meketaten. In the same chamber another scene shows Meketaten standing under a canopy which is usually associated with childbirth but can also interpreted as representing the rebirth of the princess. In front of her, amongst courtiers, stand Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their three remaining daughters, Meritaten, Ankhesenpaaten and [[Neferneferuaten Tasherit]].<ref name="Dodson"/>
+In chamber <math>\gamma</math>, another scene shows a figure labeled Meketaten standing under a canopy. In front of her, stand Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their three daughters, Meritaten, Ankhesenpaaten, and [[Neferneferuaten Tasherit]]. Several others scenes within the tomb possibly relate to her. In both chambers <math>\alpha</math> and <math>\gamma</math>, Akhenaten and Nefertiti bend over a woman's inert body. The pharaoh and his Great Royal Wife weep and grip each other's arms for support. Behind them, a nurse cradles a baby in her arms and is accompanied by a fan-bearer, which indicates the baby's royal status.<ref name="Dodson" />
-It is possible that chamber <math>\alpha</math> was the burial place of someone other than Meketaten. There may even have been two burials which may have been those of [[Neferneferure]] and [[Setepenre (princess)|Setepenre]], but this is not certain.<ref name="Dodson"/>  Another theory is that one of the scenes depicts [[Kiya]] and that the baby is [[Tutankhamun]].<ref name="Tyldesley"/>
-Fragments of Meketaten’s sarcophagus were found in the royal tomb. Inscriptions mention her parents [[Akhenaten]] and [[Nefertiti]], her sister [[Ankhesenpaaten]] as well as her grandparents [[Amenhotep III]] and [[Queen Tiye]].<ref name="Murnane">Murnane, William J., Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt, Society of Biblical Literature, 1995 ISBN 1-55540-966-0</ref>
 ==References==
@@ Line 37: / Line 41: @@
 {{Amarna Period Navigator}}
-[[Category:Amarna Period]]
+[[Category:Princesses of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
-[[Category:Ancient Egyptian princesses]]
+[[Category:14th-century BC Egyptian women]]
-[[Category:14th-century BC women]]
+[[Category:Children of Akhenaten]]
-[[Category:Deaths in childbirth]]
-[[Category:Akhenaten]]
 [[Category:Nefertiti]]