Additionally, he had a temple dedicated to her, as well as an artificial lake built for her. It is on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany. This is the only instance of this queenly title being given to a princess, and her name is sometimes written in a cartouche, which may indicate that she was elevated to queen like Sitamun and Iset. Perhaps more importantly for his son and successor, the "Heretic Pharaoh" Akhenaten, Amenhotep III followed in his father's sandalprints and identified himself with the biggest gods of the Egyptian pantheon on the monuments he built. during Egypt’s 18th dynasty. He was the falcon on earth. ThoughtCo. Chief of Seers: Egyptian Studies in Memory of Cyril Aldred. Carly Silver is an ancient and classical history expert who has served as a tour guide, assistant editor for Harlequin Books, and teacher and lecturer in Brooklyn. Ruling together for as many as 38 years, the pair oversaw a vast and prosperous empire from circa 1391 to 1353 B.C. Amenhotep III (Ancient Egyptian: imn-ḥtp(.w) "Amun is Satisfied"; Hellenized as Amenophis III), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty.According to different authors, he ruled Egypt from June 1386 to 1349 BC, or from June 1388 BC to December 1351 BC/1350 BC, after his father Thutmose IV died. Interestingly, Nefertiti also assumed some kingly positions in art, as her mother-in-law did (she was shown smiting enemies in a typical pharaonic pose). An exact copy of the head was attached to the statue in Cairo. https://www.thoughtco.com/pharaoh-amenhotep-iii-and-queen-tiye-120268 She later married her own father to keep Egyptian blood in the royal family. Queen Tiye is sitting on his left, her right arm is placed around her husband's waist. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/pharaoh-amenhotep-iii-and-queen-tiye-120268. There are additional inscriptions on two sides, under the legs of the beetle – right) name of Queen Tiy; left) throne name of Amenhotep III. The Mummy thought to be that of Queen Tiy; Right: The lid of the coffin of Amenhotep III Clearly, Amenhotep III intended for Tiy (and probably Sitamun as well) to be buried in WV22. He showed himself as the god of the sun at Karnak and contributed extensively to Amun-Re's temple there; later in life, Amenhotep even went to far as to consider himself as a "living manifestation of all deity, with an emphasis on the sun god Ra-Horakhty," according to W. Raymond Johnson. Tiye was born in 1300s BC and was the daughter of Yuya and Thuya. (2020, August 26). Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt. [4], The three smaller figures depict three of their daughters. Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye It is believed that Amenhotep and Tiye married at a very young age, before he became King. CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Blue faience scarab, commemorating the marriage of Amenhotep III with Queen Tiy. In 2010, DNA analysis confirmed her as the mummy known as "The Elder Lady" found in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) in 1898. What this shows is that there was a gentle shift in religion. A temple was dedicated to Queen Tiye in Sedeinga, Nubia during the latter part of Amenhotep's reign. Elizabeth Goring, Nicholas Reeves, John Ruffle). "Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye." The dyad is one of only two statues depicting Henuttaneb, and the only one of Nebetah. By his mid-teens, though, Amenhotep wasn't focusing on the army, but his one true love, a woman named Tiye. Amenhotep III died in Year 38 or Year 39 of his reign (1353 BC/1350 BC) and was buried in the Valley of the Kings in WV22; however, Tiye is known to have outlived him by as many as 12 years. (edited by David O'Connor, Eric H. Cline) p.73. It is believed that she could have died due to an epidemic. She was Yuya’s daughter, a high official of his father. It belonged to a French private collection in the early 20th century, was exhibited as part of the W. Arnold Meijer Collection in Amsterdam in 2005-2006 and was sold for US$206,500 in 2008. The lengthy reign of Amenhotep III and his nice royal spouse, Tiye, was a golden age for Egypt. The head is likely to have been intentionally removed from the statue group, probably in the medieval period, exposed on the ground for quite a long time – as it is in a worse condition than the rest of the statue –, and was found before 1897 when the rest of the statue was moved from its place. Queen Tiye (circa 1398 – 1338 BC) whom the Sun King Amenhotep III wedded when he ascended the throne as a 12-year-old, was the jewel in his crown. An Indurated Limestone Head of Princess Nebetah, reign of Amenhotep III, 1390-1353 B.C. In particular, Amenhotep placed great emphasis on sun gods in his construction, statuary, and portraiture, displaying what Arielle Kozloff aptly called a "solar bent in every aspect of his realm." Colossal Statue of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye This colossal statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye is a group statue of Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III, his Royal Wife Tiye, and three of their daughters. Sadly for young Prince Amenhotep, his dad didn't live very long, dying when his kid was about twelve. [8], The statue belonged to the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, which has been mostly destroyed since, but during its time was the largest temple complex in Thebes, surpassing even the Karnak temple. "Parts of Amenhotep III's double statue uncovered in Luxor", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colossal_statue_of_Amenhotep_III_and_Tiye&oldid=970955607, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 August 2020, at 10:35. They were used of both Tuthmosis the First and Second, as well as Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten). In: Servant of Mut: Studies in Honor of Richard A. Fazzini (edited by Sue D'Auria) Brill, 2008. Hope it helps a little. Another possibility is that the dyad was usurped by Ramesses III when using the blocks from Amenhotep's temple to construct his own at Medinet Habu, although original names were not erased. The long reign of Amenhotep III and his great royal wife, Tiye, was a golden age for Egypt. Tiye was a truly remarkable woman. Earlier in the dynasty military men had served as royal tutors, but Tiy ’s father was a commander of the chariotry, and through this link the royal line became even more directly influenced by the military. She was the mother of Akhenaten and grandmother of Tutankhamun. Due to the fragments not having any inscriptions on them, they were initially difficult to date, but Amenhotep III was the only Eighteenth dynasty pharaoh who had colossal statues of this size and they were found only in his mortuary temple and at Medinet Habu; this helped to match the pieces to the colossus in the Cairo museum. Tiye represents the "eye of Re" and her temple is the female counterpart to a larger temple dedicated to Amenhotep III nearby. Her life evolved dramatically as Tiye went from living as a commoner to becoming a leading member of the Royal family. She later married his son, Amenhotep IV. This egalitarian portrayal is pretty much unprecedented, showing Amenhotep's devotion to his wife, allowing her to wield influence comparable to his own. It is believe Tiye had great influence in court… Princess Henuttaneb, standing between her parents, is depicted as a grown woman,[5] in a close-fitting dress and a full wig with modius and plumes but without uraei (this is the only difference between her mother's headdress and hers). In: Amenhotep III: Perspectives on His Reign. She was the eldest daughter of chief royal wife Tiye and Amenhotep III. As Amenhotep III approached the end of his thirty-seven year reign he had two special chambers built into his tomb, one for Tiye and the other for Sitamun, but Tiye was never buried there and there is no evidence that Sitamun was buried there either. But Amenhotep III also took another name: the ‘Dazzling Sun Disk of All Lands’. Queen Tiye is remembered for her great strength and dominance as the “Head Queen” during the reign of Amenhotep III. Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye. With the … SITAMUN. However, it is possible that, given the fact that Tiy outlived her husband, rather than disturbing his already sealed tomb, alternate arrangements were made. [1] The statue originally stood in Medinet Habu, Western Thebes; today it is the centerpiece of the main hall of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Amenhotep III adored Tiye and devoted numerous shrines across Egypt to her. Amenhotep III was the son of Thutmose IV and Queen Mutmewiya who was a minor wife. And of course Akhenaten (who started his reign as Amenhotep IV, but later changed his name) stressed that he, the king, was the sole intermediary between the divine and the mortal realms. 20-21. But Tiye may have also set a precedent for her Nefertiti, her daughter-in-law (and possible niece, if the queen was the daughter of Tiye's putative brother Ay). Sitamun was an Ancient Egyptian princess and eventually queen consort during the 18th dynasty. Routledge & National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2009. A commemorative scarab was commissioned for the marriage between the pharaoh and Kilu-Hepa, daughter of the king of Mitanni. Cambridge University Press, Feb 20, 2012. Sitamun (also Sitamen, Satamun; c. 1370 BCE–unknown) was an Ancient Egyptian princess and queen consort during the 18th dynasty. It is possible that it was made from the good quality limestone which was removed to create the open courtyard of TT192 – a huge tomb belonging to Queen Tiye's steward Kheruef, work on which was started around this time. One of Tiye's brothers was a prominent priest named Anen, and many have suggested that the famous Eighteenth Dynasty official Ay, alleged father of Queen Nefertiti and eventual pharaoh after King Tut, was another of her siblings. Tiye, the beautiful Chief Queen of Amenhotep III and mother of Akhenaten, was the matriarch of the Amarna family. A temple was dedicated to Queen Tiye in Sedeinga, Nubia during the latter part of Amenhotep’s reign. [5] Henuttaneb was the second or third daughter, born either before or after Iset, who became queen in Year 34. So Tiye married her husband when they were both quite young, but the most interesting item about her is the way in which she was portrayed in statuary. Amenhotep deliberately commissioned statues showing himself, the king, and Tiye as the same size, showing her importance in the royal court, which was on par with that of the pharaoh! Moreover, Queen Tiye’s boat was named ‘The Aten Gleams’. [3] Next to Amenhotep stands the damaged figure of a younger daughter, Nebetah, while next to Tiye stands the even more damaged figure of another princess, whose name has been lost. The statue belonged to the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, which has been mostly destroyed since, but during its time was the largest temple complex in Thebes, surpassing even the Karnak temple. The Divine Birth of Amenhotep III As a king born of a lesser-ranking wife – Amenhotep was certainly self-conscious and felt the need to secure his position as king. [2], The statue is likely to have been carved around the first sed festival of Amenhotep III. These two girls are daughters of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III (c. 1386-1353 BCE) and Queen Tiye (1398-1338 BCE). They had several children together, mostly daughters. It is believed that Tiye was married to Amenhotep III at a young age. Tiye represents the “eye of Re” and her temple is the female counterpart to a larger temple dedicated to Amenhotep III nearby. It is the largest known dyad ever carved. To date, the tomb and the mummy of Queen Sitamun have never been discovered. It is the largest known Ancient Egyptian family group ever carved. Queen Tiye, chief wife of Amenhotep III, mother of Ahnkenaten (the montheistic pharoah), grandmother of King Tut, likely related toTut's successor Aye. Yuya and Tjuya's fabulous tomb was uncovered in 1905, and archaeologists found lots of riches there; DNA testing performed on their mummies in recent years has proved key in identifying unidentified bodies. Queen Tiye was a strong woman. Kheruef was the steward of Queen Tiye. These could be reconstructed to form six missing parts of the statue, including part of headdress, chest and right leg of the king, part of wig, left arm, palm, fingers and leg of the queen, and part of the statue base, with a Nubian prisoner. Ruling together for as many as 38 years, the pair oversaw … [10], A 27,6 cm limestone head, found in a private collection, turned out to be the head of Princess Nebetah and a part of this statue. Perhaps Tiye's legacy of carving out a great role for the Great Royal Wife as partner to the pharaoh, rather than mere spouse, carried on to her successor. Tiye even takes on masculine, regal poses, showing up on her own throne as a Sphinx who crushes her enemies and getting her own Sphinx colossus; now, she's not only equal to a king in the way she's portrayed, but she's taking on his roles! Donald Trump. Amenhotep carried on lively diplomatic exchanges with the other great contemporary powers, as confirmed by the Amarna Letters (diplomatic archive of Amenhotep III and Akhenaton), which reveal that Egyptian gold was exchanged for horses, copper, and lapis lazuli from Asia. The statue stands 3.62 meters high (almost 12 feet).According to the archaeologists, the statue was discovered around the site of the… [8], In 2011, several new fragments of the statue were found during a rescue excavation before installation of a new sewage system on the west bank of Luxor. Read more: Photos of lavish pieces of ancient Egyptian jewelry Silver, Carly. Queen Tiye's sister in law is Sitamun Queen Tiye's brother in law-by-marriage was Pharaoh Amenhotep III Queen Tiye's daughter in law was Queen Nefertiti Queen Tiye's daughter in law was Queen Ankhesenamun. Betsy M. Bryan: A Newly Discovered Statue of a Queen from the Reign of Amenhotep III. [2][3] The cobras and the vulture are crowned, the proper right cobra wears the white crown of Upper Egypt, while the proper left one wears the red crown of Lower Egypt. More on that later! Dubbed "the Magnificent," this fourteenth-century B.C. The great royal wife of Amenhotep III, queen Tiye has gone down in history for the important role she played at her husband’s side and in her son’s (Pharaoh Akhenaten’s) administration. They also helped people think of him as semi-divine and created money-making opportunities for his officials. An alabaster statue of Queen Tiye was recently discovered in Luxor, Egypt, when archaeologists were trying to lift the statue of King Amenhotep III, which was buried in sand. Amenhotep III wears the nemes headdress with uraeus, a false beard and a kilt; he is resting his hands on his knees. In addition to Amenhotep's marital program, he also pursued massive construction projects throughout Egypt, which burnished his own reputation - and that of his wife! The pharaoh, of course, was always a god. The statue was found in the late 19th century in fragments. Biography of Queen Nefertiti, Ancient Egyptian Queen, Akhenaten: Heretic and Pharaoh of New Kingdom Egypt, Nubian Pharaohs of Twenty-Fifth Dynasty Egypt, Hatshepsut: She Became a Female Pharaoh of Egypt, The Most Famous and Powerful Queens in Ancient History, Pharaoh Hatshepsut's Temple of Deir el-Bahri in Egypt, Biography of Hatshepsut, Pharaoh of Egypt, The Roman King L. Tarquinius Priscus According to Livy, Woman Power: Women of the Eighteenth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Thutmose III and the Battle of Megiddo, Women Rulers of the Ancient and Classical World, alleged father of Queen Nefertiti and eventual pharaoh after King Tut, showing himself, the king, and Tiye as the same size, the king took brides from foreign countries, marriage between the pharaoh and Kilu-Hepa, identified himself with the biggest gods of the Egyptian pantheon. As it was built too close to the floodplain, less than two hundred years later it already stood in ruins and most of its stones were reused by later pharaohs for their own building projects. A History of Ancient Egypt. It was highly unusual that a member of the royal family would marry a commoner as they were expected to marry another member of the royal family, whether that be … [1] In 1897 the fragments were moved by Georges Daressy to the forecourt of the small Amun temple at Medinet Habu nearby; later they were moved to Cairo and reassembled for the opening of the Egyptian Museum in 1902. Amenhotep III became a bit of a god in his own day. 9781139504997 p.193, Dorothea Arnold, Metropolitan Museum of Art: Royal Women of Amarna, p.9, Grimal, Nicolas (1992). (ed. [7] The third princess on the statue, whose name is destroyed is sometimes tentatively identified as Iset, but Amenhotep may have had as many as sixteen daughters, not all of whom are known to us. The place where the statue was found is likely to have been the south gate of the mortuary temple complex, as it is as far from the temp… Amenhotep III was made Pharaoh at a young age of 12. In a culture in which visual size was everything, bigger was better, so a big king and an equally big queen showed them as equals. You can check out this book: William Murane. Sitamun is considered to be the eldest daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his Great Royal Wife Tiye. Amenhotep ascended the throne as a boy king, exercising his only dated military campaign when he was about seventeen in Kush. Queen Tiye was of Nubian descent. He also wed his own daughters, as other pharaohs did, once they came of age; whether or not those marriages were consummated is up for debate. Given his father's obsession with his connection to the solar gods, it's not too far of a stretch to get to the aforementioned Akhenaten, his son by Tiye and successor, who declared that the sun disk, Aten, should be the sole deity worshipped in the Two Lands. [6], The eldest daughter of the royal couple, Sitamun is absent from the statue group, probably because she was elevated to the rank of great royal wife by Year 30 of Amenhotep's reign. With the newly found parts added the statue is 70% complete. It has some inscriptions from the time of Amenhotep III and a little earlier, if memory serves me correctly. Famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass considers the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III, one of the final rulers of the Eighteenth Dynasty, as the greatest monarch ever reign over the Two Lands. Silver, Carly. She wears an ankle-length, close-fitting dress and a heavy wig with a vulture headdress, modius and double uraei. Queen #Tiye and #Amenhotep III Parents of Akhenaten Grandparents of Tutankhamun #Egyptian_museum Statues and The Paint of their Tomb ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/pharaoh-amenhotep-iii-and-queen-tiye-120268. She became the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III. So it looks like Amenhotep's emphasis on the godly powers of the king went to an extreme in his son's reign. The inscription on the underside is inlaid with bluish-white glaze. Nebetah wears a round wig and a modius headdress; traces of the sidelock of youth can still be discovered. She was later married to her father around Year 30 of Amenhotep III… The temple was constructed in Nubia (current-day northern Sudan) in the Sedeinga pyramids … ancient Egypt: Amenhotep III He soon wed Tiy , who became his queen. Ruling collectively for as many as 38 years, the pair +201008308739 info@egypttours36.com Amenhotep was born to Pharaoh Thutmose IV and his wife Mutemwia. Within the tomb of Yuya and Tjuya, Sitamun’s portrait appears on the backrests of two chairs, the chairs which are of different sizes must have belonged to her during her youth. Blackwell Books. Arielle Kozloff writes that the age of the daughters depicted on the monument, especially that of Henuttaneb, and the style of Queen Tiye's wig, which was "at its most developed, nearly shrouding her face" suggests that the statue was made during the third decade of the king's reign. >Image: Queen TiyeEgyptian and European archaeologists have announced they have discovered a giant statue of Queen Tiye, the wife of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep III on the site of the Colossi of Memnon. Soon after their marriage, the pharaoh exalted his spouse to the position of Great Royal Wife; an honor that was denied even to his beloved mother, Mutemwiya. pharaoh brought in unprecedented amounts of gold to his kingdom, built tons of epic structures, including the famed Colossi of Memnon and lots of religious buildings, and depicted his wife, Queen Tiye, in an unprecedentedly egalitarian fashion. As Queen to Pharaoh Amenhotep III, diplomat and advisor she was worshipped in the realm. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. He did, however, do a bit of building, especially at Amun's temple in Karnak, where he explicitly identified himself with the sun god Re. Henuttaneb is nowhere mentioned as a queen, but on this colossus she is described as "the companion of Horus, who is in his heart". https://www.thoughtco.com/pharaoh-amenhotep-iii-and-queen-tiye-120268 (accessed February 12, 2021). "Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye." Shortly after her arrival in Egypt, Amenhotep III died. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c. 1355 BCE. As it was built too close to the floodplain, less than two hundred years later it already stood in ruins and most of its stones were reused by later pharaohs for their own building projects. Her husband built her shrines and palaces and even created a lake for her. The colossal statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye is a monolith group statue of Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III of the eighteenth dynasty, his Great Royal Wife Tiye, and three of their daughters. [8] The colossus has the catalogue number M610; the figure of Princess Henuttaneb has a separate number, JE 33906. If your official portrait doesn't look like this, you aren't a badass. Tiye died, perhaps during the 12th year of Akhenaten's reign (c.1338 BC). Her parents, Yuya and Tjuya, were non-royal officials; Daddy was a charioteer and priest called "the God's Father," while Mom was a priestess of Min. Let's dive into the revolutionary era of Amenhotep and Tiye. Her bust is lying at the Ägyptisches Museum in Berlin, Germany. Queen Tiye would kick her butt. Although historians dubbed him "the Magnificent," Amenhotep went by the moniker of "the Dazzling Sun Disk.". Tiye (c. 1398 BC – 1338 BC, also spelled Tye, Taia, Tiy and Tiyi) was the daughter of Yuya and Tjuyu. Her height is equal to that of the pharaoh, which shows her prominent status. But Tiye wasn't Amenhotep's only wife - far from it! We know more about Tiye than we do about any other Eighteenth-Dynasty queen with the exception of Hatshepsut who ruled as pharaoh. She's mentioned as "the Great Royal Wife Tiye" in his second regnal year - meaning they got married when he was just a kid! Tiye was also the grandmother of the well known pharaoh, King Tut. He had about 317 wives, but his favourite was Tiye. Queen Tiye’s Bust and sculpture. p.224, Colossal red granite statue of Amenhotep III. Aside from his alleged role in re-establishing the Great Sphinx as a big tourist spot, Thutmose IV wasn't that notable of a pharaoh. She has the same almond-shaped eyes with finely carved eyebrows and cosmetic lines as the other figures of the group. Description By the second year of his reign, Amenhotep III was married to his "great royal wife," Queen Tiye. In the reign of Akhenaten, Nefertiti was depicted as occupying roles of great prominence in her husband's court and in his new religious order. The long reign of Amenhotep III and his great royal wife, Tiye, was a golden age for Egypt. In the scene s… Queen Tiye, whose husband, Amenhotep III, may have been depicted to her right in this broken statue (CC BY-SA 2.0 FR ) [11][12], The statue in the hall of the Egyptian Museum, Colossal statues of Amenhotep III and Tiye in the Cairo Egyptian Museum, W. Raymond Johnson: Monuments and Monumental Art under Amenhotep III. Zahi Hawass, Abdel Ghaffar Wagdy, Mohamed Abdel Badea: The Discovery of the Missing Pieces of the Statue of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Like many pharaohs before and after him, the king took brides from foreign countries in order to form alliances. Silver, Carly. Arielle Kozloff: Amenhotep III: Egypt's Radiant Pharaoh. The statue is made of limestone, its width is 4,4 m, its height is 7 m. The almond shaped eyes and curved eyebrows of the figures are of typical late 18th dynasty style. At the same time, many other people of her times disappeared from the pages of history. Scarab: Nebmaatra (Amenhotep III) and Queen Tiye Origin Egypt Date 1390 BCE–1352 BCE Medium Steatite Dimensions 1.6 × 1.3 × 0.6 cm (5/8 × 1/2 × 1/4 in) Credit Line Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson Reference Number 1894.1502 Extended information about this artwork [9] The place where the statue was found is likely to have been the south gate of the mortuary temple complex, as it is as far from the temple as the Colossi of Memnon at the east gate.