Ahmose-Nefertari
Encyclopedia
Ahmose-Nefertari of Ancient Egypt
was a Queen of Egypt
. She was a daughter of Seqenenre Tao II and Ahhotep I
, and royal sister and the great royal wife
of pharaoh
, Ahmose I
. She was the mother of king Amenhotep I
and may have served as his regent when he was young. Ahmose-Nefertari was deified after her death.
and the grand-daughter of Senakhtenre Tao I and queen Tetisheri
. Ahmose-Nefertari was born in Thebes, likely during the reign of Senakhtenre Tao I . She grew up with quite a few brothers and sisters including the princes Ahmose
, Ahmose-Sipair and Binpu, and the princesses Ahmose-Henutemipet
, Ahmose-Tumerisy
, Ahmose-Nebetta
, Ahmose-Meritamon
, as well as her half-sisters Ahmose-Henuttamehu
, Ahmose
and Ahmose-Sitkamose
.
Ahmose-Nefertari may have married Pharaoh
Kamose
, but if so there is no record of such a marriage. She did become the great royal wife
of pharaoh
, Ahmose I
. With Ahmose she had at least three sons. She is depicted on a stela from Karnak with a son named Ahmose-ankh
, a son named Siamun was reburied in the royal cache DB320
, but it was her son Amenhotep I
who would eventually succeed his father to the throne. She was the mother of queen Ahmose-Meritamun and Ahmose-Sitamun
. She may also have been the mother of Mutnofret
, the wife of Thutmose I
. A prince named Ramose included among the Lords of the West and known from a statue now in Liverpool, may be another son of Ahmose-Nefertari.
, during the reign of her grandfather Senakhtenre Tao I. Her father Seqenenre Tao II fought against the Hyksos
and may have lost his life during a battle. He was succeeded by Kamose
. It is possible that Ahmose-Nefertari married Kamose, but no evidence exists of such a marriage.
After the death of Kamose the throne went to Ahmose I
. Pharaoh Ahmose was very young and queen-mother Ahhotep I
served as regent during the early years of his reign. Ahhotep would have taken precedence at court over her daughter Ahmose-Nefertari, who was the great royal wife. Ahmose I became the first king of the eighteenth dynasty, a pharaoh ruling over a reunited country.
Queen Ahmose-Nefertari held many titles, including those of hereditary princess (iryt-p`t), great of grace (wrt-im3t), great of praises (wrt-hzwt), king’s mother (mwt-niswt), great king’s wife (hmt-niswt-wrt), god’s wife (hmt-ntr), united with the white crown (khnmt-nfr-hdjt), king’s daughter (s3t-niswt), and king’s sister (snt-niswt).
A donation stela from Karnak records how king Ahmose purchased the office of Second Prophet of Amun and endowed the position with land, goods and administrators. The endowment was given to Ahmose-Nefertari and her descendants. Separately the position of Divine adoratrix was also given to Ahmose-Nefertari. Records from a later era indicate that in this position she would have been responsible for all temple properties, administration of estates, workshops, treasuries and all the associated administration staff.
Amenhotep I came to power while he was still young. As his mother, Ahmose-Nefertari, may have served as regent
for him until he reached maturity.
Ahmose-Nefertari is shown to be alive during the early years of the reign of Tuthmosis I. She is depicted in Nubia by the Viceroy of Kush Ahmose called Turo
in the company of the newly crowned king and Queen Ahmose. A vase fragment found in KV20
was inscribed with the double cartouche of king Tuthmosis I and Ahmose-Nefertari and the epithet indicates the queen was alive. A large statue of queen Ahmose-Nefertari from Karnak may be one of the last statues created in her honor before she died.
. Her death is recorded on the stela of a wab-priest called Nefer. The text mentions that “the divine consort Ahmose-Nefertary, justified with the great god lord of the West, flew to heaven". Helck proposed that the annual cult holiday (II Shemu 14) dedicated to Ahmose-Nefertari at Deir el-Medina may have commemorated the day of her death. The father of Nefer, who was likely none other that the overseer of the royal works Ineni
, oversaw her burial.
She was likely buried in Dra Abu el-Naga, and had a mortuary temple there. Her mummy was retrieved from her tomb at the end of the New Kingdom and was moved to the royal cache in DB320
. Her body was discovered in the 19th century and unwrapped in 1885 by Emile Brugsch. Her mummy gave of such a bad odor that Brugsch had it reburied on museum grounds in Cairo until the offensive smell abated. Ahmose-Nefertari died in her 70s. Her hair had been thinning and plaits of false hair had been woven in with her own to cover this up. Her body had been damaged in antiquity and was missing her right hand.
The villagers of Deir el-Medina held Amenhotep I and his mother Queen Ahmose Nefertari in high regard over many generations. When Amenhotep died he became the center of a village funerary cult, worshiped as "Amenhotep of the Town". When the Queen died she also was deified and became "Mistress of the Sky" and "Lady of the West".
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
was a Queen of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. She was a daughter of Seqenenre Tao II and Ahhotep I
Ahhotep I
Ahhotep I , was an Ancient Egyptian queen who lived circa 1560- 1530 BC, during the end of the Seventeenth dynasty of ancient Egypt, she was the daughter of Queen Tetisheri and Senakhtenre Tao I, and was likely the sister, as well as the wife, of pharaoh Seqenenre Tao...
, and royal sister and the great royal wife
Great Royal Wife
Great Royal Wife or Chief King's Wife is the term used to refer to the chief wife of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. While most Ancient Egyptians were monogamous, the pharaoh would have had other, lesser wives and concubines in addition to the Great Royal Wife...
of pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
, Ahmose I
Ahmose I
Ahmose I was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty. He was a member of the Theban royal house, the son of pharaoh Tao II Seqenenre and brother of the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty, King Kamose...
. She was the mother of king Amenhotep I
Amenhotep I
Amenhotep I was the second Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. His reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC. He was born to Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari, but had at least two elder brothers, Ahmose-ankh and Ahmose Sapair, and was not expected to inherit the throne...
and may have served as his regent when he was young. Ahmose-Nefertari was deified after her death.
Family
Ahmose-Nefertari was a daughter of Seqenenre Tao II and Ahhotep IAhhotep I
Ahhotep I , was an Ancient Egyptian queen who lived circa 1560- 1530 BC, during the end of the Seventeenth dynasty of ancient Egypt, she was the daughter of Queen Tetisheri and Senakhtenre Tao I, and was likely the sister, as well as the wife, of pharaoh Seqenenre Tao...
and the grand-daughter of Senakhtenre Tao I and queen Tetisheri
Tetisheri
Tetisheri was the matriarch of the Egyptian royal family of the late 17th Dynasty and early 18th Dynasty.-Family:Tetisheri was the daughter of Tjenna and Neferu. The names of Tetisheri's parents are known from mummy bandages found in TT320....
. Ahmose-Nefertari was born in Thebes, likely during the reign of Senakhtenre Tao I . She grew up with quite a few brothers and sisters including the princes Ahmose
Ahmose I
Ahmose I was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty. He was a member of the Theban royal house, the son of pharaoh Tao II Seqenenre and brother of the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty, King Kamose...
, Ahmose-Sipair and Binpu, and the princesses Ahmose-Henutemipet
Ahmose-Henutemipet
Ahmose-Henutemipet was a princess of the late seventeenth dynasty of Egypt. She was a daughter of Pharaoh Tao II the Brave and probably Queen Ahhotep I. She was the sister of Ahmose I. She bore the titles King's Daughter and King's Sister.- Mummy :...
, Ahmose-Tumerisy
Ahmose-Tumerisy
Ahmose-Tumerisy was a princess of the seventeenth dynasty of Egypt, probably a daughter of Tao II the Brave and a sister of Ahmose I. Her titles were: King's Daughter and King's Sister....
, Ahmose-Nebetta
Ahmose-Nebetta
Ahmose-Nebetta was a princess during the late seventeenth dynasty of Egypt. She was probably the daughter of Seqenenre Tao II and Queen Ahhotep I. She was the sister of Pharaoh Ahmose I.-Life:Ahmose-Nebetta was likely a daughter of Seqenenre Tao II...
, Ahmose-Meritamon
Ahmose-Meritamon (17th dynasty)
Ahmose-Meritamon was a princess of the seventeenth dynasty of Egypt, probably a daughter of Tao II the Brave. She is also called Ahmose-Meritamun, Ahmose-Meryetamun or just Meryetamun....
, as well as her half-sisters Ahmose-Henuttamehu
Ahmose-Henuttamehu
Ahmose-Henuttamehu was a princess and queen of the late 17th-early 18th dynasties of Egypt.-Family:Ahmose-Henuttamehu was a daughter of Pharaoh Seqenenre Tao II by his sister-wife Ahmose Inhapy...
, Ahmose
Ahmose (princess)
Ahmose was a princess of the seventeenth dynasty of Egypt. She was the only known daughter of Tao II the Brave by his sister-wife Sitdjehuti. She was the half-sister of Pharaoh Ahmose I....
and Ahmose-Sitkamose
Ahmose-Sitkamose
Ahmose-Sitkamose or Sitkamose was a princess and queen during the late 17th-early 18th dynasties of Egypt. Based on her name, she is likely to have been the daughter of Pharaoh Kamose...
.
Ahmose-Nefertari may have married Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Kamose
Kamose
Kamose was the last king of the Theban Seventeenth Dynasty. He was probably the son of Seqenenre Tao II and Ahhotep I and the full brother of Ahmose I, founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty. His reign fell at the very end of the Second Intermediate Period...
, but if so there is no record of such a marriage. She did become the great royal wife
Great Royal Wife
Great Royal Wife or Chief King's Wife is the term used to refer to the chief wife of the pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. While most Ancient Egyptians were monogamous, the pharaoh would have had other, lesser wives and concubines in addition to the Great Royal Wife...
of pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
, Ahmose I
Ahmose I
Ahmose I was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty. He was a member of the Theban royal house, the son of pharaoh Tao II Seqenenre and brother of the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty, King Kamose...
. With Ahmose she had at least three sons. She is depicted on a stela from Karnak with a son named Ahmose-ankh
Ahmose-ankh
Ahmose-ankh was a prince during the early Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. He was the son of Pharaoh Ahmose I and Queen Ahmose Nefertari. He was the crown prince but pre-deceased his father, thus the next pharaoh was his younger brother Amenhotep I...
, a son named Siamun was reburied in the royal cache DB320
DB320
Tomb DB320 is located next to Deir el-Bahri, in the Theban Necropolis, opposite modern Luxor contained an extraordinary cache of mummified remains and funeral equipment of more than 50 kings, queens, royals and various nobility.-Usage of tomb:The tomb is thought to have initially been the last...
, but it was her son Amenhotep I
Amenhotep I
Amenhotep I was the second Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. His reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC. He was born to Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari, but had at least two elder brothers, Ahmose-ankh and Ahmose Sapair, and was not expected to inherit the throne...
who would eventually succeed his father to the throne. She was the mother of queen Ahmose-Meritamun and Ahmose-Sitamun
Ahmose-Sitamun
- Etymology :Name of this princess means "Child of the Moon, Daughter of Amun".- Biography :Sitamun was the daughter of Pharaoh Ahmose I and sister of Amenhotep I...
. She may also have been the mother of Mutnofret
Mutnofret
Mutnofret was a queen during the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. She was a secondary wife of Thutmose I and the mother of Thutmose II....
, the wife of Thutmose I
Thutmose I
Thutmose I was the third Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. He was given the throne after the death of the previous king Amenhotep I. During his reign, he campaigned deep into the Levant and Nubia, pushing the borders of Egypt further than ever before...
. A prince named Ramose included among the Lords of the West and known from a statue now in Liverpool, may be another son of Ahmose-Nefertari.
Life
Ahmose-Nefertari was born during the latter part of the seventeenth dynastySeventeenth dynasty of Egypt
The Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Second Intermediate Period. The Seventeenth Dynasty dates approximately from 1580 to 1550 BC.-Rulers:...
, during the reign of her grandfather Senakhtenre Tao I. Her father Seqenenre Tao II fought against the Hyksos
Hyksos
The Hyksos were an Asiatic people who took over the eastern Nile Delta during the twelfth dynasty, initiating the Second Intermediate Period of ancient Egypt....
and may have lost his life during a battle. He was succeeded by Kamose
Kamose
Kamose was the last king of the Theban Seventeenth Dynasty. He was probably the son of Seqenenre Tao II and Ahhotep I and the full brother of Ahmose I, founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty. His reign fell at the very end of the Second Intermediate Period...
. It is possible that Ahmose-Nefertari married Kamose, but no evidence exists of such a marriage.
After the death of Kamose the throne went to Ahmose I
Ahmose I
Ahmose I was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty. He was a member of the Theban royal house, the son of pharaoh Tao II Seqenenre and brother of the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty, King Kamose...
. Pharaoh Ahmose was very young and queen-mother Ahhotep I
Ahhotep I
Ahhotep I , was an Ancient Egyptian queen who lived circa 1560- 1530 BC, during the end of the Seventeenth dynasty of ancient Egypt, she was the daughter of Queen Tetisheri and Senakhtenre Tao I, and was likely the sister, as well as the wife, of pharaoh Seqenenre Tao...
served as regent during the early years of his reign. Ahhotep would have taken precedence at court over her daughter Ahmose-Nefertari, who was the great royal wife. Ahmose I became the first king of the eighteenth dynasty, a pharaoh ruling over a reunited country.
Queen Ahmose-Nefertari held many titles, including those of hereditary princess (iryt-p`t), great of grace (wrt-im3t), great of praises (wrt-hzwt), king’s mother (mwt-niswt), great king’s wife (hmt-niswt-wrt), god’s wife (hmt-ntr), united with the white crown (khnmt-nfr-hdjt), king’s daughter (s3t-niswt), and king’s sister (snt-niswt).
A donation stela from Karnak records how king Ahmose purchased the office of Second Prophet of Amun and endowed the position with land, goods and administrators. The endowment was given to Ahmose-Nefertari and her descendants. Separately the position of Divine adoratrix was also given to Ahmose-Nefertari. Records from a later era indicate that in this position she would have been responsible for all temple properties, administration of estates, workshops, treasuries and all the associated administration staff.
Amenhotep I came to power while he was still young. As his mother, Ahmose-Nefertari, may have served as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
for him until he reached maturity.
Ahmose-Nefertari is shown to be alive during the early years of the reign of Tuthmosis I. She is depicted in Nubia by the Viceroy of Kush Ahmose called Turo
Ahmose called Turo
Ahmose called Turo was Viceroy of Kush under Amenhotep I and Tuthmosis I. Ahmose called Turo was a son of Ahmose Si-tayit. Ahmose Turo's son Ahmose Patjenna would continue to serve the royal family during the reigns of Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III....
in the company of the newly crowned king and Queen Ahmose. A vase fragment found in KV20
KV20
KV20 is a tomb in the Valley of the Kings . It was probably the first royal tomb to be constructed in the valley. KV20 was the original burial place of Thutmose I and later was adapted by his daughter Hatshepsut to accommodate both her and her father...
was inscribed with the double cartouche of king Tuthmosis I and Ahmose-Nefertari and the epithet indicates the queen was alive. A large statue of queen Ahmose-Nefertari from Karnak may be one of the last statues created in her honor before she died.
Death and Burial
Ahmose-Nefertari likely died in approximately the fifth or sixth year of Thutmose IThutmose I
Thutmose I was the third Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. He was given the throne after the death of the previous king Amenhotep I. During his reign, he campaigned deep into the Levant and Nubia, pushing the borders of Egypt further than ever before...
. Her death is recorded on the stela of a wab-priest called Nefer. The text mentions that “the divine consort Ahmose-Nefertary, justified with the great god lord of the West, flew to heaven". Helck proposed that the annual cult holiday (II Shemu 14) dedicated to Ahmose-Nefertari at Deir el-Medina may have commemorated the day of her death. The father of Nefer, who was likely none other that the overseer of the royal works Ineni
Ineni
Ineni was an Ancient Egyptian architect and government official of the 18th Dynasty, responsible for major construction projects under the pharaohs Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Thutmose II and the joint reigns of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III...
, oversaw her burial.
She was likely buried in Dra Abu el-Naga, and had a mortuary temple there. Her mummy was retrieved from her tomb at the end of the New Kingdom and was moved to the royal cache in DB320
DB320
Tomb DB320 is located next to Deir el-Bahri, in the Theban Necropolis, opposite modern Luxor contained an extraordinary cache of mummified remains and funeral equipment of more than 50 kings, queens, royals and various nobility.-Usage of tomb:The tomb is thought to have initially been the last...
. Her body was discovered in the 19th century and unwrapped in 1885 by Emile Brugsch. Her mummy gave of such a bad odor that Brugsch had it reburied on museum grounds in Cairo until the offensive smell abated. Ahmose-Nefertari died in her 70s. Her hair had been thinning and plaits of false hair had been woven in with her own to cover this up. Her body had been damaged in antiquity and was missing her right hand.
Deification and worship
The villagers of Deir el-Medina held Amenhotep I and his mother Queen Ahmose Nefertari in high regard over many generations. When Amenhotep died he became the center of a village funerary cult, worshiped as "Amenhotep of the Town". When the Queen died she also was deified and became "Mistress of the Sky" and "Lady of the West".
External links
- Ahmose Nefertari Image of her coffin and short bio.
- Mummy of Ahmose-Nefertari by Max Miller.
- "Family Tree of Ahmose Nefertari"
- "Queen Ahmose Nefertari"
- "Women in ancient Egypt"
- "The Glory and Power"
- "Women in Power BCE 4500-1000"
- "Royal Women"