Queen Tuya
Encyclopedia
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...
Seti I
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...
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...
and mother of Princess Tia
Princess Tia
Tia or Tiya was an Ancient Egyptian princess during the 19th dynasty.-Family:Tia was the daughter of Pharaoh Seti I and Queen Tuya and the sister of Ramesses II. She is attested only on monuments dating to Ramesses' reign....
, Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
and perhaps Henutmire
Henutmire
Henutmire was an Ancient Egyptian princess and queen, one of the eight Great Royal Wives of Pharaoh Ramesses II.-Life:She is possibly the third and youngest child of Seti I and Queen Tuya, and the younger sister of Ramesses II and Princess Tia. This theory is based on a statue of Queen Tuya, now in...
. She was the daughter of Raia who was a military officer based on his title of Lieutenant of the chariotry. Tuya's daughter, Princess Tia, was married to a high ranking civil servant who was also called Tia.
As the mother of Ramesses II, she enjoyed a privileged existence of a respected king's mother and was allowed the opportunity to correspond with the Hittite royal court after the Year 21 peace treaty between Egypt and Hatti put in place by Ramesses II.
Monuments and Inscriptions
- Statue, Vatican Museum no. 28 with figure of HenutmireHenutmireHenutmire was an Ancient Egyptian princess and queen, one of the eight Great Royal Wives of Pharaoh Ramesses II.-Life:She is possibly the third and youngest child of Seti I and Queen Tuya, and the younger sister of Ramesses II and Princess Tia. This theory is based on a statue of Queen Tuya, now in...
. The inscription identifies Queen Tuya as: Mother of the King of South and North Egypt, Queen Mother of the King of South and North Egypt (even of) the Horus-Falcon, Strong Bull, Lord of Both Lands, Usermaatre Setepenre, Lord of Crowns, Ramesses IIRamesses IIRamesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
, given life like ReReRe, bre, moré is an interjection common to Cypriot Greek, the languages of the Balkans, Turkish, and Venetian, with its "locus... more in the Greek world than elsewhere". It is used in colloquial speech to gain someone's attention, add emphasis, insult, or express surprise or astonishment, like...
; The God's Wife and Great Royal WifeGreat Royal WifeGreat 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...
, Lady of Both Lands, Tuya, may she live. - At the RamesseumRamesseumThe Ramesseum is the memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II . It is located in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor...
, fragments of North Side-Chapel of Queen Mother Tuya were found. Ramesses IIRamesses IIRamesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
had this chapel dedicated to his mother. A scene in this chapel records the name of Tuya's father and mother. - The RamesseumRamesseumThe Ramesseum is the memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II . It is located in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor...
contains scenes of the Divine Birth of the Pharaoh. - A Statue and base block, found in TanisTanisTanis was the capital of the 21st and 22nd dynasties of ancient Egypt, and is now an archaeological temple site. The word Tanis can also refer to:*Tanis, a little girl mummy in Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School...
but originally from Piramesse. Her titles are given as Hereditary Princess, Chief of the Harim, greatly favoured, God's Wife and Queen Mother, Great Royal Wife, etc. - In AbydosAbydos, EgyptAbydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...
Tuya's name appears on fragments of a limestone statue and in texts in Ramesses IIRamesses IIRamesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
's temple. - In the RamesseumRamesseumThe Ramesseum is the memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II . It is located in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor...
Tuya's name appears on fragments of a colossus and in scenes on the main (central) doorway into the great hypostyle hall. - A statue inscribed with the name and titles of Tuya was found at Medinet HabuMedinet Habu (temple)Medinet Habu is the name commonly given to the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, an important New Kingdom period structure in the location of the same name on the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt...
, but likely originated from the RamesseumRamesseumThe Ramesseum is the memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II . It is located in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor...
. - Queen Tuya appears on two of the collosi flanking the entrance to the temple at Abu SimbelAbu SimbelAbu Simbel temples refers to two massive rock temples in Abu Simbel in Nubia, southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser about 230 km southwest of Aswan...
. - A sandstone lintel from Deir el-Medina records the names of Ramesses IIRamesses IIRamesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
and Tuya. - A jamb now in Vienna (Inv. 5091) shows Ramesses IIRamesses IIRamesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
followed by Tuya, making an offering to Osiris. - A carved alabaster canopic jar stopper in the form of her head, today resides in the collection of the Luxor MuseumLuxor MuseumLuxor Museum is located in the Egyptian city of Luxor . It stands on the corniche, overlooking the west bank of the River Nile, in the central part of the city.Inaugurated in 1975, the museum is housed in a small, purpose-built building...
.
Death and Burial
Tuya likely died soon after Year 22 of Ramesses' reign and was buried in an impressive tomb in the Valley of the Queens (QV80). In her tomb, Tuya- "was stripped of the first part of her name to become plain Tuya for eternity; the loss of the prefix MutMutMut, which meant mother in the ancient Egyptian language, was an ancient Egyptian mother goddess with multiple aspects that changed over the thousands of years of the culture. Alternative spellings are Maut and Mout. She was considered a primal deity, associated with the waters from which...
- suggests that her death had ended in an almost divine earthly status."
In popular culture
- Queen Tuya has been first portrayed by actress Irene Martin in Cecil B. DeMilleCecil B. DeMilleCecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
's The Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments (1956 film)The Ten Commandments is a 1956 American epic film that dramatized the biblical story of the Exodus, in which the Hebrew-born Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince, becomes the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves. The film, released by Paramount Pictures in VistaVision on October 5, 1956, was directed by...
, as one of BithiahBithiahAccording to Hebrew beliefs; Bithiah or in Modern Hebrew Bityah was an Egyptian princess, and a daughter of Pharaoh. The name of her father is not in the Bible, but Rabbinic Midrash makes her the daughter of one of the Pharaohs of the Exodus,...
's maidservants famous for quoting "Bithiah could charm tears from a crocodile". She also appears in The Prince of EgyptThe Prince of EgyptThe Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the...
as the adoptive mother of Moses, voiced by Helen MirrenHelen MirrenDame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
.