Takhat
Encyclopedia
Takhat was an ancient Egypt
ian princess and queen of the 19th dynasty
, the mother of the usurper pharaoh Amenmesse
.
There are not many facts known about her other than that she was Amenmesse's mother. She bore the titles King's Daughter and King's Wife. She might have been identical with Takhat, a daughter of Ramesses II
, who is mentioned on a Louvre
ostraca. Thus she was the aunt of Seti II
, but since she was among the youngest children of Ramesses, it is very likely that she was the same age or even younger than Seti II who was the grandson of Ramesses. It is also possible that she was a grandchild of Ramesses; there are several examples of granddaughters bearing the title King's Daughter, although it was not very common. The king she married was either Merenptah or Seti II
.
She is shown on several statues of Amenmesse, among them on two statues in the Karnak temple. On one of these, which still stands in Karnak, she is called King's Daughter, King's Wife (Takhat) and the word "wife" replaced the original "mother". According to Aidan Dodson and Dyan Hilton, the title was recarved when Seti, the rightful heir regained the throne and usurped the statue, and that it proves either that Takhat married Seti when he became pharaoh, or that they had been married before, which means Amenmesse was Seti's son and usurped the throne from his own father. This theory might be strengthened by the other statue (now in Cairo), on which Takhat is also named as King's Daughter and King's Wife, but without any trace of recarving, while the king's name replaced another name. This statue was, according to Dodson and Hilton, possibly made by Seti; later it was usurped by Amenmesse who replaced Seti's name with his own, while leaving his mother's titles intact; still later Amenmesse's name was again replaced with that of Seti. According to another theory Seti was never married to Takhat and had her original titles recarved only to remove all traces that her son ever ruled.
She is likely to have been buried in Amenmesse's tomb KV10
in Valley of the Kings
. Her sarcophagus lid originally belonged to an otherwise unknown Princess-Queen Anuketemheb, who might be identical with a daughter of Ramesses II, a princess once named in the Luxor temple
but from whose name only ...heb remains. The tomb was later usurped by two family members of Ramesses IX
: his mother Takhat
and his Great Royal Wife Baketwerel. The latter was once thought to be Amenmesse's Great Royal Wife, but it has been proven since then that decoration mentioned her replaced that of Amenmesse in the tomb, so she must have lived later.
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...
ian princess and queen of the 19th dynasty
Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt
The Nineteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt was one of the periods of the Egyptian New Kingdom. Founded by Vizier Ramesses I, whom Pharaoh Horemheb chose as his successor to the throne, this dynasty is best known for its military conquests in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.The warrior kings of the...
, the mother of the usurper pharaoh Amenmesse
Amenmesse
Amenmesse was the 5th ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty in Ancient Egypt, possibly the son of Merneptah and Queen Takhat. Others consider him to be one of the innumerable sons of Ramesses II. Very little is known about this king, who ruled Egypt for only three to four years...
.
There are not many facts known about her other than that she was Amenmesse's mother. She bore the titles King's Daughter and King's Wife. She might have been identical with Takhat, a daughter of 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...
, who is mentioned on a Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
ostraca. Thus she was the aunt of Seti II
Seti II
Seti II , was the fifth ruler of the Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt and reigned from 1203 BC to 1197 BC. His throne name, Userkheperure Setepenre, meant "Powerful are the Manifestations of Re, Chosen by Re.' He was the son of Merneptah and wife Isisnofret and sat on the throne during a...
, but since she was among the youngest children of Ramesses, it is very likely that she was the same age or even younger than Seti II who was the grandson of Ramesses. It is also possible that she was a grandchild of Ramesses; there are several examples of granddaughters bearing the title King's Daughter, although it was not very common. The king she married was either Merenptah or Seti II
Seti II
Seti II , was the fifth ruler of the Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt and reigned from 1203 BC to 1197 BC. His throne name, Userkheperure Setepenre, meant "Powerful are the Manifestations of Re, Chosen by Re.' He was the son of Merneptah and wife Isisnofret and sat on the throne during a...
.
She is shown on several statues of Amenmesse, among them on two statues in the Karnak temple. On one of these, which still stands in Karnak, she is called King's Daughter, King's Wife (Takhat) and the word "wife" replaced the original "mother". According to Aidan Dodson and Dyan Hilton, the title was recarved when Seti, the rightful heir regained the throne and usurped the statue, and that it proves either that Takhat married Seti when he became pharaoh, or that they had been married before, which means Amenmesse was Seti's son and usurped the throne from his own father. This theory might be strengthened by the other statue (now in Cairo), on which Takhat is also named as King's Daughter and King's Wife, but without any trace of recarving, while the king's name replaced another name. This statue was, according to Dodson and Hilton, possibly made by Seti; later it was usurped by Amenmesse who replaced Seti's name with his own, while leaving his mother's titles intact; still later Amenmesse's name was again replaced with that of Seti. According to another theory Seti was never married to Takhat and had her original titles recarved only to remove all traces that her son ever ruled.
She is likely to have been buried in Amenmesse's tomb KV10
KV10
Tomb KV10, located in the Valley of the Kings near the modern-day Egyptian city of Luxor, was cut and decorated for the burial of Pharaoh Amenmesse of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. However, there is no proof that he was actually buried here...
in Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
. Her sarcophagus lid originally belonged to an otherwise unknown Princess-Queen Anuketemheb, who might be identical with a daughter of Ramesses II, a princess once named in the Luxor temple
Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor and was founded in 1400 BCE.,...
but from whose name only ...heb remains. The tomb was later usurped by two family members of Ramesses IX
Ramesses IX
Ramesses IX was the eighth king of the Twentieth dynasty of Egypt. He was the third longest serving king of this Dynasty after Ramesses III and Ramesses XI...
: his mother Takhat
Takhat (20th dynasty)
Takhat was the mother of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses IX of the 20th dynasty. It is likely that she was the wife of Montuherkhepeshef, a son of Ramesses III....
and his Great Royal Wife Baketwerel. The latter was once thought to be Amenmesse's Great Royal Wife, but it has been proven since then that decoration mentioned her replaced that of Amenmesse in the tomb, so she must have lived later.
Sources
- Nos ancêtres de l'Antiquité, 1991, Christian SettipaniChristian SettipaniChristian Settipani is the Technical Director of an IT company in Paris and a genealogist and historian.He has a Master of Advanced Studies degree from the Paris-Sorbonne University and is currently preparing his doctoral thesis, while he often gives lectures to students undergraduates at the...
, p.175