ANCIENT HISTORY: EGYPT

Assess the role and importance of the queens during this period.

During New Kingdom Egypt, the Queens played a significant role in assisting the pharaoh with his maintenance of ma’at. The QueensTiye, Nefertiti, Ankhesenamun and Nefertari were hugely important in their political and religious roles; however this importance varied between the Queens depending on the context and impact of Amarna. The Queens also played a vital role as they were responsible for producing heirs to the throne to ensure the continuation of the dynasty.

The Queens in the New Kingdom period were hugely important as they all played a religious role; however the significance of this role varied from Queen to Queen. According to Robbins, on a religious level, the Queen was the female representation of the universe through which the king could renew himself, thus she played a significant role in him upholding ma’at. Queen Tiye, Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III, played an important religious role, demonstrated as she was promoted as a goddess and is depicted holding an ankh on a plaque which is now at the Metropolitan Museum. Ramesses II’s Great Royal Wife Nefertari played a similar religious role as she is depicted as a divine being through the representation of her as an equal to the goddess Hathor. Nefertari also supported the pharaoh in fulfilling his religious role as she is officiated with Ramesses II in ceremonies at Gebel el Silsila. However, the religious importance of these two Queens is significantly lesser than the role played by Nefertiti. As Great RoyalWife of Akhenaten, she was viewed as an intermediary between the people and the Aten. This role positioned her with huge significance in the Amarna period as all worship to the one god was conducted through herself and her husband. Her importance is demonstrated in the East Karnak Temples in which she is depicted twice as much as her husband. Nefertiti is also promoted as a goddess and is shown in the Hewet- benben at East Karnak, a temple devoted entirely to her worship of the Aten, emphasising her significance as a religious figure. Nefertiti by far played the most significant religious role compared to Nefertari, Tiye and Ankhesenamun, however the latter was religiously important as she was involved in the restoration of the traditional gods at the end of the Amarna period. Ankhesenamun’s role in the return to worship of all gods is demonstrated through the association of her with the goddess Hathor and her honour of deities by changing her name from Ankhesenpa’aten to Ankhesenamun.Therefore, the Queens of the New Kingdom period were vital as each played significant religious roles in their separate contexts which assisted in the pharaoh’s fulfilment of his religious duties, thus contributed greatly to the maintenance of ma’at.

Similarly, the Queens were hugely important as they each contributed to the maintenance of ma’at through their political and diplomatic roles. Amenhotep III’s Great Royal Wife, Tiye was the first Queen where the role was changed to encompass diplomatic duties. Tiye’s political role was thus hugely significant as she was directly involved in diplomatic negotiations with foreign nations, such as Tushratta, king of the Mitanni, who wrote directly to Tiye following the death of her husband. Her importance due to this role is shown as she was depicted in the same size as Amenhotep III on the king’s monuments. Although Tiye had an important political role, Nefertiti’s influence on diplomatic matters was enormous, so much so that Murnane believes she was clearly a co-ruler with Akhenaten for much of his reign. She is shown in tomb paintings at Akhetaten distributing honours and receiving foreign envoys which demonstrates her significant importance as a political figure. It is clear that Nefertiti had a unique political role as she had her own distinctive crown, as shown on the bust of Nefertiti. Due to the dramatic change to society in the Amarna period, the Queen’s role was amplified so that she not only had enormous political influence but was also represented as a prominent military figure as she is depicted with pharaonic attributes in the typical smiting pose of the warrior king from Talatat at Karnak and was depicted in tomb paintings at Akhetaten driving her own chariot. However, this enormous political influence was not passed to Ankhesenamun. According to Robbins, the Queens’s roles offered potential power. It seems that Ankhesenamun attempted to fulfil this potential as she attempted to increase her diplomatic role dramatically when she wrote to the Hittite king, Suppiluliumas for a son to marry, making her politically significant. As this was highly unusual, it increases Ankhesenamun political significance in history, despite the

Hittite son not reaching Egypt alive, suggesting that Egypt was not prepared for a Queen to hold that immense power. In contrast with Ankhesenamun’s political influence, Nefertari played a vital role in diplomatic matters of her time. Her involvement in the signing of the Egypt-Hittite peace treaty is indicative of this importance as well as her correspondence with the Hittite Queen, Pudukhepa. The Queens of New Kingdom Egypt were hugely important and played significant roles in their context as, although the importance of the political roles played the Queens varied throughout the period, each Queen contributed to the maintenance of prosperity through their involvement in diplomatic matters. Therefore, the Queens of New Kingdom Egypt were hugely important and played significant roles in their context as their diplomatic contributions assisted the pharaoh in fulfilling his duties, thus contributed to the maintenance of ma’at.

Queens were vital during this period as they produced heirs to the throne and contributed to the maintenance of ma’at.In ancient Egypt, a considerable amount of responsibility was placed upon the Queens to produce children who would be able to take the throne to ensure the continuation of the dynasty, thus became a vital contribution to the maintenance of ma’at as the blood line would remain favoured by the gods. Queen Tiye successfully carried out this role as she gave birth to a number of daughters and sons, one of whom was Akhenaten, the eventual successor to the throne. Nefertiti’s role in producing children was similarly carried out successfully, however, in the Amarna period there was more emphasis in art on family as she was depicted with Akhenaten in intimate family scenes holding their children. This brief period emphasising family life is contrasted with the period afterwards in which producing children remained a vital contribution from the Queen but was not publicised in art in intimate family scenes. It is highly likely that Ankhesenamun had two stillborn daughters to Tutankhamun as she was his only known wife. Although she did not fulfil this aspect of her role, it was extremely important and, after the death of her husband, left her without a son to take the throne and continue the blood line. Nefertari, however, was successful in fulfilling this aspect of her role as she produced many children to take the throne after the death of Ramesses II although many of the children died before their father due to his long life span. Therefore, the Queens of New Kingdom Egypt were extremely important as they ensured the production of heirs to the throne which allowed for the continuation of the blood line, causing limited disruption to the maintenance of ma’at through guaranteeing a successor to the throne who would be favoured by the gods.

The Queens of New Kingdom Egypt played a vital role in the maintenance of ma’at throughout the empire as their many roles significantly supported the pharaoh’s ruling. By effectively carrying out religious and political roles, the Queens supported the pharaoh in most aspects of his duties. Although the significance of the roles played by each Queen varied due to the context and impact of Amarna, all the Queens were very important and were vital to ensure the prosperity of Egypt through ensuring a succession of heirs was available to continue the blood line throughout the period.