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Royal Women in the Early New Kingdom

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During the early New Kingdom Egypt, royal women were generally regarded as the equals of their male counterparts. They were defined by their titles as “Mother of the King, “Daughter of the King” and “God’s Wife Amun”. The queens held importance religious and political status, exerting considerable influence in this period of time. According to Reconstructing the Past, Tetisheri was the commoner wife of the pharaoh Seqenenre Tao I who reigned during Hyksos occupation in the north, during 1594-1592 and was influential over its founders in the 18th dynasty. Her role in life was to raise the warriors of the Royal family who would eventually oust the Asiatics from the Delta. She was named ‘Mother of the King’ because her son Seqenenre Tao II and grandsons; Kamose and Ahmose, succeeded in uniting Egypt under one ruler and completing the liberation of Egypt through the expulsion of the Hyksos. Not much is known about Tetisheri, however, we can assume she had great importance over her male relatives, especially Ahmose I, who, according a stela at Karnak, granted her a great estate and tomb with priests and servants to conduct mortuary rituals in her honour. Evidence of Ahmose’s respect for Tetisheri can be seen in what Hennessy describes as a “very unconventional inscription”, on the Donation Stela at Abydos. The limestone stela erected by King Ahmose depicts the king in front of an offering-table dedicating the goods to the seated Tetisheri, who wears a vulture-headdress and two feathers, and holds the floral scepter of a queen. The inscription refers to the queen as “triumphant” and outlines the reason as to why the king decided to build more mortuary buildings for Tetisheri, “he so greatly loved her, beyond everything”, also comparing his love for her to that of previous kings, “Never did former kings, the like of it, for their mothers”. This can also be seen in the following “unconventional inscription”, which read, “He so greatly loved her, beyond everything.” The inscription refers to the queen as “triumphant” Along with this, a limestone stela was made for her at Abydos to display her significance. Pamela Bradley’s, Studies

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