The Hittite Queen, Maat-Hor-Neferura, may have been surprised to find she wasn’t the only King’s Great Wife. In fact, Ramesses had already turned to other women to be his Queens. Notably, his eldest daughter Bint-Anat (“Daughter of Anat“) became King’s Great Wife, along with several of her younger siblings. Why did Ramesses “marry” his own offspring, and what does that mean for the royal family?
Also, we meet Ramesses’ oft-forgotten sister, Tia.
In part 2, we are joined by Prof. Peter Brand to discuss life in the pharaonic palaces. How did they organise their royal households, what terms survive to illuminate this world? And how can Egyptologists understand life in Ramesses’ great family?
PDF booklet with images & references attached at end of post.
Music by Luke Chaos & Keith Zizza, used with permission.
Logo image: Bint-Anat as King’s Great Wife, from Ramesses’ colossal statue now in the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Transcript
In 1259 BCE (regnal year 34), a Hittite princess became the Egyptian queen Ma’at-Hor-Neferura, or “She Who Sees Horus, the Perfection of Ra.” The King was excited about his new bride. He proclaimed that she was beautiful to him, and that he loved her dearly. It was a new beginning for the King’s household.
In year 34, we are now more than halfway through Ramesses’ reign, in the chronological sense. In terms of the story, though, it’s more like three quarters. Most of the historical records (inscriptions, art, monuments) took shape in the first few decades. After that, it’s like the government settled into a routine, and big projects slowed down a bit. As a result, the next few decades will move much more quickly than the first.
On the plus side, that gives us more space to explore some thematic material. Records of society, religion, and the delights of daily life. Today, we’ve got a hybrid episode. First, we look at the aftermath of the Hittite Queen’s arrival. Then, we are joined once again by Prof. Peter Brand, to explain the royal household. We talk about pharaohs, queens, princes, and princesses. But how did the royal family operate, in practical terms? Prof. Brand shares his expertise.
I hope you enjoy.
The Daughter-Wives
Maat-Hor-Neferura had come to Egypt as a Queen, the “King’s Great Wife” (Hmt-nswt-wrt). She may have been slightly shocked to find that she was not the only woman holding this title. Although Nefertari and Iset-Nofret were gone, the royal house still had its great women.
Several of them.
The deaths of Nefertari and Iset-Nofret left a vacuum in the political hierarchy. Egypt needed a “Queen,” to be the incarnation of Hat-Hor or Iset; the female personification of rulership. What to do?
Bint-Anat
The King’s solution might seem unorthodox. Sometime in the third decade, we start to find monuments decorated with a new Great Royal Wife.[1] Her name was Bint-Anat. She was Ramesses’ daughter.[2]
Bint-Anat was the eldest girl-child of Ramesses and Iset-Nofret. Probably born in the reign of Sety I, she would have been in her early thirties when she became Egypt’s Queen. Notably, Bint-Anat is a Canaanite name, loosely translating as “Daughter of (the goddess) Anat.”[3] It’s a nice reminder of the cosmopolitan environment of Egyptian society. From distant lands, gods and goddesses flowed into the Nile Valley, along with the people who worshipped them.
But that’s by the by. Let’s address the elephant in the palace.
Today, the idea of Ramesses having his own daughter as a Queen may seem repulsive.[4] Hearing the word “wife” or “marriage,” we instinctively assume there is a sexual component to the relationship. That may be true; but it may not. There is no evidence that Bint-Anat and Ramesses ever coupled, physically.[5] Once upon a time, scholars thought Bint-Anat had a daughter.[6] But this turned out to be a phantom, or rather a representation of the princess herself, in her tomb.[7] With that in mind, the truth of the matter is probably lost. We might speculate, endlessly, about what went on behind palace doors. But that has more to do with us than the surviving historical record.[8] Did Ramesses II have sex with his own daughter? We simply don’t know.
These Daughter-Wives may have been ritualistic or ceremonial, connected with the deeper religious traditions of Egyptian society. The relationships between deities were complicated, and gods/goddesses could fill very different functions depending on the role they were playing. Hat-Hor, for example, was the Daughter of Ra, but also his wife, and his agent/representative, the “Eye of Ra.”[9] She could also be the Mother and/or Wife of Horus, depending on the ritual or context. That complex interplay of identities and roles extends to the royal family. A “Queen of Egypt” (King’s Great Wife) often took on the imagery and functions of Hat-Hor, in a religious and political sense.[10] In short, these marriages were quite different to modern ones; we should avoid oversimplifying them based on our own preconceptions.
Bint-Anat’s private life is shadowy, but her public is fairly well-recorded. In fact, if you’ve been to the Grand Egyptian Museum, you’ve seen this Daughter-Queen. Bint-Anat appears on the colossal statue of Ramesses that towers over the entrance. She’s on the left-hand side of the statue, behind the pharaoh’s leg. The Queen wears an elaborate wig, a diadem, and a tall crown with feathers, cow horns, and a sun disc. Basically, she takes on the same costumes as Nefertari had done, becoming the avatar of Hat-Hor, the ruling goddess.
When we see her in art, Bint-Anat appears with some distinctive titles.[11] From her earliest appearance, right through to her death, she’s always called the King’s Daughter of His Body (sAt nswt n Xt.f). After she becomes Queen, though, we find the title King’s Great Wife (Hmt nswt wrt). Finally, has a slightly more mysterious title: Great One of the Khenerut-women of Amun (Wrt Xnr.wt n Imn). This is an intriguing one. The Khener was an institution, sometimes translated as “Harem,” but more accurately a kind of domestic household. It was associated with the royal palace, but also with temples; and musicians often worked here.[12] We’ll talk about the Khener later in the episode, because Prof. Brand has some thoughts on that.
After the death of Nefertari, Bint-Anat starts to appear on monuments as the King’s Great Wife. But the young woman never replaced Nefertari.[13] As far as the surviving record goes, Bint-Anat appeared on new monuments (like statues and temples). But the existing ones, dedicated to the deceased lady, remained intact. Ramesses wasn’t in the business of erasing the recent past; his favourite consort remained the supreme image of female power on his great monuments. As a result, posterity remembers one far better than the other. Ironically, though, Bint-Anat actually served as “Queen” for much longer than her stepmother. From the surviving records, Nefertari acted as King’s Great Wife for about twenty-five years. Bint-Anat, meanwhile, would serve in this role for at least thirty-seven years.[14] Which technically makes her the longest serving of all Ramesses’ Queens.[15] We’ll see her again, before the end.
Other Daughter-Wives
Besides Bint-Anat, other daughters would also take on the role of King’s Great Wife.[16] These included two of Nefertari’s girls, named Meryt-Amun (“Beloved of Amun”), and Henut-Tawy (“Mistress of the Two Lands”); another daughter of Iset-Nofret, named Nebet-Tawy (“Lady of the Two Lands”), daughter of Iset-Nofret; and a fifth daughter-wife named Henut-mi-Ra (“Mistress like Ra”). Her mother is unknown.[17] Unfortunately, we don’t know much about these other Daughter-Queens. At least one of them, Meryt-Amun, worked as a priestess of Hat-Hor after she became a royal wife.[18] That might strengthen the idea that these were primarily ritual or ceremonial unions, rather than physical relationships. As we’ll see next episode, Ramesses happily promoted his sons to priestly and military offices, consolidating royal control over those institutions. It’s entirely feasible that he did the same with his daughters, making them “Wives” so that they could represent him in temples, palaces, and wider Egyptian society. I’m just speculating there, but it might be an explanation for this phenomenon.
Anyway… Beyond the tiny references, there’s not much to say about these women. The Daughter-Queens appear on colossal statues, usually as tiny figures behind the King himself.[19] They also got large tombs in the Valley of the Queens, like Nefertari. Alas, those tombs were all badly damaged by flooding and later re-use. They survive as hollow shells, and nothing survived from the burials.[20] So, the other Daughter-Queens are mostly anonymous today. A shame.
Ramesses’ Sister Tia
So, moving on, it’s time for an disc- Wait, I’m sorry. There’s a woman I’ve completely neglected, in our story so far. An important lady, in Ramesses’ family life.
The King’s sister.[21]
Ramesses II had a sibling named Tia (TiA). She was the “Sister of the King” (Cnt-nswt), sometimes called the “King’s Noble Sister” (Cnt-nsw Spst).[22] She seems to have been a singer or musician, working in great temples. One of her titles was Smayt n(t) Imn, “Songstress of Amun.” More specifically, a singer for Amun the “Great of Victories.” Which was Amun’s temple of Amun in the great royal city of Pi-Ramesses. She also worked in a Khener, that musical institution I mentioned earlier. In Tia’s case, she was the “Great One” (wrt) for the Khener of Ra. You can imagine her rattling the sistrum, or banging the tambourine, or perhaps plucking the harp, while raising her voice to the greatest of gods.
Princess Tia is often overlooked in histories of this period, but she existed. She likely lived in Pi-Ramesses, the great capital, in a house she shared with her husband. Quite confusingly, Tia’s partner was also named Tia.[23] This royal brother-in-law enjoyed great prestige from his connection with the King. He had titles like “One beloved of the Lord of the Two Lands,” and “The First One, in Whom His Majesty Confides.”[24] And he rose high in the government, becoming an Overseer of the Treasury; Overseer of the Cattle of Amun-Ra; and Overseer of a royal mortuary temple.[25] Just as Ramesses inserted his children into the temple and military hierarchies, his other relatives benefited from the same process. It paid to be part of the extended royal family.
The couple probably lived in the capital, Pi-Ramesses, but they built their tomb at Saqqara.[26] You can visit this tomb today, it’s sandwiched in between the older monuments of Horemheb and Maya. Presumably, they chose this location for the prestige factor; the fame of those older courtiers. Or maybe the couple had some unknown connection to those predecessors. We can only speculate. But the tomb of Ramesses’ sister has been carefully excavated and rebuilt, with the art back in its original place. I recommend stopping by to see Tia, or Tia, whichever you prefer.
Interview with Prof. Peter Brand
These records, few and fragmentary, are all we know of the other women in Ramesses’ royal household. Chances are, most of the monuments and inscriptions that used to exist were in the north, near the great city of Pi-Ramesses and other major centres. Sadly, those are the areas most damaged by modern urbanism, industry, and the general ravages of time. I have no doubt that these women, the Daughter-Wives, the Hittite Queen Maat-Hor-Neferura, and the King’s Sister Tia used to be much more visible. Alas, their stories have shattered and largely disappeared.
We may not know much about these women as people, but we can say more about the world in which they lived. For that, I’d like to welcome back our resident Ramessid expert, Prof. Peter Brand. Peter joins us after the break…
[1] Kenneeth Kitchen, Pharaoh Triumphant: The Life & Times of Ramesses II, 110—111.
[2] Peter Brand, Ramesses II: Egypt’s Ultimate Pharaoh (2023) 226—228.
[3] Claude Obsomer, Ramses II, 251—255.
[4] Christian Leblanc, Nefertari, l’aimée-de-Mout: épouses, filles et fils de Ramsès II, 185.
[5] Brand, Ultimate Pharaoh, 228..
[6] Joyce Tyldesley, Queens of Egypt, 17; Kitchen, Pharaoh Triumphant, 110.
[7] H.L. McCarthy, The Unnamed Princess in the Tomb of Bint-Anath: A Reconsideration. In T. Prakash, J. M. Babcock, & L. S. Haney (Eds.), Rethinking Ancient Egypt: Studies in Honor of Anne Macy Roth (2024), 49—71; Brand, Ultimate Pharaoh, 228, fig. 7.18.
[8] Brand, Ultimate Pharaoh, 229—230.
[9] Richard Wilkinson, The Complete Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, 139—145.
[10] See Lana Troy, Patterns of Queenship in Ancient Egyptian Myth & History (1986), 5—51.
[11] Troy, Patterns of Queenship,170.
[12] Brand, Ultimate Pharaoh, 207.
[13] Leblanc, Épouses, filles et fils de Ramsès II, 195.
[14] Leblanc, Épouses, filles et fils de Ramsès II, 195.
[15] She was still alive after Ramesses’ death. Brand, Ultimate Pharaoh, 230.
[16] Brand, Ultimate Pharaoh, 230—231.
[17] Brand, Ultimate Pharaoh, 231—233.
[18] Troy, Patterns of Queenship, 170. From a statue base, BM1662.
[19] Hourig Sourouzian, H., Catalogue de la statuaire royale de la XIXe dynastie (2019). https://www.ifao.egnet.net/uploads/publications/enligne/BiEtud177.pdf
[20] Theban Mapping Project: Bint-Anat (QV71); Meryt-Amun (QV68); Henut-Tawy (QV73); Nebet-Tawy (QV60); Henut-mi-Ra (QV75); anonymous princess, reused in reign of Ramesses IV (QV74).
[21] Jacobus van. Dijk, The Family and Career of Tia. In G. T. Martin (Ed.), The Tomb of Tia and Tia: A Royal Monument of the Ramesside Period in the Memphite Necropolis (1997), 49–62.
[22] Dijk, “The Family and Career of Tia,” 52.
[23] Kenneth Kitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions: Translated, III,264—270.
[24] Dijk, “The Family and Career of Tia,” 53.
[25] Dijk, “Four Notes on Tia and Iurudef,” 63.
[26] Dijk, “The Family and Career of Tia,” 57—59.
Bibliography
Brand, P. J. (2023). Ramesses II: Egypt’s Ultimate Pharaoh.
Dijk, J. van. (1997). The Family and Career of Tia. In G. T. Martin (Ed.), The Tomb of Tia and Tia: A Royal Monument of the Ramesside Period in the Memphite Necropolis (pp. 49–62). Egypt Exploration Society.
Dijk, J. van. (2021). Four Notes on Tia and Iurudef. In B. van den Bercken (Ed.), Egyptian Delta Archaeology: Short Studies in Honour of Willem van Haarlem (pp. 61–70).
Kitchen, K. A. (1975). Ramesside Inscriptions Historical and Biographical (Vol. 2).
Kitchen, K. A. (1982). Pharaoh Triumphant: The Life and Times of Ramesses II, King of Egypt.
Leblanc, C. (1990). Ta Set Neferou: Une nécropole de Thèbes-Ouest et son histoire. I: Géographie—Toponymie historique de l’exploration scientifique du site.
Leblanc, C. (1999). Nefertari, l’aimée-de-Mout: Épouses, filles et fils de Ramsès II.
Martin, G. T. (1997). The Tomb of Tia and Tia: A Royal Monument of the Ramesside Period in the Memphite Necropolis.
McCarthy, H. L. (2024). The Unnamed Princess in the Tomb of Bint-Anath: A Reconsideration. In T. Prakash, J. M. Babcock, & L. S. Haney (Eds.), Rethinking Ancient Egypt: Studies in Honor of Anne Macy Roth (pp. 49–71). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004708402_004
Sourouzian, H. (2019). Catalogue de la statuaire royale de la XIXe dynastie. https://www.ifao.egnet.net/uploads/publications/enligne/BiEtud177.pdf
