Amenirdis I
Amenirdis in Medinet Habu
Divine Adoratrice of Amun
God's Wife of Amun
Tenure714–700 BCE
PredecessorShepenupet I
SuccessorShepenupet II
Royal titulary
Prenomen  (Praenomen)
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tG14F35F35F35N28
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Hatneferumut
Ḥˁt-nfrw-Mwt[1]
Nomen
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imn
n		 rrdis
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Amenirdis (Meritmut)
Jmn-'jr-dj-sj (mrjt-Mwt)[1]
Amenirdis, (beloved of Mut)
Burial
Medinet Habu[2]
Dynasty25th Dynasty
FatherKashta
MotherPebatjma

Amenirdis I (throne name: Hatneferumut) was a God's Wife of Amun during the 25th Dynasty of ancient Egypt.[3] Originating from the Kingdom of Kush, she was the daughter of Pharaoh Kashta and Queen Pebatjma, and was later adopted by Shepenupet I. She went on to rule as high priestess, and has been shown in several artifacts from the period.

Biography

She was a Kushite princess, the daughter of Pharaoh Kashta and Queen Pebatjma. She is likely to have been the sister of pharaohs Shabaka and Piye.[3][4] Kashta arranged to have Amenirdis I adopted by the Divine Adoratrice of Amun, Shepenupet I, at Thebes as her successor.[5] This shows that Kashta already controlled Upper Egypt prior to the reign of Piye, his successor.[6]

She ruled as high priestess approximately between 714 and 700 BCE, under the reigns of Shabaka and Shabataka, and she adopted Piye's daughter Shepenupet II as her successor.[3] She also held the priestly titles of Divine Adoratrice of Amun and God's Hand.[7] Upon her death, she was buried in a tomb in the grounds of Medinet Habu.[3]

She is depicted in the Osiris-Hekadjet ("Osiris, Ruler of Eternity") temple in the Karnak temple complex, and in Wadi Gasus, along with Shepenupet I. She is mentioned on two offering tables, five statues, a stela and several small objects including scarabs.[3] A statue of Amenirdis I carved from granitoid and decorated in gold leaf is held by the Nubian Museum in Aswan, Upper Egypt. The statue itself shows her decorated in the Egyptian style, with similarities to depictions of Isis and Hathor.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b von Beckerath, Jürgen (1999). Handbuch der Ägyptischen Königsnamen (in German). Mainz am Rhein, Von Zabern. pp. 210–11. ISBN 3-8053-2591-6.
  2. ^ KAWAI, Nozomu (1998). "Royal Tombs of the Third Intermediate and Late Periods". Orient. 33: 33–45. doi:10.5356/orient1960.33.33. ISSN 1884-1392.
  3. ^ a b c d e Dodson, Aidan; Hilton, Dyan (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05128-3., p.238
  4. ^ Shaw, Ian (2003). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-19-280458-7.
  5. ^ Peden, Alexander J. (2001). The Graffiti of Pharaonic Egypt: Scope and Roles of Informal Writings (c. 3100–332 B.C.). Brill Academic Publishers. p. 276. ISBN 9789004121126.
  6. ^ Török, László (1997). The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization. Brill. p. 149.
  7. ^ Bart, Anneke. "Ancient Egypt". Saint Louis University. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Statue of "The Divine Adoratrice of Amun" Amenirdis I". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.

Further reading

  • Ayad, Mariam F. (2004). "The Selection and Layout of the Opening of the Mouth Scenes in the Chapel of Amenirdis I at Medinet Habu". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. 41: 113–133. doi:10.2307/20297190. JSTOR 20297190.
  • Ayad, Mariam F. (2007). "The Pyramid Texts Of Amenirdis I: Selection And Layout". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. 43: 71–92. JSTOR 27801607.
  • Ayad, Mariam F. God's Wife, God's Servant: The God's Wife of Amun (c. 740–525 BC). Routledge, 2009. ISBN 978-0-415-41170-7.
  • Dodson, Aidan (2002). "The Problem of Amenirdis II and the Heirs to the Office of God's Wife of Amun during the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 88: 179–186. doi:10.2307/3822343. JSTOR 3822343.
  • Hays, Harold M. (2003). "A New Offering Table for Shepenwepet". Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. 40: 89–102. doi:10.2307/40000292. hdl:1887/16164. JSTOR 40000292. S2CID 194067578.
  • Kitchen, Kenneth, The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100–650 B.C.), 2 Sub edition. Aris & Phillips, 1996. ISBN 0856682985.

External links

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Preceded byShepenupet I God's Wife of Amun Succeeded byShepenupet II Preceded byShepenupet I Divine Adoratrice of Amun Succeeded byShepenupet II
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