Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit
Encyclopedia
Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit was an ancient Egypt
ian princess of the 18th dynasty
. She is most commonly held to have been the daughter of Ankhesenpaaten
(a daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten
) and Akhenaten himself, though it is also possible that her mother was Kiya
, Akhenaten's second wife. The appearance of the god Aten in her name suggests that she was indeed a daughter of Akhenaten, since his successors reverted his religious reforms, and reverted to the worship of Egypt's traditional gods. Meanwhile, the name Aten was dropped from popular use during this time.
Since both Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit and another princess, Meritaten Tasherit
appear only in texts that once mentioned Akhenaten's second wife Kiya
, it is also possible that they were children of Akhenaten and Kiya, or that they were fictional, replacing the name of Kiya's daughter, who might have been Beketaten
, more commonly thought to be Tiye
's child.
Her name means "Ankhesenpaaten the Younger". Since there were at least two other princesses with names ending in "Tasherit" (younger or little one), it seems there was a shortage of approved names in the royal court (most of the usual Egyptian names contained the name of a god, and during Akhenaten's reign the cults of all gods but Aten
were forbidden.)
Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit was born in the last year of Akhenaten's reign and her existence is an important clue in determining how long Akhenaten ruled. Since Ankhesenamun was born around the 5th year of her father's reign, the earliest year she could have had a child was around Year 17 of his reign, when she was 12 years old.
Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit has been known to archaeologists since 1938, when a talatat
with her picture and name was found in Hermopolis
.
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 of the 18th dynasty
Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt
The eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt...
. She is most commonly held to have been the daughter of Ankhesenpaaten
Ankhesenamun
Ankhesenamun was a queen of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. Born as Ankhesenpaaten, she was the third of six known daughters of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti, and became the Great Royal Wife of her cousin Tutankhamun. The change in her name reflects the changes...
(a daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten
Akhenaten
Akhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
) and Akhenaten himself, though it is also possible that her mother was Kiya
Kiya
Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's first royal wife, Nefertiti. Her unusual name suggests that she may originally have been a Mitanni...
, Akhenaten's second wife. The appearance of the god Aten in her name suggests that she was indeed a daughter of Akhenaten, since his successors reverted his religious reforms, and reverted to the worship of Egypt's traditional gods. Meanwhile, the name Aten was dropped from popular use during this time.
Since both Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit and another princess, Meritaten Tasherit
Meritaten Tasherit
Meritaten Tasherit, which means Meritaten the Younger was an ancient Egyptian princess of the 18th dynasty. She is likely to have been the daughter of Meritaten, eldest daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten....
appear only in texts that once mentioned Akhenaten's second wife Kiya
Kiya
Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's first royal wife, Nefertiti. Her unusual name suggests that she may originally have been a Mitanni...
, it is also possible that they were children of Akhenaten and Kiya, or that they were fictional, replacing the name of Kiya's daughter, who might have been Beketaten
Beketaten
Beketaten was an Ancient Egyptian princess of the 18th dynasty. Beketaten was the youngest daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his Great Royal Wife Tiye, thus the sister of Pharaoh Akhenaten...
, more commonly thought to be Tiye
Tiye
Tiye was the daughter of Yuya and Tjuyu . She became the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III....
's child.
Her name means "Ankhesenpaaten the Younger". Since there were at least two other princesses with names ending in "Tasherit" (younger or little one), it seems there was a shortage of approved names in the royal court (most of the usual Egyptian names contained the name of a god, and during Akhenaten's reign the cults of all gods but Aten
Aten
Aten is the disk of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and originally an aspect of Ra. The deified Aten is the focus of the monolatristic, henotheistic, or monotheistic religion of Atenism established by Amenhotep IV, who later took the name Akhenaten in worship in recognition of Aten...
were forbidden.)
Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit was born in the last year of Akhenaten's reign and her existence is an important clue in determining how long Akhenaten ruled. Since Ankhesenamun was born around the 5th year of her father's reign, the earliest year she could have had a child was around Year 17 of his reign, when she was 12 years old.
Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit has been known to archaeologists since 1938, when a talatat
Talatat
Talatat are stone blocks of standardized size used during the reign of Akhenaton in the building of the Aton temples at Karnak and Akhetaten. The standardized size and their small weight made construction more efficient Their use may have begun in the second year of Akhenton's reign...
with her picture and name was found in Hermopolis
Hermopolis
Hermopolis Magna or simply Hermopolis or Hermopolis Megale or Hermupolis is the site of ancient Khmun, and is located near the modern Egyptian town of El Ashmunein in Al Minya governorate.-Etymology:Khmun, the Ancient Egyptian name of the city, means "eight-town", after the Ogdoad, a group of...
.