Betrest
Encyclopedia
Betrest was a Queen consort
of ancient Egypt
. She lived during the 1st dynasty
.
Flinders Petrie may have considered the first two glyphs as part of a title, and reads the name on the Palermo stone fragment as Tarset.
. She is mentioned as Semerkhet's mother on the Palermo Stone
fragment which is now in Cairo.
The identity of her husband is disputed. Some consider King Den (Pharaoh)
to have been her husband. If so, King Anedjib
would have been a (half-)brother of King Semerkhet
. Another theory is that Betrest was the wife of the short-lived Anedjib
.
She is possibly also identified on a stela found at Abydos
. The name of the person on the stela included the sheep-hieroglyph which reads "Ba" and the signs "s" and "t" are visible. If this monument belongs to Queen Betrest, then it preserves part of a title with a Horus
-falcon sign, which may be part of the She Who Sees Horus title, which is a common title for queen consorts in the Old Kingdom
of Ancient Egypt.
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of ancient Egypt
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...
. She lived during the 1st dynasty
First dynasty of Egypt
The first dynasty of Ancient Egypt is often combined with the Dynasty II under the group title, Early Dynastic Period of Egypt...
.
Flinders Petrie may have considered the first two glyphs as part of a title, and reads the name on the Palermo stone fragment as Tarset.
Biography
Betrest was the mother of SemerkhetSemerkhet
Semerkhet is the Horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the 1st dynasty. This ruler became known through a tragic legend handed down by ancient Greek historian Manetho, who reported that a calamity of some sort occurred during Semerkhet's reign...
. She is mentioned as Semerkhet's mother on the Palermo Stone
Palermo stone
The Palermo Stone is a large fragment of a stele known as the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. It contains records of the kings of Egypt from the first dynasty through the fifth dynasty....
fragment which is now in Cairo.
The identity of her husband is disputed. Some consider King Den (Pharaoh)
Den (Pharaoh)
Den, also known as Hor-Den, Dewen and Udimu, is the Horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the 1st dynasty. He is the best archaeologically attested ruler of this period. Den is said to have brought prosperity to his realm and numerous innovations are attributed to his reign...
to have been her husband. If so, King Anedjib
Anedjib
Anedjib, more correctly Adjib and also known as Hor-Anedjib, Hor-Adjib and Enezib, is the Horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the 1st dynasty. The ancient Greek historian Manetho named him "Miebîdós" and credited him with a reign of 26 years, whilst the Royal Canon of Turin...
would have been a (half-)brother of King Semerkhet
Semerkhet
Semerkhet is the Horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the 1st dynasty. This ruler became known through a tragic legend handed down by ancient Greek historian Manetho, who reported that a calamity of some sort occurred during Semerkhet's reign...
. Another theory is that Betrest was the wife of the short-lived Anedjib
Anedjib
Anedjib, more correctly Adjib and also known as Hor-Anedjib, Hor-Adjib and Enezib, is the Horus name of an early Egyptian king who ruled during the 1st dynasty. The ancient Greek historian Manetho named him "Miebîdós" and credited him with a reign of 26 years, whilst the Royal Canon of Turin...
.
She is possibly also identified on a stela found at Abydos
Abydos, Egypt
Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...
. The name of the person on the stela included the sheep-hieroglyph which reads "Ba" and the signs "s" and "t" are visible. If this monument belongs to Queen Betrest, then it preserves part of a title with a Horus
Horus
Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...
-falcon sign, which may be part of the She Who Sees Horus title, which is a common title for queen consorts in the Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
of Ancient Egypt.