Meryatum
Encyclopedia
Meryatum was an Ancient Egypt
ian prince and High Priest of Re
, the son of Pharaoh
Ramesses II
and Nefertari
.
He is shown as 16th on the processions of princes, and is likely to have been the last child born to Ramesses and Nefertari (after Amun-her-khepeshef
, Pareherwenemef
, Meritamen
, Henuttawy
and Meryre). He is depicted in the Smaller Abu Simbel
temple, dedicated to Nefertari. Inscriptions at Karnak
and elsewhere show Nefertari was his mother.
He visited Sinai in the second decade of his father's reign, and later in that decade was appointed as High Priest of Rê
in Heliopolis
, a position he held for the next twenty years.
Two of his statues are now in Berlin
and a stela belonging to him is in Hildesheim
. An ostrakon mentions work on his tomb and that of Isetnofret
; it implies he was buried in the area of the Valley of the Queens
, though it is also possible he was buried in KV5
, the tomb built for the sons of Ramesses, since a fragment of one of his canopic jar
s was found there.
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 prince and High Priest of Re
High Priest of Re
The High Priest of Re, or the High Priest of Ra, was known in Egyptian as the wr-m3w which translates as Greatest of Seers. The main cult of Re, or Ra, was in ancient Heliopolis, northeast of present day Cairo. The high priests of Ra are not as well documented as the high priests of other deities...
, the son of Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...
and Nefertari
Nefertari
Nefertari also known as Nefertari Merytmut was one of the Great Royal Wives of Ramesses the Great. Nefertari means 'Beautiful Companion' and Meritmut means 'Beloved of [the Goddess] Mut'. She is one of the best known Egyptian queens, next to Cleopatra, Nefertiti and Hatshepsut...
.
He is shown as 16th on the processions of princes, and is likely to have been the last child born to Ramesses and Nefertari (after Amun-her-khepeshef
Amun-her-khepeshef
Amun-her-khepeshef or Amonhirkhopshef or Amun-her-wenemef was the firstborn son of Pharaoh Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari.-Name:...
, Pareherwenemef
Pareherwenemef
Pareherwenemef was an ancient Egyptian prince of the 19th dynasty, the third son of pharaoh Ramesses II, the second by Queen Nefertari.-Family:...
, Meritamen
Meritamen
Meritamen was a daughter and later Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses the Great.- Family :...
, Henuttawy
Henuttawy (19th dynasty)
Henuttawy was an ancient Egyptian princess of the 19th dynasty.- Biography :Henuttawy was a daughter of Pharaoh Ramesses II and the Great Royal Wife Nefertari and half-sister of Merneptah...
and Meryre). He is depicted in the Smaller Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel temples refers to two massive rock temples in Abu Simbel in Nubia, southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser about 230 km southwest of Aswan...
temple, dedicated to Nefertari. Inscriptions at Karnak
Karnak
The Karnak Temple Complex—usually called Karnak—comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amun and a massive structure begun by Pharaoh Ramses II . Sacred Lake is part of the site as well. It is located near Luxor, some...
and elsewhere show Nefertari was his mother.
He visited Sinai in the second decade of his father's reign, and later in that decade was appointed as High Priest of Rê
Re
Re, bre, moré is an interjection common to Cypriot Greek, the languages of the Balkans, Turkish, and Venetian, with its "locus... more in the Greek world than elsewhere". It is used in colloquial speech to gain someone's attention, add emphasis, insult, or express surprise or astonishment, like...
in Heliopolis
Heliopolis (ancient)
Heliopolis was one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, the capital of the 13th Lower Egyptian nome that was located five miles east of the Nile to the north of the apex of the Nile Delta...
, a position he held for the next twenty years.
Two of his statues are now in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and a stela belonging to him is in Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
. An ostrakon mentions work on his tomb and that of Isetnofret
Isetnofret
Isetnofret was one of the Great Royal Wives of Pharaoh Ramesses II and was the mother of his heir, Merneptah...
; it implies he was buried in the area of the Valley of the Queens
Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Queens is a place in Egypt where wives of Pharaohs were buried in ancient times. In ancient times, it was known as Ta-Set-Neferu, meaning –‘the place of the Children of the Pharaoh’, because along with the Queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties many princes and princesses...
, though it is also possible he was buried in KV5
KV5
Tomb KV5 is a subterranean, rock-cut tomb in the Valley of the Kings.It belonged to the sons of Ramesses II. Though KV5 was partially excavated as early as 1825, its true extent was discovered by Dr Kent R. Weeks and his exploration team. The tomb is now known to be the largest in the Valley of the...
, the tomb built for the sons of Ramesses, since a fragment of one of his canopic jar
Canopic jar
Canopic jars were used by the Ancient Egyptians during the mummification process to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife. They were commonly either carved from limestone or were made of pottery...
s was found there.
Monuments and Objects
Meryatum is known from several inscriptions.- Inscription at Serabit el-KhadimSerabit el-KhadimSerabit el-Khadim is a locality in the south-west Sinai Peninsula where turquoise was mined extensively in antiquity, mainly by the ancient Egyptians...
depicting Prince Meryatum with the Troop-commander and Royal Cupbearer Ashahebsed and Troop-commander Amenemope. - Façade of the Small Temple at Abu Simbel; two of the colossal statues of the King are flanked by small statues of the King’s Son Meryatum and the King’s Son Meryre (the other two are flanked by Amun-her-khepeshefAmun-her-khepeshefAmun-her-khepeshef or Amonhirkhopshef or Amun-her-wenemef was the firstborn son of Pharaoh Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari.-Name:...
and PrehirwenemefPareherwenemefPareherwenemef was an ancient Egyptian prince of the 19th dynasty, the third son of pharaoh Ramesses II, the second by Queen Nefertari.-Family:...
) - Inscription at the Temple of MutPrecinct of MutThe Precinct of Mut, located near Luxor, Egypt, is one of the four main temple enclosures that make up the immense Karnak Temple Complex and occupies some 150,000 m². It is dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Mut, the mother goddess. The area in which the precinct is located, originally was known as...
at KarnakKarnakThe Karnak Temple Complex—usually called Karnak—comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amun and a massive structure begun by Pharaoh Ramses II . Sacred Lake is part of the site as well. It is located near Luxor, some...
; The inscription names Meryatum and Queen NefertariNefertariNefertari also known as Nefertari Merytmut was one of the Great Royal Wives of Ramesses the Great. Nefertari means 'Beautiful Companion' and Meritmut means 'Beloved of [the Goddess] Mut'. She is one of the best known Egyptian queens, next to Cleopatra, Nefertiti and Hatshepsut...
: Text made by the King’s Son Ramesses-Meryatum, born of Queen Nefertari-Meryetmut, may she live forever! (Kitchen) - Statue of Queen Nefertari with a depiction of Prince Meryatum at the left side (Brussels E.2459)
- Stela of Subordinate Akhpet from Qantir (Pelizaeus-MuseumRoemer-und-Pelizaeus-MuseumThe Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum, in Hildesheim, Germany, is one of the most important museums in Europe with regard to Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Peruvian art. The museum also includes the second largest collection of Chinese porcelain in Europe...
) mentions the King’s Son, Chief of Seers, pure of hands in the House of Re, Mery-Atum, justifiedPlinth (hieroglyph)The Ancient Egyptian Plinth- hieroglyph is Gardiner sign listed no. Aa15 for the shape of a plinth, side view.-Plinth use as mortuary: "Justified":...
. - A statue with Standards (Berlin 19716) mentions on the Dorsal Pillar: Hereditary Prince and Count, Chief of Secrets in the Mansion of the Bennu bird, bodily King’s son, beloved of him, Chief of Seers, Mery-Atum. (Kitchen )
- The dorsal Pillar of a statue in Berlin (Berlin 7347). On the left side the inscription reads: […in] the Great Mansion, Setem priest in the Horizon of Eternity, Eyes of the King at the head of his Two Lands, with the utterance of whose mouth people are pleased; King’s Son, Chief of Seers, pure of hands in the house of Re, Meryatum, renewed in life, born of the Great Royal Wife, Lady of Both Lands, Nefertari Meryetmut. (Kitchen ) And on the right side it reads: […Chariot]eer of his father the Victorious King, Horus-Falcon, Beloved of MaatMaatMaat is a naval rank of the German navy equivalent to the army rank of Unteroffizier. A Maat is considered the equivalent of a junior Petty Officer in the navies of many other nations....
; King’s Son, Chief of Seers, pure of hands in the house of Re, Meryatum, born of the Great Royal Wife, Lady of Both Lands, Nefertari Meryetmut. (Kitchen) While the main text says: Hereditary Prince, Royal princeling, Judge(?) of the people, born of the Great Royal Wife, Chief of Seers, pure of hands in the house of Re, Meryatum. (Kitchen ) - An ostraconOstraconAn ostracon is a piece of pottery , usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In archaeology, ostraca may contain scratched-in words or other forms of writing which may give clues as to the time when the piece was in use...
in Cairo (JdE 72460) mentions “work-in-progress of the Chief of Seers, Meryatum”. Probably refers to work on the tomb of Meryatum (i.e. KV5) - In the Valley of the KingsValley of the KingsThe Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...
in KV5KV5Tomb KV5 is a subterranean, rock-cut tomb in the Valley of the Kings.It belonged to the sons of Ramesses II. Though KV5 was partially excavated as early as 1825, its true extent was discovered by Dr Kent R. Weeks and his exploration team. The tomb is now known to be the largest in the Valley of the...
two calciteCalciteCalcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
canopic jarCanopic jarCanopic jars were used by the Ancient Egyptians during the mummification process to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife. They were commonly either carved from limestone or were made of pottery...
s were found in chamber 3. One mentions QebehsenuefQebehsenuefQebehsenuef was one of the sons of Horus in Egyptian mythology, the god of protection and of the West. In the preparation of mummies, his canopic jar was used for the intestines. He is seen as a mummy with a falcon head...
, the other HapiHapiHapi, sometimes transliterated as Hapy, is one of the Four sons of Horus in ancient Egyptian religion, depicted in funerary literature as protecting the throne of Osiris in the Underworld. He is not to be confused with another god of the same name...
.