Nitiqret Divine Adoratrice
Encyclopedia
Nitocris I (died 585 BC) served as the heir to and then the Divine Adoratrice of Amun
or God's Wife of Amun
for a period of over seventy years, between 655 BC and 585 BC. She was the daughter of the Saite Period twenty-sixth dynasty Egyptian king Psamtik I. Psamtik I dispatched a powerful naval fleet in March 656 BC to Thebes
and compelled the serving God's Wife of Amun
Shepenupet II
, a daughter of Piye
to adopt his daughter Nitocris I as her heir to this office in the well known Adoption Stela. It is unknown at what date she actually assumed the office of Divine Adoratrice of Amun for herself but she served in this position until Year 4 of Apries
in 585 BC.
Prior to her career in this office, the Assyrians
had invaded Egypt in 671 B.C., sacked Thebes
and robbed its temples of their many treasures. When she was in her eighties, she adopted her great-niece Ankhnesneferibre
, the daughter of Psamtik II.
During her tenure, she was attested by several building works around Karnak, Luxor and Abydos. She was buried in the grounds of Medinet-Habu
in a tomb chapel which "she shared with her natural mother and adoptive grandmother." Her sarcophagus was reused in a Ptolemaic tomb at Deir el-Medina, and is today located in the Cairo Museum.
Divine Adoratrice of Amun
The Divine Adoratrice of Amun was a second title created for the chief priestess of the ancient Egyptian deity, Amun. During the first millennium BCE, when the holder of this office exercised her largest measure of influence, her position was an important appointment facilitating the transfer of...
or God's Wife of Amun
God's Wife of Amun
God's Wife of Amun was the highest ranking priestess of the Amun cult, an important Ancient Egyptian religious institution centered in Thebes during the Egyptian 25th and 26th dynasties...
for a period of over seventy years, between 655 BC and 585 BC. She was the daughter of the Saite Period twenty-sixth dynasty Egyptian king Psamtik I. Psamtik I dispatched a powerful naval fleet in March 656 BC to Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...
and compelled the serving God's Wife of Amun
God's Wife of Amun
God's Wife of Amun was the highest ranking priestess of the Amun cult, an important Ancient Egyptian religious institution centered in Thebes during the Egyptian 25th and 26th dynasties...
Shepenupet II
Shepenupet II
Shepenupet II was an Ancient Egyptian princess of the Twenty-fifth dynasty and the Divine Adoratrice of Amun from around 700 BC to 650 BC. She was the daughter of the first Kushite pharaoh Piye, and sister of Piye's successors Taharqa and Shabaka. She was adopted by her predecessor in office,...
, a daughter of Piye
Piye
Piye, was a Kushite king and founder of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt who ruled Egypt from 747 BCE to 716 BCE according to Peter Clayton. He ruled from the city of Napata, located deep in Nubia, Sudan...
to adopt his daughter Nitocris I as her heir to this office in the well known Adoption Stela. It is unknown at what date she actually assumed the office of Divine Adoratrice of Amun for herself but she served in this position until Year 4 of Apries
Apries
Apries is the name by which Herodotus and Diodorus designate Wahibre Haaibre, Ουαφρης , a pharaoh of Egypt , the fourth king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt. He was equated with the Waphres of Manetho, who correctly records that he reigned for 19 years...
in 585 BC.
Prior to her career in this office, the Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
had invaded Egypt in 671 B.C., sacked Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...
and robbed its temples of their many treasures. When she was in her eighties, she adopted her great-niece Ankhnesneferibre
Ankhnesneferibre
Ankhnesneferibre held the office of Divine Adoratrice of Amun during the 26th Dynasty of Egypt from around 586 to 525 BC...
, the daughter of Psamtik II.
During her tenure, she was attested by several building works around Karnak, Luxor and Abydos. She was buried in the grounds of Medinet-Habu
Medinet Habu (temple)
Medinet Habu is the name commonly given to the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, an important New Kingdom period structure in the location of the same name on the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt...
in a tomb chapel which "she shared with her natural mother and adoptive grandmother." Her sarcophagus was reused in a Ptolemaic tomb at Deir el-Medina, and is today located in the Cairo Museum.