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The hieroglyphic
name of Meketaten |
Meketaten or
Meket-Aten was the second girl of six born to the Egyptian Pharaoh
Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife
Nefertiti. She was credibly born in year 4 of Akhenaten's rule. Although little is famous about her, she is frequently drawn with her sisters incidental her royal raises in the first two thirds of Akhenaten's rule. Meketaten was the second daughter born to Akhenaten and Nefertiti. She had an older sister addressed Meritaten and 4 secondary sisters addressed Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure and Setepenre. Tutankhaten was a half-brother.
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| Statue of Meketaten |
Meketatens round year of birth is in or before year 4 of Akhenaten. Meketaten is first showed on the walls of the Hut-benben temple gave to her mother Nefertiti in Thebes. Meketaten seems behind her older sister Meritaten in some of the later letterings, thought to date to year 4 or later. Further lines to suggest Meketaten was ready in or before year 4 come from the fact that her form was added to one of the boundary stela recording events in year 4 and carved in year 5.
Meketaten gone to the new capital city Akhetaten with her family when she was fixed a small child. She is depicted in several of the tombs of the nobles in
Amarna. Meketaten is depicted in the tomb of
Ay making a tray of gifts while winding one arm around her mothers neck. Other monuments mentioning Meketaten take a stela from Heliopolis, a statue base from the Fayoum, and the tombs of Panehesy and Parennefer. Meketaten was depicted with her parents and sisters at the reception of foreign tributes a ceremonial dating to year 12 - that can be seen on several scenes in the private tombs in Amarna of high-ranking officials described Huya and High Priest Meryre II.
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Meketaten on the
bosom of her mother |
Meketaten died in approximately year 14 of Akhenaten. It is very likely that a plague dragged across Egypt between Akhenaten's 12th and 15th regnal years, for legion members of the royal family stop to be mentioned again; among them Queen Mother Tiye, Queen Nefertiti, Akhenaten's incidental wife Kiya, Meketaten and the two youngest princesses, Neferneferure and Setepenre. Meketaten's end could have ensued either from a hassle, or from childbirth. The mien of a royal baby makes many to believe the young princess went in childbirth (in this subject the father Akhenaten himself, is most likely to have been tying his daughter), but it cannot be proven. An alternative reading suggested by van Dijk is that the child depicted in the scenes is the soul (the ka) of Meketaten.
Fragments of Meketatens sarcophagus were found in the royal tomb. Dedications reference her parents Akhenaten and Nefertiti, her sister Ankhesenpaaten besides as her grandparents
Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.
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