Ahmose-Nefertari | |
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Queen consort of KMT | |
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Ahmose-Nefertari depicted with the black skin as goddess Auset | |
Full name | Ahmose-Nefertari |
Titles | Great Royal Wife God's Wife of Amun Regent |
Born | 1562 BCE |
Died | 1495 BCE |
Consort | Pharaoh Ahmose I |
Dynasty | 18th of KMT |
Father | Pharaoh Tao II the Brave |
Mother | Queen Ahhotep I |
Children | Amenhotep I Ahmose-Meritamun Mutnofret Ahmose-Sitamun (?) |
Religious beliefs | Ancient Kemetic spirituality |
Ahmose-Nefertari was a Queen of Kemet. She was a daughter of Tao II the Brave and Ahhotep I, and royal sister and the great royal wife of pharaoh, Ahmose I. Upon the death of Kamose, his brother Ahmose I became pharaoh. Ahmose-Nefertari then became the regent for her son and ruled until he could attain the age to ascend the throne as Amenhotep I. During her regency she was recognized as a formidable warrior, and at her burial she was given special honors for her accomplishments in war. After her death, she was worshiped as a deity in the funerary cult of Thebes.
Her name appears on many monuments, from Saï to Tura. She is known still to have been alive during the first year of the reign of her son-in-law, Thutmose I. Thus, she apparently outlived her son, Amenhotep I, who reigned over Kemetic for nearly twenty-one years after her regency.
Early Life
Nefertari was born in the city of Luxor around 1562 BCE. She was born during a period of great humiliation and shame in [KMT]. The 17th dynasty. This dynasty was controled by foreigners from Asia that had been steadily streaming into Afrika. Luxor was a powerful Afrikan city that often had skirmishes with the Asian strongholds. It was in this environment that the whole 18th dynasty was born.
Coregency with Ahmose I
It was under Ahmose I that Avaris the Hyksos capital, was seized and taken, an event that followed ba a campaign into Asia. Thus it was this coule that finally drove out the Hyksos from Kemet. Ahmose's queen and sister, Ahmose-Nefertari, played an important part in the reconstruction of the country after its rescue from conquest. She is known to have held the title of Second Prophet of Amun. A karnak stele commemorates her initiation into the office, which her husband bestowed upon her. She is the first woman known to have held this post. It was one of the highest and most important offices in the land.
High Priesthood
The Amun priesthood wielded great power. Hence, for Ahmose, the appointment of his wife to this office might have been a chance for him to extend his control into the spiritual sphere. Being in charge of the divine offerings put her in control of a large amount of resources. The office is perhaps comparable to the finance department of a country of today.
- Books with information on Ahmose-Nefertari