Meritaten

Meritaten was the first of six daughters born to Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife, Nefertiti. Her sisters are Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten, Neferneferuaten Tasherit, Neferneferure, and Setepenre. Meritaten is mentioned in diplomatic letters, by the name Mayati. or by her own father Akhenaten. ==Biography==

Early years in Thebes Meritaten most likely was born in Thebes, early in her father's marriage to Nefertiti, perhaps before he assumed the throne, as she is shown officiating during year five of his reign. The royal family first lived in Thebes and the royal palace may have been part of the Temple Complex of Akhenaten at Karnak. The exact use of the buildings in Karnak is not known, but the scenes decorating the Teni-menu suggest it may have served as a residence. Meritaten is depicted beside her mother Nefertiti in reliefs carved into the Hut-Benben. During Akhenaten's reign, she was the most frequently depicted and mentioned of the six daughters. Her figure appears on paintings in temples, tombs, and private chapels. Not only is she shown among images showing the family life of the pharaoh, which were typical of the Amarna Period, but on those depicting official ceremonies, as well. Meritaten's name seems to replace that of another royal lady in several places, among them in the Northern Palace and in the Maru-Aten. This had been misinterpreted as evidence of Nefertiti's disgrace and banishment from the royal court but, more recently, the erased inscriptions turned out to be the name of Kiya, one of Akhenaten's secondary wives, disproving that interpretation. The chronology of the final years of the Amarna Period is unclear, however Smenkhkare is believed to have served as a co-regent to Akhenaten. Meritaten was the Great Royal Wife to Smenkhkare, while Nefertiti continued as the Great Royal Wife of Akhenaten. Meritaten is mentioned on gold daisies that decorated a garment found in Tutankhamen's tomb. She also is mentioned on a wooden box meant to contain linen garments. The box mentions two kings: Neferkheperure-Waenre (Akhenaten) and Ankhkheperure-mr-waenre, Neferneferuaten-mr-waenre and the Great Royal Wife Meritaten. Neferneferuaten is assigned a reign of two years and one month and is placed in Manetho's account as the immediate predecessor of the king, Rathothis, who is believed to be Tutankhamun, her half-brother by another, unnamed wife of Akhenaten. However, mentioned above inscription on the wooden box from Tutankhamun's tomb appears to treat Neferneferuaten and Meritaten as two different individuals, hence making unlikely the latter was the same person Neferneferuaten. Archaeologist Alain Zivie asserts that Meritaten also became a foster mother to Tutankhamun, referred to as Maia in some ancient records. Zivie noted that Thutmose, the sculptor appointed vizier by Akhenaten and who was found to be the creator of the famous bust of Nefertiti also created one of Maïa (Bubasteion I.20), the foster mother of Tutankhamun and who, in fact, was "Merytaten, the elder daughter of Akhenaten", "who sat briefly on the throne". ==Death and burial==

The texts of a boundary stele mention that Meritaten was meant to be buried at Akhet-Aten (modern Amarna). The royal tomb in Amarna was used for the burial of Meketaten, Tiye, and Akhenaten, and likely was closed after the death and burial of Akhenaten. After that, Meritaten's burial may have been planned for one of the other royal tombs in Amarna. Possible mummy Female mummy found in KV35 nicknamed the "Younger Lady" was proposed to be Meritaten. DNA tests seemingly identify the individual as daughter of Amenhotep III and Tiye, sister of male found in KV55 (presumed to be Akhenaten) and mother of Tutankhamun. However, interpretation of those data have been called into questions, as inbreeding within royal family could potentially make it hard to determine the exact genetic relationship between individuals, and there is also no evidence of Akhenaten marrying his sister. Joyce Tyldesley speculates that KV55 mummy and the Younger Lady are indeed descendants of Amenhotep III and Tiye but as grandchildren (rather than children) and suggests they are Smenkhkare and Meritaten (whom she believes to be full-siblings as offspring of Akhenaten and Nefertiti). She does, however, consider them more likely to be Tutankhamun's half-siblings than his parents (proposed by her to be Akhenaten and Kiya). On other hand, Kara Cooney argues that instead of being child of two siblings, Tutankhamun was result of father-daughter relationship, and his mother should be identified either as Meketaten or Meritaten. Based of current knowledge regarding genetic alleles of Younger Lady and her family members, Juan Antonio Belmonte points out that while it is technically possible she was Meritaten/granddaughter of Amenhotep III and Tiye, it is not very likely: == References ==