Meritites II (Merytytes, Meritetes, Meretites, Merytiotes, Mertiotes, ) or Meritites A ("beloved of her father"; fl. c. 2550 BC)[1] was a 4th Dynasty princess of ancient Egypt, probably a daughter of King Khufu. She may have been a daughter of Meritites I based on the fact that this queen is mentioned in mastaba G 7650.[2] She married the Director of the Palace, Akhethotep (a non-royal court official), and she had several children with her husband. Meritites and her husband shared a mastaba G 7650 in Giza.
Nefertkau I
Mrj.t jt=s | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burial place | Giza, Giza Governorate, Egypt | ||||
| Years active | c. 2550 BC | ||||
| Spouse | Akhethotep | ||||
Family and early life
editMeritites II was probably a daughter of Khufu, as she was said to be a King's daughter of his body and as the location of her tomb indicates a relation to Khufu.[1] She was a Prophetess of Khufu, Hathor, and Neith.
Meritites was married to Akhethotep, who was a director of the palace.[3] Further titles of Akhethotep include Sole friend, Priest of the Bas of Nekhen, and Overseer of fishers/ fowlers.[1] In the tomb, several children are depicted. A block formerly in the McGregor collection, but now in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon (Inv. No. 159) shows two daughters.[4] One daughter is named Hetepheres and only a partial name has been preserved for the second girl: Khufu[...].[5]
Burial
editAkhethotep and Meritites were buried at Giza in tomb G 7650. The mastaba is stone built and the interior offering room is decorated. Akhethotep is depicted with his wife Meritites and attendants in some of the scenes. In one scene, Akhethotep is accompanied by two daughters. A red granite sarcophagus with a palace facade was discovered in shaft C, now Brooklyn Museum, New York City (Inv. No. 48.110).[4]
Literature
edit- ^ a b c Flentye, Laurel: The Mastabas of Ankh-haf (G 7510) and Akhethetep and Meretites (G 7650) in the Eastern Cemetery at Giza. A Reassessment. In: Zahi A. Hawass, Janet Richards (eds.): The Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt. Essays in Honor of David B. O’Connor. Volume I (= Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Égypte. Cahier No. 36). Cairo, Conseil Suprême des Antiquités de l’Égypte 2007, ISBN 977-437-241-7, pp. 291-292, 294-298, 301-303, figs. 1, 3, 6, 7 PDF from Digital Giza – The Giza Project at Harvard University, 10,3 MB Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ Digital Giza: Meretites (G 7650) Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, London 2004, ISBN 0-500-05128-3, pp. 52, 56, 60, Internet Archive Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind L. B. with Burney, Ethel W.: Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings. Volume III: Memphis. Part I: Abû Rawâsh to Abûṣîr. 2nd edition, revised and augmented by Jaromír Málek. Clarendon Press / Griffith Institute / Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 1974, pp. 200–201, Map XXXI PDF from The Digital Topographical Bibliography, 20,3 MB Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ Reisner, A History of the Giza Necropolis, Volume II, Appendix B: Cemetery 7000, Retrieved from The Giza Archives Archived 2008-10-11 at the Wayback Machine