Merneith
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| Merneith | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Meritnit, Meryet-Nit or Meryt-Neith | |||
| Pharaoh of Egypt | |||
| Reign | –, 1st Dynasty | ||
| Predecessor | Djet? | ||
| Successor | Den? | ||
| Children | Den | ||
| Burial | Tomb in Abydos | ||
| Monuments | Tomb in Saqqara | ||
Merneith (Meritnit, Meryet-Nit or Meryt-Neith) was a queen during the First Dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. Her rule was in the 30th century B.C.E. for an undetermined period of time. There is academic debate as to how much power she had and to whether she was a ruling queen.
It is widely held that Merneith possessed an enormous amount of power and influence in her time, likely greater than any previous woman in Egypt. She is generally believed to be the wife of King (Pharaoh) Djet and mother of King Den.[1]
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[edit] Family
In 1900 William Petrie discovered Merneith’s tomb and believed it belonged to an unknown king. However subsequent findings proved that Merneith was a queen. A clay seal found in the tomb of Den was engraved with “King’s Mother Merneith” proving that Merneith was a woman. It is also known that Den’s father was Djet, making it likely that Merneith was Djet’s queen. Further it is believed that she was the daughter of King Djer, though no proof has yet been found to support this theory. [2]
[edit] Evidence of Rule
The exact position that Merneith held is greatly disputed. [3] She is believed to have become ruler upon the death of her husband, Djet. It is probable that her son Den was still too young to rule at this point, leaving her to rule.[4]
Evidence proving that Merneith actually ruled is scarce. After her death she was afforded all of the rights of a ruler. It was custom for early dynastic rulers to have two funerary monuments, the first being the actual tomb and the second serving as a monument and place of worship. So far Merneith is the only known woman afforded the honor of both funerary monuments.
At Abydos a tomb belonging to Merneith was found in an area associated with other rulers of the First Dynasty. A stela made of stone identifying the tomb as hers was found at the site. It would have served as an offering place outside of the tomb. The large underground chamber, lined with mud bricks, was surrounded by rows of small rooms where about fifty servants were buried. The servants were thought to assist the ruler in the afterlife. The burial of servants with the ruler was a consistent practice in the tombs of the First Dynasty rulers.
At Saqqara a funerary monument dedicated to her was found along with those of five other rulers from the same period. Inside her monument archeologists discovered a solar boat that would allow her to travel with the sun god in the afterlife. A solar boat was exclusively provided for rulers.
The best evidence to Merneith’s rule is from a seal found in the tomb of her son Den. The seal includes Merneith on a list of the First Dynasty kings. However, all of the names on the list had a Horus Falcon, the symbol of the king, next to it except for Merneith’s name. A second seal containing a list of the same rulers was found in the tomb of Qa’a, who reigned several kings after Den. Qa’a’s seal contains no mention of the reign of Merneith.
Few other pieces of evidence exist about her. One explanation given for this is that all documents from her reign may have the name of King Den, her young son.[5]
It is uncertain what Merneith’s status was. She could have ruled in her own name or as a regent for her son. In either event she gained more power than any previous Egyptian queen.
[edit] Meaning of Merneith
Merneith’s name means “Beloved by Neith” and her stela contains symbols of that goddess. Based on her name’s meaning some theorize that she came from Lower Egypt where the center of Neith’s worship was located at Sais.[6] Another unproven theory is that the marriage of Djet and Merneith served to unify the newly joined kingdoms of Lower and Upper Egypt.[7]
