| Sitre in hieroglyphs |
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Queen Sitre or Tia-Sitre ("Daughter of Re") was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Ramesses I of Egypt and mother of Seti I.[1]
There is some debate around the identity of Ramesses' wife and Seti's mother. The Year 400 Stela, found in Tanis and dated to the reign of Sitre's grandson Ramesses II describes Seti as the son of Paramessu (the name of Ramesses I before he became pharaoh) and Tia. Also, Seti's daughter was named Tia. Sitre is shown together with Ramesses I and Seti in Seti's Abydos temple, and she is called the King's Great Wife both here and in Seti's tomb (where one would expect her to be mentioned as King's Mother). However, Sitre's tomb, which can stylistically be dated to this period, mentions its owner as a King's Mother. It can be assumed that Tia and Sitre are the same person and that she altered her name when her husband became pharaoh, just like he changed his name from Paramessu to Ramesses. The fact that one of the daughters of Ramesses II was named Tia-Sitre makes it even more likely. She was Hatshepsut's nurse maid and was buried with her.[2]
The absence of the title King's Daughter for her indicates that Sitre was of non-royal descent.[3]
She was buried in a tomb in the Valley of the Queens (QV38). The decoration was unfinished, consisting of just line drawings.