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For other women named Meresankh, see Meresankh (given name).

Queen Meresankh III was the daughter of Hetepheres II and Prince Kawab and a granddaughter of the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. She was the wife of King Khafre.

Hetepheres also provided her daughter with a black granite sarcophagus decorated with palace facades for Meresankh's burial.[1]

Her tomb was discovered by archeologist George Reisner on April 23, 1927,[2] with subsequent excavations undertaken by his team on behalf of Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Her sarcophagus and skeleton are today located in the Cairo Museum; the latter reveals that she was 1.54 metres (5'1") tall and between 50–55 years at her death.[3] An anthropological study suggested, that she might have suffered from bilateral silent sinus syndrome.[4]

The tomb also contained a set of the earliest known canopic jars.[5] A limestone statue depicting Queen Hetepheres embracing her late daughter Meresankh was found in her tomb and is today located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.[6]

Meresankh III's children

The children of Meresankh and Khafre include:

  • Prince Nebemakhet Buried in Mastaba 8172. His titles include scribe of the (divine) book, elder of the snwt-house of his father, chief justice and vizier, hereditary prince, king's son of his body, chief lector-priest, khet-priest of the Great One, khet-priest of (?) Temp. Khephren to Menkaure or a little later. In the mastaba Duaenre, and Niuserre are mentioned. As well as a brother named Ankhemre. Nebemakhet's wife was named Nubhotep, Prophetess of Hathor Mistress-of-the-Sycamore in all her places, etc.
  • Prince Duaenre Mastaba G5110 Vizier of Menkaure. Possibly the father of vizier Babaef.
  • Prince Kenterka. Mentioned in Meresankh's tomb. Khenterka is assumed by some to be a son of Meresankh III.
  • Prince Niuserre (A) (Ny-user-Re-ankh (?) is mentioned in Meresankh's tomb) King's son of his body, Chief lector-priest of his father, Treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt, etc. Middle to end of Dyn. IV. (Unfinished Rock cut tomb in central field)
  • Prince Ankhemre King's son of his body. Mentioned in the inner chapel of his brother Nebemakhet.
  • Princess Shepsetkau (mentioned in Nebemakhet's Mastaba).

References

  1. ^ The Tomb of Meresankh III (G 7530-40) at Giza
  2. ^ "Finding the Pharaohs". Archived from the original on 2009-07-26. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  3. ^ Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson (2004), p.60
  4. ^ Habicht ME, Eppenberger PE, Galassi FM, Rühli FJ, Henneberg M: Queen Meresankh III – the oldest case of bilateral Silent Sinus Syndrome (c. 2620/10 - 2570 BC)?. Anthropologie (CZ), Vol 56 (2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.26720/anthro.17.09.25.2
  5. ^ Tyldesley, p.48
  6. ^ Dodson & Hilton, p.57

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