The position of God's Wife of Amun was one of the most politically powerful and spiritually significant in later Egyptian history. Elevated from a figurehead in the New Kingdom (c.1570-1069 BCE), the God's Wife of Amun would hold power equal to a pharaoh by the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt (c. 1069-525 BCE) when a God's Wife ruled Upper Egypt.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1570 BCE - 1069 BCEThe Office of God's Wife of Amun becomes increasingly significant during the New Kingdom of Egypt.
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c. 1570 BCE - c. 1530 BCEQueen Ahhotep I, mother of Ahmose I, holds the title God's Wife of Amun.
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c. 1570 BCE - 1544 BCEReign of Ahmose I of Thebes during which his wife Ahmose-Nofretari is God's Wife of Amun.
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1479 BCE - 1458 BCEPharaoh Hatshepsut passes title of God's Wife of Amun to her daughter after assuming power.
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c. 1386 BCE - c. 1295 BCENo mention of God's Wife of Amun during the reigns of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, and Horemheb.
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c. 1255 BCEDeath of Nefertari, God's Wife of Amun and Royal Queen, wife of Ramesses II.
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1191 BCE - 1190 BCETwosret reigns as pharaoh and holds title of God's Wife of Amun.
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1145 BCE - 1137 BCECelibacy becomes standard for God's Wife of Amun during the reign of Ramesses VI; his daughter Isis is the first celibate God's Wife.
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c. 714 BCE - c. 700 BCEAmenirdis I, daughter of King Kashta, serves as one of the most powerful God's Wives of Amun in Egypt.
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655 BCE - 585 BCENitokris I is among the most powerful God's Wives of Amun in Egypt's history.
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c. 595 BCE - 525 BCEAnkhenesneferibre reigns from Thebes as God's Wife of Amun, effectively ruling Upper Egypt.
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525 BCENitokris II last named God's Wife of Amun before Persian Invasion and abolition of the office.
