Ghilukhepa

Ghilukhepa
Princess of Mitanni, wife of Amenophis III c.1407-1379 BC.
    Diplomacy between Egypt and her northern neighbours was occasionally cemented by royal marriage. By the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty, Egypt and *Mitanni (the great northern Mesopotamian state, referred to as 'Nahrin' in the ancient texts) had become major diplomatic partners, and the letters sent by the *Mitannian king *Tushratta to the Egyptian royal family are preserved in the archive at Tell el Amarna. From this source and from a commemorative scarab issued in Year 10 of the reign of *Amenophis III, it is evident that Ghilukhepa (Kirgipa), the daughter of King *Shuttarna and sister of his successor, *Tushratta, came to Egypt to marry *Amenophis III, bringing with her a large entourage including three hundred and seventeen women. The marriage consolidated Egyptian-*Mitannian relations and was undoubtedly marked by the exchange of substantial gifts.
    Nothing more is heard of the *Mitannian princess, although *Tushratta sent his greetings in his correspondence with the Egyptian royal family, and later, his niece *Tadukhepa also entered the harem of *Amenophis III. Neither princess managed to dislodge the Great Royal Wife *Tiye, from her supreme position at Court.
BIBL. Engelbach, R. A 'Kirgipa' commemorative scarab of Amenophis III presented by His Majesty King Farouk I to the Cairo Museum. Ann. Serv. 40 (1941) pp. 659-61.
Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt by Rosalie and Antony E. David

Ancient Egypt. A Reference Guide. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Amenophis III — King 1417 1379 BC.     Amenophis III succeeded to the throne as a child, being the son of *Tuthmosis IV and his chief queen, *Mutemweya; his divine birth, as the son of the god Amun, was depicted in wall scenes in the Temple of Luxor.    … …   Ancient Egypt

  • Tushratta — King of Mitanni reign of Amenophis III, 1417 1379 BC.     In the early Eighteenth Dynasty, *Mitanni the great northern Mesopotamian state had come into direct conflict with Egypt, and *Tuthmosis III had led military campaigns to prevent *Mitanni… …   Ancient Egypt

  • Mitanni — Kingdom of Second millenium BC.     The kingdom of Mitanni was one of the major powers Egypt encountered in the Eighteenth Dynasty, first as an enemy and then as an ally. In the second millennium BC, the Hurrians had established several kingdoms… …   Ancient Egypt

  • Shuttarna — King of Mitanni, reign of Amenophis III, 1417 1379 BC.     The Amarna Letters the royal archive found at the site of Tell el Amarna preserve the correspondence between the rulers of *Mitanni and the Egyptian kings, *Amenophis III and *Akhenaten.… …   Ancient Egypt

  • Tadukhepa — Mitannian princess reign of Amenophis III, 1417 1379 BC.     In the correspondence (preserved in the Amarna archive) between King *Tushratta of *Mitanni and *Amenophis III, there are several letters which are concerned with the protracted… …   Ancient Egypt

  • Tiye — Queen reign of Amenophis III, 1417 1379 BC.     Tiye was the daughter of *Yuya, the King s Lieutenant of Chariotry and Master of the Horse, and *Thuya, who was probably a royal lady in waiting. She had at least one brother, Anen, who held high… …   Ancient Egypt

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”