Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Daughter Bintanath
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses' wives — Nefertari, Isetnofret, even the Hittite princess Maathorneferure. But there's one woman in his life we haven't really touched on, and she's fascinating in a very different way: his daughter Bintanath. Luna: His daughter? As in, he married his own daughter? Lucas: Exactly that. Bintanath was Ramses' daughter by Isetnofret — so she was the full sister of Merenptah and Khaemwaset. And later in his reign, Ramses elevated her to the role of Great Royal Wife. It sounds shocking to us, and it was even a bit unusual for Egypt, but it wasn't unheard of for pharaohs to marry close relatives, especially daughters, to reinforce the divine nature of kingship. Lucas: The pharaoh was considered a living god, so in a way, marrying a daughter mirrored the divine marriages of gods like Osiris and Isis — who were brother and sister. But still, it wasn't common. Only a few pharaohs did it, and Ramses did it with at least two of his daughters — Bintanath and another one named Meritamen. Luna: So what do we know about Bintanath specifically? Lucas: Quite a bit, actually. Her name means 'Daughter of Anat' — Anat was a Canaanite war goddess, which suggests Ramses was already reaching out to foreign cultures even in naming his children. She appears early in his reign, because on the facade of the small temple at Abu Simbel, she's carved right there among the royal family — standing next to her mother Isetnofret. So she was prominent from the start. Lucas: She also held a ton of titles. She was 'Great Royal Wife', 'Mistress of the Two Lands', 'King's Daughter', 'King's Sister' — that last one because she was sister to Merenptah, who became pharaoh after Ramses. And she had her own household and estates, which was not typical for queens before her. Luna: Did she have any political power, or was it just ceremonial? Lucas: She seems to have been actively involved in diplomacy. We have a letter — actually a draft of a diplomatic letter — where Bintanath is mentioned in connection with a Hittite queen. Remember, Ramses and the Hittites had been at war, but after the peace treaty they exchanged letters and gifts. There's evidence that Bintanath corresponded with the Hittite queen Puduhepa, which suggests she played a role in maintaining the alliance. Luna: So she was like a royal ambassador? Lucas: In a way, yes. Royal women often served as peaceful conduits between courts. We also have a statue of her from Karnak — she's shown holding a sistrum, which is a ritual rattle used in temple ceremonies. So she had a religious role too, probably as a priestess of Hathor or another goddess. Lucas: And we even know where she was buried. Her tomb is in the Valley of the Queens, designated QV71. It was discovered in the early 1900s, and it's decorated with scenes from the Book of the Dead. Unfortunately, like most tombs, it was looted in antiquity, but the inscriptions and reliefs that survive give us a good sense of her status. Luna: Was she the only daughter Ramses married? Lucas: No, there was also Meritamen — another daughter, this time by Nefertari. She also became Great Royal Wife. And there may have been a third, Nebettawy, though her parentage is less clear. So this was a deliberate pattern, not an isolated act. It was a way of consolidating royal power within the family and reducing the influence of other noble families. Luna: So marrying his daughters kept the throne purely in the royal bloodline? Lucas: Exactly. By marrying his daughters, Ramses ensured that potential rivals — other noble families — couldn't gain power by marrying a princess. The queen's family often became powerful, and Ramses wanted to keep that power in his own house. It's a very pragmatic move, even if it seems strange to us. Lucas: The other interesting thing is that Bintanath outlived Ramses. She was still alive when her brother Merenptah became pharaoh. And there's some evidence — though it's debated — that she may have died early in Merenptah's reign. Her tomb was apparently never finished, and some of the decoration was done hastily or left incomplete. Luna: That's a sad detail. Lucas: It is. But it also tells us something about the shift in power. When Merenptah became pharaoh, his mother Isetnofret was already dead, and his sister-wife Bintanath was essentially a relic of his father's reign. He may not have wanted to keep her in the spotlight. So her influence waned. Lucas: Still, Bintanath is one of the best-documented royal women of the New Kingdom. We have statues, inscriptions, and even a papyrus that records her trading for goods at Per-Ramesses. She had her own estate, her own seal, her own staff. She was a powerful figure in her own right. Luna: I guess that's the part that surprises me most — that she wasn't just a symbol, but had real economic power. Lucas: Right. And that's something we see with other royal women of the period, like Nefertari and Isetnofret. They managed estates, owned land, and participated in trade. Bintanath was no exception. There's a papyrus from the reign of Ramses that lists her buying wine and oil — and the scribe notes it was for her personal household. Lucas: So when we think of Ramses the Great, we tend to focus on his monuments, his battles, his mummy. But his daughters — especially Bintanath — give us a window into the domestic and political life of the court. They were key players in the dynasty's survival. Luna: And it also shows how different royal marriage was from what we imagine. Lucas: Exactly. To us, it's taboo. To them, it was sacred and strategic. And Bintanath navigated that role with what appears to have been real skill and influence. Luna: Thanks, Lucas. That was really illuminating. Lucas: My pleasure. Next time, we might look at another overlooked figure — maybe one of Ramses' sons who wasn't Merenptah. There are dozens of them, and they have fascinating stories too.