Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Royal Wives: Nefertari and Isisnofret
Transcript
- Luna: We've talked a lot about Ramses's monuments and battles, but I realize we haven't really focused on his family life beyond Khaemwaset and the succession crisis. Lucas: That's a good point. Today I want to talk about the women in his life — especially his two principal wives, Nefertari and Isisnofret. They were far more than just royal consorts; they played crucial roles in diplomacy, religion, and even dynastic politics. Lucas: Let's start with Nefertari, who is probably the most famous. Her tomb in the Valley of the Queens — QV66 — is one of the most beautifully decorated in all of Egypt. She held the title 'Great Royal Wife,' but also 'God's Wife of Amun,' which gave her a major religious role. Luna: I've seen pictures of that tomb — the colors are incredible. But what about her political influence? Lucas: She was actively involved in diplomacy. We have letters between Nefertari and the Hittite queen Puduhepa, discussing the marriage of Ramses to a Hittite princess — that's Maathorneferure, who we covered in episode 71. Nefertari wasn't threatened by it; she facilitated the alliance. Lucas: Nefertari also had her own temple at Abu Simbel, dedicated to the goddess Hathor. The facade shows Ramses and Nefertari of equal height — extremely unusual, as queens were normally depicted much smaller. It signals her elevated status. Luna: So she was basically a co-ruler in some ways? Lucas: Not officially, but she wielded soft power. She accompanied Ramses on state visits and possibly even on campaign — there's a stela from Aswan showing her making offerings. She died around year 24 of Ramses's reign, which was a huge loss. Her tomb was prepared with exquisite care. Lucas: Then there's Isisnofret. She's less visible in the monumental record, but her influence was immense through her children. She was the mother of Khaemwaset — the high priest of Ptah and Egypt's first Egyptologist — and also of Merenptah, who eventually succeeded Ramses. Luna: So she's the one who actually secured the dynasty's future. Lucas: Exactly. Isisnofret appears in scenes at the Ramesseum and at Gebel el-Silsila, but she didn't have her own temple. Some scholars think she may have been less favored by Ramses personally, but politically she was essential. Her son Merenptah became the thirteenth son to inherit the throne — because so many older brothers died. Lucas: Interestingly, both queens were probably of non-royal birth. Nefertari might have been the daughter of a high official, and Isisnofret perhaps from a military family. Ramses didn't marry his sisters like some earlier pharaohs did — these were strategic alliances with powerful families. Luna: That reminds me — did Ramses really have over a hundred children? Lucas: He had around a hundred children, yes, but only a fraction were from his chief wives. The rest were from secondary wives and concubines in the royal harem. The harem was a political institution — daughters of vassal rulers were sent there as hostages or to cement alliances. Lucas: Speaking of which, Maathorneferure, the Hittite princess, arrived in Ramses's 34th year. She took an Egyptian name and was given the title 'Great Royal Wife,' but she never eclipsed the memory of Nefertari. Her tomb hasn't been found, so we know little of her life in Egypt. Luna: It must have been a huge cultural adjustment for her. Lucas: Absolutely. She brought a Hittite retinue and probably maintained her own religious practices, but she had to adapt to Egyptian court life. The diplomatic marriage was a triumph for Ramses, but for her, it was a lonely existence. Lucas: Now, we should also mention Ramses's mother, Queen Tuya. She lived into his reign and was depicted at Abu Simbel. She was the wife of Seti I and the power behind the throne early on. Ramses built her a chapel at the Ramesseum. Luna: The mothers of pharaohs often seem to have been very influential. Lucas: They were. Tuya even held the title 'King's Mother,' which gave her authority. And some of Ramses's daughters also became his wives — that was common in the 19th Dynasty to keep the bloodline pure, though it seems more ceremonial than consummated. Lucas: One of his daughters, Bintanath, appears as a 'Great Royal Wife' and was buried in the Valley of the Queens. Her tomb was robbed in antiquity, but the inscriptions show she was highly respected. Luna: So the royal women were not just decorative — they were active in religion and politics. Lucas: Exactly. They held titles like 'God's Wife of Amun' and 'Divine Adoratrice,' which gave them control over temple estates and revenues. They could also influence succession by promoting their own sons. Lucas: If you've been stepping into history with us episode by episode, you know we try to bring these stories to life without any ads. Honestly, if today's conversation was worth a coffee to you, there's a link: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That small gesture helps us keep going. Luna: Yeah, we really appreciate it. It's listeners like you who make this possible. Lucas: So back to Nefertari — her tomb was discovered in 1904 by Ernesto Schiaparelli. The paintings are so vivid because they were sealed and preserved. They show her playing senet, making offerings, and being led by gods. But the tomb has suffered from humidity and tourism, and it's now closed to the public except for virtual tours. Luna: I'd love to see it in person someday. Are there any recent discoveries about her? Lucas: Yes, in 2016, a team found a fragment of her mummy — a pair of legs — in a side chamber of QV66. DNA analysis is ongoing, but it confirms she was buried there. Also, her sandals were found, which is rare. Lucas: Isisnofret's burial is a mystery. She may have been buried at Saqqara near the Serapeum, but no tomb has been identified. Some speculate she died in a later plague, but we just don't know. Luna: It's frustrating how much we still don't know about these powerful women. Lucas: Indeed. But the evidence we do have shows they were indispensable to Ramses's reign. Nefertari's diplomacy, Isisnofret's family connections, Maathorneferure's alliance — each played a part in stabilizing a vast empire. Lucas: And when you look at the queens of the 19th Dynasty, you see a pattern: they were not silent consorts. They had their own lands, their own priests, and their own political agendas. That's a side of ancient Egypt that often gets overlooked. Luna: I'll never see a colossus of Ramses the same way again — knowing the women behind him. Lucas: That's the perfect note to end on. Next time, we might look at how Ramses managed his sprawling bureaucracy — the viziers and officials who actually made the empire run.