Latest / Ramses the Great: Egypt's Most Powerful Pharaoh — Fexingo History / Ramses the Great's Women: Wives, Daughters, and Diplomacy
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Ramses as a warrior and builder, but there's another side to his reign that's just as revealing: the women in his life. I'm not just talking about Nefertari, though she's central — Ramses had a vast harem, several Great Royal Wives, and he married at least one Hittite princess as part of the peace deal with Hattusili III. And his daughters — some of them he even married himself. Luna: Wait, he married his own daughters? That sounds like something from a different culture entirely. Lucas: It does, but it was part of royal practice in New Kingdom Egypt. Ramses married at least three of his daughters: Bintanath, Meritamen, and Nebettawy. They were given the title 'King's Daughter' and also 'King's Wife'. It was meant to keep the royal bloodline pure and to emulate the divine marriage of the god Osiris and his sister-wife Isis. But it also served a political purpose: it prevented powerful noble families from gaining influence through marriage to the king. Luna: So it was about consolidating power within the family. What about Nefertari? We've seen her at Abu Simbel, but what was her actual role? Lucas: Nefertari was Ramses's first and most beloved Great Royal Wife. She wasn't just a consort — she wielded real power. She had her own temple at Abu Simbel, dedicated to Hathor, where she's shown as a goddess. She also corresponded with the Hittite queen Puduhepa, which shows she was involved in diplomacy. Inscriptions call her 'the one for whom the sun shines,' and she appears in scenes making offerings to the gods, which was normally a kingly prerogative. Luna: She sounds like a partner in rule, not just a wife. What happened to her? I know she died before Ramses. Lucas: She died around Year 24 or 25 of Ramses's reign, probably in her early forties. We have records of her tomb in the Valley of the Queens — it's one of the most beautiful, with vivid paintings. But her death wasn't the end of powerful women in Ramses's court. His second Great Royal Wife, Isetnofret, was the mother of his eventual successor, Merenptah, and she too had considerable influence, though less is known about her. Luna: And then there's Maathorneferure, the Hittite princess. What was her story? Lucas: Maathorneferure — her Egyptian name means 'She Who Sees Horus, the Visible Splendor of Ra' — was the daughter of Hattusili III. She arrived in Egypt around Year 34 of Ramses's reign, as part of the peace treaty we covered earlier. Ramses made a huge show of welcoming her: he described her as 'beautiful in her heart like a goddess,' and she was given the title Great Royal Wife. But she didn't replace Nefertari in Ramses's affections — she was a diplomatic pawn, though she likely lived comfortably in the harem at Per-Ramesses. Luna: So she was a symbol of the alliance. Did she have any children? Lucas: That's unclear. Egyptian records don't mention any children of Maathorneferure. But the Hittites kept track — from Hattusa we have a letter from Puduhepa to Ramses, asking about the princess's well-being and mentioning that she might be pregnant. But no heir is recorded from her. It's possible she died young or remained childless. In any case, the political marriage cemented a peace that lasted for the rest of Ramses's reign. Luna: What about other women in the harem? Was it just a collection of wives and concubines, or did they have roles beyond bearing children? Lucas: The harem was called the 'House of the Royal Children' or 'Per-Khemret.' It was a self-contained institution within the palace complex, with its own administrators, scribes, and guards. Women there were ranked: Great Royal Wives at the top, then secondary wives, then concubines. They were expected to produce children, especially sons, but they also ran the household, oversaw textile production, and some even managed estates. There were also foreign princesses sent as gifts, like the daughters of Babylonian and Assyrian kings. Luna: So it was a mix of politics and family. Did any of Ramses's sons cause trouble about succession? Lucas: Fascinatingly, Ramses outlived many of his sons. His firstborn, Amunherkhepeshef, died young. Then others like Khaemwaset, the priest, died in middle age. It wasn't until his thirteenth son, Merenptah, that a viable heir survived into his father's old age. Merenptah was about sixty when he became pharaoh. But interestingly, the mothers of these princes had different statuses: Amunherkhepeshef was Nefertari's son, Merenptah was Isetnofret's. So there was potential for rivalry, but Ramses seems to have managed it without major crises. Luna: What about the title 'God's Wife of Amun'? I've heard that was a powerful role for women. Lucas: That title became hugely important later, but during Ramses's time, it was still developing. The God's Wife of Amun was a priestess who acted as the wife of the god Amun-Ra. She participated in rituals and wielded economic power through temple lands. In the Eighteenth Dynasty, women like Hatshepsut's daughter Neferure held it. Under Ramses, his daughters Bintanath and Meritamen may have held it. But it was in the Third Intermediate Period that it became a political office, with celibate princesses who adopted successors. Ramses's era was a transitional moment. Luna: It seems like royal women had more influence than we often give them credit for. Lucas: Absolutely. While they couldn't be pharaoh in their own right — with the exception of Hatshepsut earlier — they were essential to the dynasty's stability. They legitimized the king's rule, managed the harem, performed religious duties, and acted as diplomatic envoys. Puduhepa, the Hittite queen, is a great example: she negotiated directly with Ramses via letters, discussing trade and the marriage of her daughter. So women were active participants in the political landscape, even if the inscriptions are mostly about men. Luna: Any archaeological finds that give us a closer look at these women's lives? Lucas: The tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens is the most spectacular — it's called QV66, and its paintings are some of the best preserved in Egypt. They show Nefertari playing senet, making offerings, and being led by the goddess Hathor. But there are also smaller finds: jewelry, cosmetic jars, and stelae. For less elite women, we have ostraca and papyri that mention their work in weaving or brewing. And then there's the harem conspiracy during Ramses III's reign — that's a later story, but it shows that women in the harem could be politically dangerous. Luna: So the women around Ramses were not just ornaments; they were part of his governance strategy. That's a different picture than the usual 'pharaoh and his wives' cliché. Lucas: Exactly. Ramses understood that marriage was a tool of statecraft. By marrying strategically — Hittite princesses, Babylonian princesses, even his own daughters — he neutralized potential threats and built alliances. And by elevating women like Nefertari to near-divine status, he projected an image of harmony and order. It's a reminder that behind every great pharaoh, there were often equally great queens, mothers, and daughters whose stories we're only beginning to uncover. Luna: And it makes you wonder what we don't know about the women who didn't leave inscriptions. Lucas: That's the mystery. For every Nefertari, there were dozens of unnamed women who managed households, raised children, and kept the economy running. Their voices are lost, but their presence shaped the world Ramses ruled. Perhaps that's a story for another episode.