| Nedjemet | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nodjmet | |||||||
"Sweet One" | |||||||
 Nedjemet depicted as a queen, from one of her Book of the Dead papyri.© | |||||||
| Dynasty | 20th and 21st Dynasty | ||||||
| Pharaoh(s) | Ramesses XI – Smendes I | ||||||
| Titles | King's Mother Lady of the Two Lands Chief of the Harem of Amun-Re | ||||||
| Father | Amenhotep (?) | ||||||
| Mother | Herer | ||||||
| Spouse(s) | Piankh | ||||||
| Issue | Herihor (?), Pinedjem I, Heqanefer, Heqamaat, Ankhefenmut, Faienmut (?) | ||||||
| Burial | TT320 (reburial) | ||||||
- For other pages by this name, see Nedjemet.
Nedjemet (transliteration: nḏm.t, meaning: "Sweet One") was an ancient Egyptian noble lady of the late Twentieth and early Twenty-first Dynasty during the New Kingdom.
Family[]
- See also: 21st Dynasty Family Tree.
Nedjemet held the prominent position of "Chief of the Harem of Amun-Re", which indicates that she was married to a High Priest of Amun, who is generally accepted to be Piankh. Nedjemet is furthermore attested in Papyrus BM 10490, one of her two Book of the Dead papyri which is currently at the British Museum, as a "King's Mother" (mwt-nỉsw.t) alongside the proclaimed king Herihor, probably making her his mother since she is not attested as his wife and all emphasis lies on her being a king's mother.[1] The papyrus also attests Nedjemet as "the daughter of the King's Mother Herer".
The Luxor graffito dating to Pinedjem I's pontificate as High Priest depicts Piankh and Nedjemet being honored by their sons. Besides Pinedjem himself, these include; Heqanefer, who became Second Prophet of Amun; Heqamaat, a Sem Priest at Medinet Habu; and Ankhefenmut, the Overseer of the Cattle, Chief Steward of Amun and Priest of Mut.[2] Faienmut, a known daughter of her husband, was presumably hers too.
Nedjemet is furthermore attested as "Lady of the Two Lands" (nb.t tꜣwy) which is usually held by queen consorts. A possible explanation could be that her sons Herihor and Pinedjem I, both High Priests who considered themselves kings, viewed their deceased father Piankh, who held the office of High Priest of Amun before them, as a kingly figure during their own pontificates. Thus granting Nedjemet, as his widow and their mother, queenly titles. However, this remains speculative.
Burial[]
Nedjemet's reburied mummy and funerary equipment have been found in the Royal Cache at Deir el-Bahari.[3]
Mummy[]
Mummyhead of Nedjemet (Smith 1912).
The body is that of an old woman. She had been embalmed with a new mummification technique which involved the use of fake eyes and the packing of the limbs. The heart was still in place inside her body.
References[]
Bibliography[]
- Kitchen, K.A., 1996: The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt. 2nd revised Edition, Warminster.
- Smith, G.E., 1912: The Royal Mummies. Duckworth. (Reprinted year 2000 version).
- Thijs, A., 2013: Nodjmet A, Daughter of Amenhotep, Wife of Piankh and Mother of Herihor. Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, Vol. 140.