ABSTRACT
During the Third Intermediate Period, a group of five royal daughters attained unprecedented power through holding the title of God’s Wife of Amun. These five God’s Wives belonged to rival dynasties, Libyan, Nubian, and Saite; yet succession to office occurred through adoption and their office was used to achieve a smooth transition of power in the Theban region. There, they feature in iconographic scenes of religious ritual on par with the king. This chapter traces the development of the title of God’s Wife of Amun from its earliest occurrences, to its full formulation during the 18th Dynasty, through its heyday under Egypt’s Libyan, Nubian, and Saite rulers, and its ultimate demise shortly after the Persian invasion of Egypt in the spring of 525 BCE. Issues of celibacy, adoption, legitimacy, and choice of “official” names are examined to shed further light on the status and role of the exceptional women who held this title.
