Enquiry on Meritaten: The Many Aspects of an Exceptional Amarna Woman

Meritaten was the eldest daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti. According to evidence, during the Amarna Age, her position at court became increasingly pivotal: starting as king’s daughter, in fact, she pos­sibly even became pharaoh. Meritaten was mentioned in various Amarna Letters; in different depictions she took the place of Kiya, secondary wife of Akhenaten; she became Great Royal Wife of king Smenkhkarē^c, and, according to some scholars, she was also the female pharaoh ^cAnkhetkheperurē^c Neferneferūaten. Her impor­tant presence at Amarna is clearly exemplified by her depictions on the walls of the so‒called Tombs of the No­bles built in the new capital wanted by Akhenaten, where Meritaten is represented both as a young princess and a proper Great Royal Wife. Analysing the emerged evidence belonging to these burial places, this paper aims to delineate the most significant scenes where Meritaten is depicted and, consequently, the profile of one of the most central women of the Amarna Period.