User:Cowens1/TheTombofThutmoseIII'sForeignWives

The Tomb Of Thutmose III's Foreign Wives

The Tomb of Thutmose III’s Foreign Wives is the burial site of Manuwai, Manhata, and Murata. These women were Thutmose’s three minor wives, who are assumed to be of foreign descent for a number of reasons. Located in the tomb, southwest of the Valley Of Kings, were sets of gold, mirrors, canopic jars, jewelry, headdresses, and other royal burial items that have since been located.

History

The tomb was first discovered in 1916 by local tomb robbers. Unfortunately upon being discovered the treasures in the tomb were shifted from their original positions, stolen, or sold. World War I overshadowed the findings, but upon hearing of the discovery archeologists Alan Gardiner and Ernest MacKay were able to examine the site. Soon after their excavation Howard Carter discovered and mapped the cliff tomb of Hatshepsut in the Wady Qurad, and found that it was cut into a crevice similar to the tombs of Thutmose’s lesser wives.

Today most of the items originally found in the tomb have been purchased by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from antique markets around the world. The first analysis of the burial items and the tomb itself was published in 1948 by H. E. Winlock. He did not have the advantage of modern scientific analysis, but his investigations were ground breaking and influential. The damage caused by the flow of water through the tomb (downpours) combined with the “ignorant actions of the thieves” has made learning about the three wives of Thutmose fairly difficult. However, Winlock was able to determine that the three wives died after 1494 BC but before 1479 BC. He explains that a few objects in the tomb were inscribed with Hatshepsut’s name and when she died in 1479 her name was either erased from most places in Egypt or no longer used in general.

The heart scarabs and additional items found in the tomb were inscribed with hieroglyphs of non-Egyptian names. In addition the title of hmt nswt meaning “king’s wife,” were included in each of the wives names. Several of the items included the name of Thutmose III. It is clear that these women were not Great Royal Wives of Thutmose’s and it has been revealed that all three of the names are West Semitic, and may have come from Syria-Palestine. Winlock explained that these women were not mere concubines. In addition, Christine Lilyquist’s 1988 reexamination of the site reveals the tomb’s similarities to other royal tombs of the 18th Dynasty. Her work has now superseded Winlock’s due to its more extensive and modern analysis and its dismissal of some items due to forgery.

Marriage

Diplomatic marriages were especially common at the time in order to reinforce treaties, establish alliances, and strengthen the relationships between states. Most scholars agree that is it likely that during the year-40 campaign the king brought back the daughter of a great one and along with her 30 slaves and gold. Whether this is true or not is unknown but it does appear that the king did have a small harem. Thutmose III was in control of a very strong Egyptian Empire during his reign and his strong external policy very much influenced regular contact with foreigners. Trade and foreign goods have historically been a large part of Egyptian daily life.

Burial

At the time of Winlock’s publication it was understood that the tomb had been undisturbed up until its 1916 robbery. He concluded that the tomb’s inaccessibility and absence of any sign of reentry meant that all three women were buried in a single burial ceremony and must have died simultaneously. More recent studies conclude that even though the three women were buried shoulder to shoulder reentry/additional burial may have been possible from the top of the cliff.

The tomb was a single undecorated chamber with its entrance cut into a platform about 10 meters from the valley floor (similar to Thutmose’s own tomb). Outside the tomb remains of white-washed jars, which held natron in other private tombs of the 18th Dynasty, were found bearing one or two of the wives names. It is clear that the site was an Egyptian burial due to many factors including the gold leaves, Egyptian blue pigment, seweret beads, rosettes, and distinct mummification of the bodies. Janine Bourriau described the pottery (Canaanite jars), imported non-Egyptian fabric, as representative of the Thutmose period. The headdresses and drop-shaped collar elements are identical to the (foreign) jewels of Megiddo, Kamid el-Loz, and Tell el-Ajjul.

The headdresses, golden sandals, and semi-precious stone found in the tomb are representative of the wealth of Thutmose III’s reign. Some items that one would expect to see were missing (third mirror, crown pieces) and it is hard to say whether they ever existed or were stolen. The fact that everything was distributed among the thieves makes it impossible to say exactly how everything was combined.