Tiy
18th Dynasty
Tiy was a queen of the 18th Dynasty,
married to Amenhotep
III (1391-1353 B.C.). The daughter of Yuia, a priest of Akhmin, and Tuia, a
servant of the queen , Mutemwiya, Tiy likely married
Amenhotep while he was a prince. She is believed to have
been only 11 or 12 years old at the time of the
marriage.. She was intelligent and diligent, the first
queen of Egypt to have her name on official acts,
including the announcement of the king's marriage to a
foreign princess.
After giving birth to Akhenaten
and a number of royal daughters, Tiy urged her oldest
daughter, Princess Sitamun, to
marry the king. It is believed that she did this in order
to ensure royal heirs to the throne
Amenhotep III built a pleasure palace for Tiy and for
the members of the royal family at Malkata, on the
western shore of Thebes. He retired to his own palace
with his women and allowed her to see to the affairs of
state with counselors and officials. Tiy was mentioned by
the kings of several other lands in their correspondence,
having been made known to them in her official dealings.
She was widowed at the age of 48. Akhenaten retired to
'Amarna, and for a time Tiy lived there. Depictions of
her show a forceful woman with a sharp chin, deep-set
eyes and a firm mouth.
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