Il Cairo, 3 Gennaio 2011: "Le Spose del Dio Amon, (c.740-525 BC): vie di legittimità"

Dr. Zahi Hawass

Secretary General of The Supreme Council of Antiquities
is pleased to invite you to
a lecture by





Dr. Mariam Ayad

Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology

The University of Memphis



The God's Wife of Amun

(c. 740-525 BC): Avenues to Legitimacy



Monday, January 3, 2011

6:00 PM

Reception to Follow

Ahmad Pasha Kamal Hall
Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)
3 el-Adel Abu Bakr Street
(at the intersection of al-Malak al-Afdal Street)
Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: + 2/02 2736-5645
Parking Available

This lecture will highlight aspects of this historically documented, but often ignored, instance, where five single women were elevated to a position of supreme religious authority in the service of the state god Amun. The women were Libyan and Nubian royal princesses, who consecutively held the title of God's Wife of Amun during the Egyptian Twenty-third to the Twenty-sixth dynasties (c. 740-525 BC). At a time of weakened royal authority, rulers turned to their daughters to establish and further their authority. In this lecture, particular attention will be given to the iconography of the God's Wives in order to highlight their use of various methods to validate their position and acquire the requisite (religious) legitimacy to perform in temple ritual.

Ramadan B. Hussein

Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)