Nitocris II
| Nitocris II High Priestess of Amun in Thebes Divine Adoratrice of Amun? | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Successor | office abolished |
| Dynasty | 26th Dynasty |
| Pharaoh | Amasis II, Psamtik III |
| Father | Amasis II |
Nitocris II (or Nitokris II,[1] Nitocris B,[2] Egyptian: Nt-jqrt, Nitiqret) was an ancient Egyptian princess and priestess during the reign of pharaoh Amasis II of the 26th Dynasty.
Biography
Daughter of Amasis II,[2] Nitocris II is mainly attested by a monument now in Chicago (OI 10584) on which she is called High Priest of Amun; the same monument also claim that the God's Wife of Amun Ankhnesneferibre was her "mother". Nitocris' title is notable because she is the last attested holder of the once influential office of High Priest of Amun at Thebes, as well as the only known female holder;[1] she may have reached this office around 560 BCE.[2]
The fact that Ankhnesneferibre is called her "mother" suggest that Nitocris also held the office of Divine Adoratrice of Amun[1] which usually led to the charge of God's Wife of Amun after the adoptive mother's death. However, it seems that Nitocris never managed to reach the latter position because these offices were abolished soon after the Persian invasion of Egypt in 525 BCE.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Dodson, Aidan (2002). "The problem of Amenirdis II and the heirs of the office of God's Wife of Amun during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty". Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 88. pp. 179; 186
- 1 2 3 Kitchen, Kenneth A. (1996). The Third Intermediate Period in Egypt (1100–650 BC). Warminster: Aris & Phillips Limited. p. 608. ISBN 0-85668-298-5. § 365 n. 951; table 13A
- ↑ "God's Wife of Amun". Ancient Egypt by Anneke Bart. Retrieved May 31, 2015.