- Ankhnesneferibre
Ankhnesneferibre held the office of
Divine Adoratrice of Amun from around 595 to525 BC . During the same time, she also held the office of "God's Wife of Amun ", which was the highest office in the priesthood of the temple of Amun in Thebes. The holder of that office, instituted circa2160 BC when Thebes rose to being the capital city, had the most powerful influence upon thepharaoh , advising, interpreting theoracles of the deities, and determining the actions of the state together with, or for, the pharaoh. The title was intended to be passed along the line of the royal women, who carried the royal lineage, the kingship being passed down through the female line in what is referred to asmatrilineality . Usually it was the royal daughter of the pharaoh who was chosen to rule, but sometimes the office holder was the royal mother or the royal wife. The title, "Divine Adoratrice of Amun", conveyed even more political authority than the earlier office.Ankhnesneferibre was the daughter of
Psammetichus II , and was adopted by her predecessor in the office, Nitocris I. She governed Thebes until the Persian conquest in 525 BCE.Her tomb can be found in the complex of
Medinet Habu .
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