Born: 1398 BC (circa), Egypt
Died: 1338 BC (circa)
Country most active: Egypt
Also known as: Tiy
Queen Tiye was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian pharaoh Amenhotep III, the mother of Akhenaten and grandmother of Tutankhamun. Amenhotep III reputedly relied heavily on his wife’s political advice, being more interested in sports and the outdoors than in his royal duties. She was an important power during both her husband’s and son’s reigns. Known to be wise, intelligent, strong, and fierce, she was able to gain the respect of foreign dignitaries, and foreign leaders were willing to deal directly with her. She was the first Egyptian queen to have her name recorded on official acts.
During her son’s reign, Akhenaten’s correspondence speaks highly of the political influence she wielded at court, and she continued to correspond with people of influence herself.
Between Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, who may have had an incestuous relationship with his mother, many shrines were built for Tiye, most of them during her lifetime. She is shown on the walls of the tomb of Huya – a “steward in the house of the king’s mother, the great royal wife Tiyi” – depicted at a dinner table with Akhenaten, his wife Nefertiti, and their family and then being escorted by the king to her sunshade. In 2010, DNA analysis confirmed her to be the mummy known as “The Elder Lady” found in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) in 1898.