Interview: God’s Wives, King’s Daughters – The Princesses of Amarna with Courtney Marx and ARCE

Special collaborative episode with the American Research Center in Egypt.

The daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti were not just “ornaments” for their parents. Like many princesses, they also participated in the religious rituals and royal pageantry of the Egyptian government. In this interview, Courtney Marx (MA, George Mason University) joins us on behalf of the American Research Center in Egypt, to discuss the Amarna princesses and their role as priestesses. We also explore the history of royal women as priestesses and the unique roles they played in the temple rituals. Finally, we explore the aftermath of Amarna: how the visible roles, titles, and imagery of princesses changed following the death of Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

The American Research Center in Egypt is celebrating 75 years of work in the Nile Valley. Dedicated to scholarship of the ancient, medieval, and modern worlds, the ARCE supports researchers and students, funds archaeological and scholarly work, and organises many public outreach programs. Learn more about ARCE at their website and follow the ARCE Podcast online and on all podcasting apps.

Logo image: Block fragment showing two Amarna princesses (Metropolitan Museum of Art 1985.328.6). Photo by Courtney Marx.

Further Reading (provided by Courtney Marx):

• Ayad, Mariam F. “The God’s Wife of Amun: origins and rise to power.” In Carney, Elizabeth D. and Sabine Müller (eds), The Routledge companion to women and monarchy in the ancient Mediterranean world, 47-60. New York: Routledge, 2021.
• Ayad, Mariam F. God’s Wife, God’s Servant: The God’s Wife of Amun (ca.740–525 BC). United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis, 2009.
• Bryan. Betsy M. “Property and the God’s Wives of Amun.” In D. Lyons and R. Westbrook, eds. Women and Property in Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean Societies. Washington, DC: Center For Hellenic Studies, Harvard University, 2005.
• Pawlicki, Franciszek. Princess Neferure in the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari: Failed Heiress to the Pharaoh’s Throne? Études et Travaux 21, 109-127. 2007.
• Xekalaki, Georgia. Symbolism in the Representation of Royal Children During the New Kingdom. Oxford: Archaeopress, 2011.
• Troy, Lana. “Patterns of Queenship in Ancient Egyptian Myth and History.” PhD diss., Uppsala University, 1986.
• Williamson, Jacquelyn. “Death and the Sun Temple: New Evidence for Private Mortuary Cults at Amarna.” The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 103, no. 1 (June 2017): 117–123.