| Nimaathap | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort ofEgypt Mother of a King | |
![Seal impression with the name and title of Nimaathap, found at Abydos.[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNimaathapisiegel1.png) Seal impression with the name and title of Nimaathap, found at Abydos.[2] | |
| Burial | Mastaba K1 atBeit Khallaf (uncertain) |
| Spouse | Khasekhemwy |
| Issue | Djoser |
| Dynasty | 2nd of Egypt 3rd of Egypt |
| Nimaathap inhieroglyphs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Personal name:
Nimaathap/Nimaat-Hapi nj-m33.t-Ḥp Truth of Hapi | ||||||
Royal title:
Mwt neswt-bity mw.t-nsw.t-btj Mother of a king | ||||||
Honorary title:
Djet-khetneb-iret-nes ḏt -ḫtnb-jr.t-ns She who says something and it is done (for her) immediately | ||||||
Nimaathap (also read asNima'at-Hapi andNihap-ma'at[3]) was anancient Egyptian queen consort at the transition time from2nd Dynasty to3rd Dynasty. Nimaathap may have acted as regent for her sonDjoser.[4][5]
She is known to have enjoyed a long-lastingmortuary cult.[6]
Nimaathap's name appears on clay seal impressions discovered mostly in the tomb of king (pharaoh)Khasekhemwy, the last ruler of the 2nd dynasty. Other seals were found atBeit Khallaf at the burial sites of themastaba tombsK1 andK2; the relationships of the original tomb owners to Nimaathap are unknown, though. Her name also appears on stone slab fragments fromHeliopolis. These show Nimaathap kneeling at the feet of pharaohDjoser, together with Djoser's wife, queenHetephernebti and Djoser's daughter, princessInetkaes. The relief is evaluated as proof that Nimaathap was still alive at that time and that she participated in at least oneHebsed ceremony. Nimaathap's name does not appear in thepyramid necropolis of Djoser atSaqqara; there, her name was replaced by depictions of the god of grief and mummies,Anubis.[6][7]
Nimaathap's name also appears in a tomb inscription of the high officialMetjen, who held office under the kingsHuni andSneferu. Metjen was "overseer of theKa-house of Nimaethap"; thus he oversaw and administered the mortuary cult for the queen. Egyptologists take this as a proof of how famous Nimaathap must have been during theOld Kingdom period.[7][8]
Nimaathap's name is also read asNimaathapi; her name is connected to the earth godHapi. This is similar to the name of queenKhenthap of the1st Dynasty. In both cases some scholars believe that the connection between the queen's names and the god Apis refers to a somewhat later introduced title of the king:bull of his mother.[3] An old reading once wasHepenmaat, because the syllableHapi was not recognized as the name of Hapy yet.[7]
As a queen, Nimaathap bore several elite titularies:
Nimaathap is generally viewed as the queen consort of pharaoh Khasekhemwy. This is based on the fact that most of her seals were found in the tomb of Khasekhemwy atAbydos. It is unknown how many children Nimaathap had. Djoser, his immediate successorSekhemkhet, andhis successorSanakht are variably viewed as her sons.[7][8]
Outdated theories once held that Nimaathap was the daughter of Khasekhemwy, that she married a kingNebka and that Djoser was the "first rightful king" from that bloodline. This would have fit with the Ramesside king lists, which let the 3rd dynasty begin with king Nebka. It would also have matched the chronicles ofManetho, who places a kingNecherôphes before king Djoser (whom he callsTósorthrós).[6][8]
However these theories are now disproven by the large number of seal impressions (and a few stone bowl inscriptions) bearing Nimaathap's titles "mother of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt", "mother of royal children" and "king's wife". It is now believed that Nimaathap was aprincess of the Northern royal house. When Khasekhemwy fought the Northern royal house atUpper Egypt and was victorious, Nimaathap was handed over as some kind of trophy.[6][8]
Scholars are now also convinced that Djoser was indeed a founder of a new dynasty because Djoser and Nimaathap buried Khasekhemwy at theThinite cemetery of Abydos, but Djoser founded a newMemphite cemetery atSaqqara. Djoser buried his father at the site where Khasekhemwy's house originated from. Together, Djoser and Nimaathap arranged the burial. After this, Nimaathap possibly supported her son for a few years, as the relief fragment from Heliopolis may indicate. After her death, Nimaathap was obviously long remembered and honoured as a co-founder of a new dynasty, as the mortuary service of the 4th dynasty mortuary priestMetjen proves.[6][8]
Nimaathap's tomb has not been identified with certainty. Some Egyptologists consider mastabaK1 at Beit Khallaf to be hers, because a considerable amount of seal impressions with her name were found inside this tomb.[6][7] Other scholars think that Nimaathap was planned to be buried at Abydos, because of her marriage with Khasekhemwy, but that this plan was never enacted as she outlived her husband. She also may have been buried somewhere at Abusir, because a high ranked official namedMetjen was responsible for the mortuary cult around that queen. Usually, the overseer of a mortuary cult was buried close to the tomb he supervised.[8]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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