Pectoral of Amenemhat III (cropped & rotated)

Mereret (or Meret) was an Ancient Egyptian ''King's Daughter'' known from her burial next to the

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

of Pharaoh

Senusret III Khakaure Senusret III (also written as Senwosret III or the hellenised form, Sesostris III) was a pharaoh of Egypt. He ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC during a time of great power and prosperity, and was the fifth king of the Twelfth Dynasty of the ...

(ruled about 1878 BC to 1839 BC) at

Dahshur DahshurAlso transliterated ''Dahshour'' (in English often called ''Dashur'' ar, دهشور ' , ''Dahchur'') is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately south of Cairo. It is known chiefly for several p ...

. On the north side of the king's pyramid was a row of four pyramids belonging to the king's wives. These pyramids were connected by an underground gallery. On the west side of the gallery were further burials arranged for women with the title ''king's daughter''. They were buried in sarcophagi that were placed into niches. All burials were found looted. However, the robbers missed two boxes filled with personal adornments found in 1894 by

Jacques de Morgan Jean-Jacques de Morgan (3 June 1857, Huisseau-sur-Cosson, Loir-et-Cher – 14 June 1924) was a French people, French mining engineer, geologist, and archaeologist. He was the director of antiquities in Khedivate of Egypt, Egypt during the 19th ...

. One of these boxes must have belonged to a ''king's daughter'' Sithathor, the other box to a ''king's daughter'' with the name Mereret or Meret. Not much else is known about Mereret. Her name, with different spellings, appears on several scarab seals found in the jewellery box. Here, she always bears the title ''King's Daughter''. From the position of her burial it might be concluded that she was the daughter of King Senusret III. Among her personal adornments were also pieces with the name of King

Amenemhet III :''See Amenemhat, for other individuals with this name.'' Amenemhat III ( Ancient Egyptian: ''Ỉmn-m-hꜣt'' meaning 'Amun is at the forefront'), also known as Amenemhet III, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the sixth king of the Twelfth Dy ...

,Diana Craig Patch: ''Excursus: Concerning Middle Kingdom Pectorals'', in: in: A. Oppenheim, d. Arnold, D. Arnold, Kei Yamamoto (editors): ''Ancient Egypt Transformed, The Middle Kingdom'', New York 2015 , 112-114 indicating that she might have died under that king (who was most likely her brother).

References

Literature

*Dieter Arnold: ''The Pyramid Complex of Senwosret III at Dahshur, Architectural Studies'', New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, {{DEFAULTSORT:Mereret Princesses of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt 19th-century BC women