Mutbenret (''Benretmut'') was an

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

noblewoman, and said to be the sister of the Great Royal Wife

Nefertiti Neferneferuaten Nefertiti () ( – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which ...

. Her name used to be read as Mutnedjemet. The hieroglyphs for ''nedjem'' and ''bener'' are similar and so is their meaning. The name is now thought to be Mutbenret however. One theory holds that Mutbenret was the same person as

Mutnedjmet Mutnedjmet, also spelled Mutnedjemet, Mutnodjmet, Mutnodjemet ( egy, mw.t-nḏm.t) was an ancient Egyptian queen, the Great Royal Wife of Horemheb, the last ruler of the 18th Dynasty. The name, Mutnedjmet, translates as: ''The sweet Mut.'' Ti ...

the wife of

Horemheb Horemheb, also spelled Horemhab or Haremhab ( egy, ḥr-m-ḥb, meaning " Horus is in Jubilation") was the last pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt (1550–1295 BC). He ruled for at least 14 years between 1319 BC and 1292 BC. ...

, the last ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty. But there is no conclusive evidence for this theory, and some challenge this theory. Mutbenret appears in several of the Tombs of the Nobles at Amarna: * In the tomb of

Panehesy Panehesy (also transcribed as PinhasyAldred, Cyril, Akhenaten: King of Egypt ,Thames and Hudson, 1991 (paperback), , pg 16,18,24,66,131,222 or PanehsyKemp, Barry, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and its People, Thames and Hudson, 2012 ...

(tomb 6) the presence of two dwarfs on a lintel in a register associated with an offering scene indicate that Mutbenret was depicted nearby (probably in a register next to the royal princesses). Norman De Garis Davies, The rock tombs of el-Amarna, Parts I and II: Part 1 The tomb of Meryra & Part 2 The tombs of Panehesy and Meyra II, Egypt Exploration Society (2004) Mutbenret-Princesses

* Mutbenret is depicted behind the royal princesses in the award scene for Parennefer (tomb 7).Norman De Garis Davies, The rock tombs of el-Amarna, Parts V and VI: Part 5 Smaller tombs and boundary stelae & Part 6 Tombs of Parennefer, Tutu and Ay, Egypt Exploration Society (2004) Mutbenret-dwarfs

* Mutbenret is depicted in the award scene for Tutu in tomb 8. In the register below the King and Queen we see the Queen's Sister Mutbenret with her two dwarfs, several fan bearers and the nurses of the Princesses. * In the tomb of May the royal family is shown worshipping the

Aten Aten also Aton, Atonu, or Itn ( egy, jtn, ''reconstructed'' ) was the focus of Atenism, the religious system established in ancient Egypt by the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten. The Aten was the disc of the sun and originally an aspect o ...

. Akhenaten and Nefertiti are accompanied by three princesses.

Meritaten Meritaten, also spelled Merytaten, Meritaton or Meryetaten ( egy, mrii.t-itn) (14th century BC), was an ancient Egyptian royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Her name means "She who is beloved of Aten"; Aten being the sun-deity whom h ...

and

Meketaten Meketaten ("Behold the Aten" or "Protected by Aten") was the second daughter of six born to the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti. She likely lived between Year 4 and Year 14 of Akhenaten's reign. Although little is known ...

are named as the two princesses in the lower register; the third princess depicted above them is most likely

Ankhesenpaaten Ankhesenamun (, "Her Life Is of Amun"; c. 1348 or c. 1342 – after 1322 BC) was a queen who lived during the 18th Dynasty of Egypt as the pharaoh Akhenaten's daughter and subsequently became the Great Royal Wife of pharaoh Tutankhamun. Born Ank ...

. All three are shown shaking a sistrum. Above the princesses we see the Queen's sister Mutbenret accompanied by her two dwarfs. * The lintel in anonymous tomb 20 shows the royal family adoring the Aten. We see the same scene on the left and the right but in mirror image.

Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...

is shown on both sides wearing the

Khepresh The khepresh (''ḫprš'') was an ancient Egyptian royal headdress. It is also known as the blue crown or war crown. New Kingdom pharaohs are often depicted wearing it in battle, but it was also frequently worn in ceremonies. While it was once c ...

crown. Nefertiti and her daughters were never carved. The inscriptions show that Nefertiti was supposed to follow her husband, followed by Meritaten, Meketaten and Ankhesenpaaten. Behind the princesses we see the Queen's sister Mutbenret. * In anonymous tomb 22, the lintel shows the royal family adoring the Aten. Akhenaten is shown wearing the Khepresh crown.

, wearing her blue crown, followed her husband, followed by three princesses, probably Meritaten, Meketaten and Ankhesenpaaten. Behind the princesses we see the Queen's sister Mutbenret. * Mutbenret is depicted in the tomb of Ay (

Southern Tomb 25 Southern Tomb 25 is a sepulchre in Amarna, Egypt. It was intended for the burial of Ay, who later became Pharaoh, after the 18th Dynasty king Tutankhamun. The grave was never finished, and Ay was later interred in the Western Valley of the Vall ...

), where she is shown as a young girl. Her formal titles include 'The Sister of the King's Chief Wife' (indicating a direct relationship with Nefertiti). Mutbenret is depicted in a scene on the thickness of an outer wall. She is accompanied by her two dwarfs Hemetniswerneheh and Mutef-Pre. It is speculated that an alabaster piece found in

Tutankhamen Tutankhamun (, egy, twt-ꜥnḫ-jmn), Egyptological pronunciation Tutankhamen () (), sometimes referred to as King Tut, was an Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty (ruled ...

's tomb of a boat carrying a lady with a dwarf represents Mutbenret with one of these men.Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, p.156

References

{{Amarna Period Navigator 14th-century BC Egyptian women People of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt 1300s BC deaths Year of birth unknown