Princess Setepnre of the 18th Dynasty
Setepenre was the 6th, and probably last, daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti.This Ancient Egypt lens by Kate Phizackerley presents what little we know about this very minor princess. The image shown is the hieroglyphics for her name, which is translated by Dorothy Arnold as "She whom the Sun has chosen". Re or Ra is an older name for the sun god Aten and, while not identical to the Aten, clearly Re was still recognised and venerated during the Amarna period.
What do we know?
Setepenre was probably born in late year nine, or possibly early year ten of Akhenaten's reign,which I estimate to be about 1341BC, the last and least of Nefertiti's daughters. (Egyptologists try to avoid using years, rather than indicating which year during a King's reign an event happened as, in truth, dates are only educated guesses; however, lay readers I think would rather have a date to work from, even if it is a few years out.)
Not much is known about Setepenre, although it is assumed she died young, perhaps a victim of a plague which swept across Egypt. It is possible some of her sisters, and even her mother, may also have died from the same plague. It is not known where she was burried and her mummy has not been found. There is indeed no actual evidence of her death. One theory I have not seen considered is that she may have been married abroad and left Egypt. We know that discussions were underway to betrothe Neferneferure to a Babylonian Prince. If parallel arrangements were married for Setepenre with another kingdom we may not know about them if that kingdom didn't communication on clay tablets. She should therefore consider the possibility that she may not have died in Egypt, although the balance of probabilities is that she did do so.
There are very few references to her on monuments and in tombs. One bust in Cairo Museum has tenatively been identified as depicting Setepenre but only on stylsitic arguments and it is possible it could be a bust of one of her five older sisters. Attribution of a number of broken statues of Amarna Princesses is also uncertain and it is possible that one or more of these depicted Setepenre.
Not much is known about Setepenre, although it is assumed she died young, perhaps a victim of a plague which swept across Egypt. It is possible some of her sisters, and even her mother, may also have died from the same plague. It is not known where she was burried and her mummy has not been found. There is indeed no actual evidence of her death. One theory I have not seen considered is that she may have been married abroad and left Egypt. We know that discussions were underway to betrothe Neferneferure to a Babylonian Prince. If parallel arrangements were married for Setepenre with another kingdom we may not know about them if that kingdom didn't communication on clay tablets. She should therefore consider the possibility that she may not have died in Egypt, although the balance of probabilities is that she did do so.
There are very few references to her on monuments and in tombs. One bust in Cairo Museum has tenatively been identified as depicting Setepenre but only on stylsitic arguments and it is possible it could be a bust of one of her five older sisters. Attribution of a number of broken statues of Amarna Princesses is also uncertain and it is possible that one or more of these depicted Setepenre.
Setepenre's Sisters
We know rather more about Setepenre's sisters, the other daughters of Nefertiti. You can find out more about the family on this lens.
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Off Squidoo I am a middle-aged woman with a wide range of interests from Ancient Egypt, backgammon, cookery ... to ... Zimbabwe which I visited 20 years... more »
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