Not exactly a queen but I wasn't sure what folder to put this up in. Who do you think she was? I think that she was Tiye's daughter born just before Amenhotep III died. Any other theories?

Yes I have always been lead to believe she was the youngest daughter of Tiy and Amenhotep but I have even read somewhere that someone thinks she might have been the daughter of Tiy by Akhenaten?????
Strangely enough I don't think many egyptologists give credence to her being Tiy/Amenhotep's daughter. Most history books will state that they had three or four daughters but Baketaten isn't one of those named.

One of the theories I heard some where is she was Sitamun with a name change.
I also heard she might have been the daughter of Sitamun and her father Amenhotep lll. Sitamun is mention as possible candidate as the mother of Tutankhamen.

I think she is the daughter of Tiye and Amenhotep III. I don't believe she is Akhenaten's daughter. Although there were father-daughter and brother-sister marriages in royal families, there were no mother-son marriages in Egypt. I read somewhere that they found the mere idea of it as disgusting as we do, but I think it had a more practical reason: an old man and a young woman can have children, but an old woman and a young man not. So there were no mother-son marriages.

If we accept the theory of a longer co-regency, then Baketaten can easily be the daughter of Amenhotep III, born around the yr33/yr5. If we don't accept the co-regency then Tiye was over 50 when Baketaten was born which makes it unlikely that she was her child.

I think Sitamun was too old at that time (no offense meant, Sitamun...) and Baketaten always seems to be about the same age as Akhenaten's daughters. Tyldesley writes Baketaten is possibly Princess Nebetah under a new name. (Nebetah was the youngest daughter of Amenhotep and Tiye if we don't count Baketaten.)

I don't think there is any way she could be the daughter of Akhenaten. There is an inscription somewhere at Amarna that shows Tiy visiting Amarna with the young Princess Baketaten. If she was Akhenaten's daughter she would already be i residence would she not?

I don't think I've ever heard of Baketaten before...

Maybe I have, but I don't know too much about her...
Perhaps she's daughter of a minor nobel/ minor princess? Part of Akhenaten's harem?

No, she is definitely Tiye's daughter, at least the inscriptions say so.

(well... in the novel I'm writing now she is a daughter of one of Akhenaten's elder sister and Tiye pretends that Beketaten is her child 'cause she doesn't want people know that she is an illegitimate child... but it's only my guess )

Hi Meritaton, Tiye wouldn't have had to pretend that Baketaten was her child. She could have adopted her. The ancient Egyptians did believe and practice adoption as a means of getting children. Adopted children had all the rights of natural children in Egyptian courts of law.




Sometimes i believe it is this aspect of Egyptian culture that gets so many folks confused as to who is related to who. Sitamun for example is considered by some to be the daughter of Amenophis III and Tiye. While other's believe that she is actually a daughter of Thutmosis IV and youngest sister of Amenophis III. If after her father died, she could have been adopted by her brother and his wife making her sister/daughter of Amenophis, without the social taboo of our time coming into play as great as they normally would.

As for a princess having an illegitimate child umm...
i have played with the position of Divine Wife of Amun as a possible means to disguise the illegitimate birth of a child to an unmarried princess. But then i remember who would tempt Pharaoh in such a manner? I know a very brave man.

The best of success with your novel.

Thanks!
I think Sitamun is a sister of Amehnotep, not his daughter. If she was adopted, it really makes sense.

Could you please tell me where you read that Baketamon might actually be the same person as Sitamon only with a different name?It sounds interesting reminds me of the Nefertiti/Smenkhara theory.

Originally posted by Meritaton

Did a search and there appears to be an additional King's Daughter named Siamun. Sister to Amenhotep.