Osiris II wrote:
If you read my post more carefully, Sekhmet, you'll see that I stated it to be only a theory.
The position of her arms is rather a big question. Before she was Pharaoh, she was the wife of a king and the daughter of a king. I'm sure she would want to be buried as Pharaoh--but those intrusted with preparing her body for burial may have had different ideas. We just don't know for sure.
As it says in the article, some DNA testing done on the internal organs they are positive are Hapshepsut's and the mummy in question would prove, one way or another, if it is her mummy. What makes you think it's Tiye? Again, it's possible. But wouldn't Tiye, if she was not found in her own tomb, more likely be in that of her husband or, as speculted, in a cache?
Hi Osiris II
Why i believe the body to be that of Queen Tiy?
1) She did die as an elderly queen, not Pharaoh.
2) She die during the rule of her son, the Atenist. He buried her in the finest Atentist arts available.
3) She may have been buried originally, or post originally with the remains of her husband.
4) Regardless of where she was buried. When her remains were discovered, (if in fact either of the two remaining 18th dynasty royal females are her.) she would have been covered with Atentist artwork. A very distrubing thought to the priest charged with protecting and reburial of the royals.
5) Since by the time, the reburial priests would have found her. Knowledge of the Atentist cult would have been forgotten. ( unless the temples themselves kept alive some story of the Atentist Pharaoh and his war against them) They may have buried her, with her husband and other family members. However i find that unlikely.
6) Ancient mankind tended to be highly superstitious especially in relation to religion, and burials. i question, if religious priests would rebury a blantently (as Tiy's original burial goods would suggest she be) non-Amun worshipping woman with the dead of Amun. My answer would have to be no, they wouldn't. Hence my reason as to why these remains are Queen Tiy and no one else.
7) Then there is the age of the lady, it is listed as elderly. Tiy had adult grandchildren when she died, if we accept that Meketaten died giving birth. While Akhenaten, himself is considered to be one of her younger children, if his oldest girls were capable of having chldren. Tiy must have been elderly vs middled age. While Hatshepsut died not long after her daughter, leaving no known grandchildren which would tend to indicate that unlike Tiy, she died closer to being middle aged than elderly.
As to in which position Hatshepsut's arms would have been buried. Ancient Egyptians believed that the dead could harm them if the dead was displeased in someway. Not burying Hatshepsut as Pharaoh would have displeased her. She lived and died as Pharaoh. i don't believe anyone could provide a satisfactory answer as to why in death she would want a demotion in rank or power.
It would be offensive to the gods to bury a woman as Pharaoh... not after she had been accepted by them for X number of years as a living god Pharaoh much to Egypt's success.
i do believe that she was buried as a Pharaoh.
Nor, does it make sence that her liver and spleen were reburied in one place and the rest of her someplace else. i happen to believe that the liver and spleen are all that will ever be found of her. Likewise what reason would there have been to bury Hatshepsut alone? Espeically if she had been buried as this elderly woman had been as a queen? It isn't as if, the reburial came during the 18th dynasty which might have had some reason for such a burial. But in the 21st Dynasty when most of these reburials took place?
Thanks Osiris II!
