View source for Takhat

{{for|another person|Takhat (20th dynasty)}}{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Takhat
| title        = King's Wife <br> King's Mother <br/> [[Queen consort]] of Egypt
| image        = Queen Takhat.png
| caption      = Drawing of a painting depicting Takhat offering two vases
| burial_place = [[KV10]], [[Valley of the Kings]] (possibly)
| spouse       = [[Merneptah]] (?) <br>
[[Seti II]] (?)
| issue        = [[Amenmesse]]
| father       = [[Ramesses II]] (uncertain)
| dynasty      = [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|19th Dynasty]]
}}
{{Hiero|Takhat|<hiero>t:A-N28:t-B7</hiero>|align=right|era=nk}}
'''Takhat''' was an [[ancient Egypt]]ian princess and queen of the [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|19th Dynasty]], the mother of the usurper pharaoh [[Amenmesse]].<ref>{{dodson}}, pp.179,183</ref>

There are not many facts known about her other than that she was Amenmesse's mother. She bore the titles ''King's Daughter'' and ''King's Wife.'' She might have been identical with Takhat, a daughter of [[Ramesses II]], who is mentioned on a [[Louvre]] [[ostracon]]. Thus she was the aunt of [[Seti II]], but since she was among the youngest children of Ramesses, it is very likely that she was the same age or even younger than Seti II who was the grandson of Ramesses.<ref>Dodson–Hilton, pp.175,180</ref> It is also possible that she was a grandchild of Ramesses; there are several examples of granddaughters bearing the title ''King's Daughter,'' although it was not very common. The king she married was either [[Merenptah]] or [[Seti II]].

She is shown on several statues of Amenmesse, among them on two statues in the [[Karnak temple]]. On one of these, which still stands in Karnak, she is called ''King's Daughter, King's Wife (Takhat)'' and the word "wife" replaced the original "mother". According to Aidan Dodson and Dyan Hilton, the title was recarved when Seti, the rightful heir regained the throne and usurped the statue, and that it proves either that Takhat married Seti when he became pharaoh, or that they had been married before, which means Amenmesse was Seti's son and usurped the throne from his own father. This theory might be strengthened by the other statue (now in Cairo), on which Takhat is also named as ''King's Daughter'' and ''King's Wife,'' but without any trace of recarving, while the king's name replaced another name. This statue was, according to Dodson and Hilton, possibly made by Seti; later it was usurped by Amenmesse who replaced Seti's name with his own, while leaving his mother's titles intact; still later Amenmesse's name was again replaced with that of Seti.<ref>Dodson & Hilton, pp.179-180</ref> According to another theory Seti was never married to Takhat and had her original titles recarved only to remove all traces that her son ever ruled.<ref>Frank Yurco: Amenmesse: Six Statues at Karnak. Metropolitan Museum Journal, 14 (1979), pp.15-31.</ref>

She is likely to have been buried in Amenmesse's tomb [[KV10]] in the [[Valley of the Kings]]. Her sarcophagus lid originally belonged to an otherwise unknown Princess-Queen [[Anuketemheb]], who might be identical with a daughter of Ramesses II, a princess once named in the [[Luxor temple]] but from whose name only ''...heb'' remains.<ref>[http://www.kv-10.com Amenmesse Project (KV-10) – A University of Memphis Mission: Historical Observation]</ref> The tomb was later usurped by two family members of [[Ramesses IX]]: his mother [[Takhat (20th dynasty)|Takhat]] and his Great Royal Wife [[Baketwerel]]. The latter was once thought to be Amenmesse's Great Royal Wife, but it has been proven since then that decoration mentioned her replaced that of Amenmesse in the tomb, so she must have lived later.<ref>Dodson & Hilton, p.283</ref>

<!--this was the original article, parts of this could be used if sources were to be found, esp. about her being Henutmire's daughter and Twosret's mother.
'''Takhat''' was a daughter of [[Ramesses II]] and probably [[Henutmire]].{{Fact|date=November 2008}} It is believed that she married [[Merneptah]] although Dodson proposes that she was an additional queen of [[Seti II]].  This is difficult to reconcile since she is also believed to be the mother of [[Twosret]], Seti II's wife. Another Takhat is believed to have been the Great Royal Wife of [[Amenmesse]].-->

==Sources==
{{reflist}}
{{Queens of Ancient Egypt}}
[[Category:13th-century BC Egyptian women]]
[[Category:Queens consort of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Princesses of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Children of Ramesses II]]
[[Category:Merneptah]]