WEBVTT

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This is the "Portrait Head of Queen Tiye

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with a Crown of Two Feathers."

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It is believed to be dated to 1355 BCE

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during the Amarna Period, Dynasty 18,

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in New Kingdom Egypt.

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Today, it is located

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in the Egyptian Museum
and Papyrus Collection

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at the Neues Museum in Berlin.

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In ancient Egypt,

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gender played a significant role

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in the social, religious,
and political spheres.

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Tasks and responsibilities
were divided along gender lines

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with elite men responsible for doing

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the administrative and bureaucratic work;

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while elite women
were the head of the household,

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cared for children,

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and had important roles in temple rituals.

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In the royal courts of ancient Egypt,

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labor was also gendered,

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yet queens had the biggest
responsibility of all:

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to be the head of the royal household,

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to become impregnated by the king,

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and to give birth to the royal children.

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Once her children were born,
the queen was expected to be

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the mother of the future king

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and raise the royal children to adulthood

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when they would take over

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as king and queen of Egypt.

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Born of non-royal parents,
Queen Tiye ascended to become

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one of the most influential
women in ancient Egypt

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through the role of her husband,
King Amenhotep III.

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Together, they produced six children

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and later became the grandparents

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of the famous King Tut.

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Queen Tiye's role as queen was unique

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because her husband allowed
her more influence

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than most queens were given.

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Throughout Egyptian history, most queens

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probably did not participate

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in administration and diplomatic duties,

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yet we have documents supporting the case

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that Queen Tiye participated in
international diplomacy actions

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between Egypt and other countries.

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She was respected as a
political advisor, foreign diplomat,

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and is noted to have been
the first Egyptian queen

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to have her name
reported on official acts.

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She was commonly referred to as

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"The Great Wife of the King"
in scribal work.

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After her husband died,

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her son Akhenaten
inherited his father's throne

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at the age of ten.

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Queen Tiye's importance continued to

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elevate through her son's role.

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The statue of Queen Tiye
is a remarkable one.

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It is made of Yew wood with
eyes of ebony and alabaster,

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and displays a number
of key artistic elements

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that provide insight into
gender roles of royal women

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with an ancient Egyptian culture.

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The artistic rules o
ancient Egypt were to

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represent both men and women
at the height of their life

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in a youthful and attractive appearance.

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But we can see in the statue of Queen Tiye

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that she has been depicted
as an older queen

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with signs of age etched into her forehead

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and in the folds along
the sides of her mouth.

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Some scholars believe that
this was intended to show her as a

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high-status elder and
queen mother in the royal house.

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If we look closely at the statue,

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we can see that there are
two distinct headdresses.

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There is a brown outer cap
made of linen, wax, and glue

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that covers a headdress made of

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silver, gold, and semi-precious stones.

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Computer scans of the statue reveal that

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the headdress underneath was made of

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Egyptian acacia wood and
covered in silver with gold nails,

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and bound tightly around the
Queen's forehead and temples.

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Because of the damage
of the brown covering,

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we can see one revealed earring

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and the exposed silver
above the gold headband,

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which has been darkened by corrosion.

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We can imagine what it may
have looked like in antiquity:

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completely covered with silver,

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four golden cobras,

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two ear ornaments,

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and stones of blue,
eye-catching lapis lazuli.

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The two gold clips on the front headdress

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are markers of a missing crown

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that would have signaled
her status as queen

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and wife of the pharaoh.

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The brown outer cap

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is suspected to have been added

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to signal a demotion in status

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from the wife of the pharaoh

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to the mother of the next pharaoh.

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Another notable aspect of this crown

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is the gold, double-feather crown,
sun disc, and cow horns.

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In royal artwork, queens were
shown with divine insignia,

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such as the vulture headdress
and the cobra Uraeus,

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which was also worn by the king

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and mythical goddesses

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to mark their divine rule.

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This insignia on Queen Tiye's crown

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is symbolic of the goddesses
Hathor, Nekhbet, and Wadjet,

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who represented protection,
fertility, and sexuality.

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The sun disc, known as the Aten,

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is believed to be a reference to
the monotheistic religion

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that her son Akhenaten founded,

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dedicated to Amun,
the god of the sun and the air.

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As the king's great royal wife,

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the queen had an important role

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in the sacred rituals of honoring the gods

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and temples and religious ceremonies.

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Her role was to uphold
the duality of kingship

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and mythological rituals,
and to take on the role

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as the king's divine feminine counterpart.

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Today, we could see the
force this queen possessed

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during the reign of her husband,

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and a number of monuments left over

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from the ancient city of Thebes.

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We will consider one such monument:

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the colossal statue of Amenhotep III

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and Tiye.

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This statue was found in Medinet Habu,

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Western Thebes, or modern day Luxor,

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and is now located

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in the main hall of the
Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

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Standing at seven meters tall,

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this limestone statue

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is the tallest dyad ever found.

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The statue depicts Amenhotep III
and Queen Tiye,

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seated side-by-side.

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On a significantly smaller scale

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are their three daughters
standing around them.

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The Queen is wearing a tight-fitted,
ankle length dress

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and a long, heavy, braided wig.

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Her headdress is composed
of a vulture head

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and a double Uraeus

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believed to be linked to
the double falcon feather

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she wears in the bust.

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The most prominent feature of the statue

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is the comparable scale of the
Queen and her husband.

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The Queen sits at
approximately equal height

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to Amenhotep III, a site rarely seen

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in ancient monuments,

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and a true marker of the Queen's ability

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to traverse the traditional bounds

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of ancient Egyptian queenship.

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This indicator of her status
can be compared

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to her depiction in the bust,

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and that the sculptor
avoids portraying her

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as a flawless and
infinitely youthful queen

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with a gentle gaze.

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Instead, the Queen stares off
at her spectators

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with a gaze of authority

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and undisputed power.

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This representation could be interpreted

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as placing the queen on
a nearly equal status

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to that of the king,
who can casually be portrayed

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with signatures of age.

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Perhaps to emphasize that this queen

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possessed a wisdom and dominance

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far overshadowing
her traditional importance

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as simply the bearer
to Egypt's next pharaoh.