polymath

Scarab Inscribed King of Upper and Lower Egypt Maatkare, Having Dominion, ca. 1479–1458 B.C., Metropolitan Museum of Art: Egyptian Art

Rogers Fund, 1927 Size: L. 1.9 × W. 1.4 cm (¾ × 9/16 in.) Medium: Steatite (glazed)

Ahhotep - The queen who protected Egypt

Ahhotep ( c.1560–1530 BCE) was the queen consort of pharaoh Seqenenre Tao II.  She apparently gave birth to two daughters and two sons. Her husband died in battle against the Hyksos, foreign invaders who at that time ruled Northern Egypt. 

A man named Kamose then ascended to the throne. Whether or not he had ties to the royal family or was a warrior of noble birth is unclear. Kamose died in battle against the Hyksos three years later. Ahhotep’s son, Ahmose I, then became pharaoh.

Ahhotep ruled in his stead as a regent. According to a stela recovered from Karnak, she was “one who has accomplished the rites and taken care of Egypt”. The queen also appears to have led troops in battle to defend her capital of Thebes against the Hyksos. The stela indeed says that:

“She has looked after Egypt’s soldiers, she has guarded Egypt, she has brought back her fugitives and gathered together her deserters, and she has pacified Upper Egypt and expelled her rebels.”

Her grave goods indeed suggest an active military role. She was buried with three daggers and thirteen axes bearing both the names of Ahmose I and Kamose as well as an archer’s brace and a javelin head. A military decoration, the golden “Flies of Valor”’, was also found in her tomb. This decoration was usually awarded to someone who personally excelled in battle. 

(Some of Ahhotep’s burial goods, including the golden flies)

Bibliography: 

Dean Rebecca A., Women, weaponry and warfare A multidisciplinary study of the use of weapons by women in Dynastic Egypt 

Via the mery of my ankh and Royal Mummies Paraded Through Downtown Cairo In Museum Move : NPR

Twenty-two mummified members of ancient Egyptian royalty passed through downtown Cairo in an awe-inspiring parade on Saturday. The event, which drew fanfare to the country’s robust collections of antiquities in an elaborate procession, saw the mummies being relocated from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, about 3 miles away in nearby Fustat.

The spectacle was named The Pharaohs’ Golden Parade and comprised 18 kings and four queens, including some of Egypt’s most prominent rulers of the past….

The royal figures were transported in vehicles specially rigged to carry the remains and a security motorcade surrounded the convoy. Due to the fragility of the preserved pharaohs, they were placed in nitrogen filled boxes for protection. The roads along the route were even repaved to ensure a smooth relocation.

Officials hope the new museum will be a boon for tourism, a lucrative industry for the country that’s taken a big hit over years of political turmoil and recently, the pandemic, according to the BBC. …

… The mummies’ new home will be in the Royal Mummies Hall at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Visitors will be welcomed starting April 18, said a Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities news release.

Edited to add:

Here’s what seems to be the best of the edited videos: The Pharaohs’ Royal Parade - Full version HD

Karangailyg Kara Hovaa (Dyngyldai) [The Endless Black Steppe] Yat-Kha Yenisei-Punk (1995)

Karangailyg kara hovaa O, dyngyl, dyngyldai Karash kynnyk cheler dorug O, dyngyl, dyngyldai Karamainyng sai-la shazhyn O, dyngyl, dyngyldai Saglanadyr cheler dorug O, dyngyl, dyngyldai

Chirgilchinnig chinge hovaa O, dyngyl, dyngyldai Chide duzhup cheler dorug O, dyngyl, dyngyldai Chinge kara sai-la chazhyn O, dyngyl, dyngyldai Chindingnedir cheler dorug O, dyngyl, dyngyldai

The Endless Black Steppe (rough translation)

A black-brown runner horse runs like lightning through the endless black steppe The black hair of a beautiful girl is moving in the wind