Meritaten also spelled Merytaten or Meryetaten ( 14th century BC ) was an ancient Egyptian queen of the eighteenth dynasty, who held the position of Great Royal Wife to Pharaoh Smenkhkare, who may have been a brother or son of Akhenaten.

However, recent academic research has established that this is not possible since Neferneferuaten was a female ruler — she used the words " Effective for her husband " on several items whereas Smenkhkare was a male king.

Amenhotep III also may have been the father of a third child — called Smenkhkare, who later would succeed Akhenaten, briefly rule Egypt as pharaoh, and who is thought to have been a woman.

Although it is unclear whether or not the original blocking of the tomb was stamped with Tutankhamun's seal, the several small seal impressions carrying his prenomen are most likely related to the reburial ( s ) in KV55 since he was probably not involved in the original burial preparations of either Tiye ( who died several years before Tutankhamun came to the throne ) or Akhenaten ( who presumably was buried by his co-regent and probable immediate successor Smenkhkare ).< ref > Reeves, C. N., < cite > Valley of the Kings </ cite > ( Kegan Paul, 1990 ) p. 44 </ ref >

Only one named-depiction of Smenkhkare along with Meritaten ( in the tomb of Meryre II ) is known.

The royal couple is believed to be Smenkhkare and his wife Meritaten.

In short, a clear sequence of changing names and functions is suggested: from queen Nefertiti, who later becomes queen Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, over co-regent Ankhkheprure Neferneferuaten to successor Ankhkheprure Smenkhkare Djeserkheperu .< ref > Reeves, C. N., < cite > Akhenaten, Egypt's false Prophet </ cite > ( Thames and Hudson ) pp165-173 </ ref >

As a consequence, scholars identify the female Ankhetkheperure as either Meritaten, who is then assumed to have succeeded her deceased husband Smenkhkare, or as Akhenaten and Nefertiti's fourth daughter Neferneferuaten Tasherit, who is seen as Akhenaten's co-regent before the sole rule of Smenkhkare.

However, the most recent academic insights as given in this online 2011 Metropolitan Museum presentation ( see the first 8 minutes ) places the female ruler Neferneferuaten as Akhenaten's immediate successor and distinguishes her from the male king Smenkhkare here who is then identified as Tutankhamun's predecessor on the throne of Egypt.

Finally, it is also possible that the sole rule of Smenkhkare coincided with the beginning of Tutankhamun's reign .< ref > Reeves, C. N., < cite > Akhenaten, Egypt's false Prophet </ cite > ( Thames and Hudson ) p. 180 </ ref >

Virtually nothing is known about the politics of Akhenaten's co-regent / successor -- whose identity is either Smenkhkare or Neferneferuaten.

In the former case it is assumed that Tutankhamun supplanted Nefertiti on the throne after the murder of Zannanza, in the latter case it is believed that Meritaten was afterwards forced to marry her servant Smenkhkare although the possible identification of Zannanza as Smenkhkare is also suggested.

The skull of the KV55 mummy is believed to be Akhenaten or Smenkhkare.

The most widely accepted theory for these latter variations is that the items were originally intended for Smenkhkare, who may or may not be the mysterious KV55 mummy.

She is believed to have been married first to her own father, and is thought to have been the mother of the princess Ankhesenpaaten Tasherit ( possibly by her father or by Smenkhkare ) when she was twelve, although the parentage is unclear.

There has also been interest in the identity of the Pharaoh Smenkhkare, who was the immediate successor to Akhenaten.

Nicholas Reeves and other Egyptologists contend that Smenkhkare was the same person as Neferneferuaten, who ruled together with Akhenaten as co-regent for the final one or two years of Akhenaten's reign.

Furthermore, Fletcher suggested that Nefertiti was the Pharaoh Smenkhkare.

Based on these results it was concluded that the KV55 body was too young to be Akhenaten and they were seen to support the claim that the mummy was that of Smenkhkare, an idea first proposed by Rex Engelbach in 1931.

As was already noted above, the variously attested names are distributed differently between these two individuals: some researchers distinguish between a female Ankhetkheperure Neferneferuaten and a male Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare / Neferneferuaten, while others distinguish between a female Ankhetkheperure / Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten and a male Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare.

One theory holds that Smenkhkare was Akhenaten's male lover as well as co-regent, due to images found where a male ( believed to be Smenkhkare ) was depicted beside Akhenaten in a manner very similar to how Nefertiti was shown in earlier records.

However, Smenkhkare was a male king whereas the ruler Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten has several objects inscribed with the words ' Effective for her husband ' which establishes that she was a female ruler.

Her coffin and canopic jars were taken over for the burial of a king ( probably Smenkhkare ), which was ultimately discovered in tomb KV55 in the Valley of the Kings.

A relief of a royal couple in the Armana-period style ; figures may be Akhenaten and Nefertiti, Smenkhkare and Meritaten, or Tutankhamen and Ankhesenamun ; Egyptian Museum of Berlin.

Imyremeshaw ( Egyptian: Overseer of troops ) Smenkhkare was an Egyptian king of the 13th dynasty, who is known from the Turin King List as well as two massive colossal statues and a bead.

* 1334 BC / 1333 BC — Death of Smenkhkare, Pharaoh of Egypt and co-ruler with Akhenaton.

* 1336 BC — Pharaoh Akhenaten of Egypt names Smenkhkare as a co-ruler.

* 1334 BC — Death of Smenkhkare, Pharaoh of Egypt and co-ruler with Akhenaten.

The Amarna Period at the end of the 18th Dynasty covers the rule of the kings Akhenaten, Smenkhkare, Tutankhamen and Ay.

Meritaten's titles include Great Royal Wife, which can indicate either marriage to her father or to Akhenaten's co-ruler Smenkhkare, whom some believe was her ( half -) uncle or half-brother, although a simpler explanation for the title may be that Meritaten simply assumed her mother's duties and office of " Great Royal Wife ".

To date, no objects other than a wine jar label and six royal seals bearing the names of Ankhkheprure Smenkhkare Djeserkheperu are known.

Over the past century, the chief candidates for this individual have been either Akhenaten himself or Smenkhkare, another male member of the Amarna royal family .< ref > Davis, T. M., < cite > The Tomb of Queen Tiyi </ cite >, ( KMT Communications, 1990 ) p. viii, p. xiv </ ref >< ref > Aldred, C., < cite > Akhenaten, King of Egypt </ cite > ( Thames and Hudson, 1988 ) p. 205 </ ref >

* Others, based on the feminine variation of the Neferneferuaten name on the one hand, and the identification of the body in KV55 as that of Smenkhkare ( see below ), see evidence for two distinct individuals, one female and the other male.

The sole regnal date ( year 1 ) attested for Smenkhkare comes from a jar label for wine from " the house of Smenkhkare "; this date might however refer either to the reign of Smenkhkare or that of Tutankhamun.

Studies of the chronology of the event suggest however that Akhenaten would be a more likely candidate for Nibhururiya < ref > Reeves, C. N., < cite > Akhenaten, Egypt's false Prophet </ cite > ( Thames and Hudson ) pp. 176-177 </ ref > in which case the account in the Hittite annals can be seen as either evidence for Nefertiti's continuing importance during the late-Amarna period ( in the guise of Smenkhkare ) or for Meritaten's role as Akhenaten's co-regent.

Though this statement will be subject to discussion for a while, as some still think the age estimates are against Akhenaten, and support the identification as Smenkhkare instead.

* 1336 BC: Akhenaten names Smenkhkare as a co-ruler.

He identified these as the rulers Akhenaten and Smenkhkare.

In the 1970s, John Harris identified the figure pictured alongside Akhenaten as Nefertiti, arguing that she may have actually been elevated to co-regent and perhaps even succeeded temporarily as an independent ruler, changing her name to Smenkhkare.

* Pauline Gedge: The Twelfth Transforming ( 1984 ), set in the reign of Akhenaten, details the construction of Akhetaten and fictionalized accounts of his sexual relationships with Nefertiti, Tiye and successor Smenkhkare.

Some Egyptologists hold to this view though the majority believe Smenkhkare to have been a separate person.

* Nefertiti with Neferneferuaten and with Smenkhkare.

The theory used to suggest he first acted as Akhenaten's co-regent under the name Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten and, after the death of Akhenaten, succeeded him under the name Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare.