 Tiye (also known as Tiy, 1398-1338 BCE) was a queen of Egypt

of the 18th dynasty, wife of the pharaoh Amenhotep III, mother

of Akhenaten, and grandmother of both Tutankhamun and
Ankhsenamun. She exerted an enormous influence at the
courts of both her husband and son and is known to have
communicated directly with rulers of foreign nations. The
Amarna letters also show that she was highly regarded by
these rulers, especially during the reign of her son. Although
she believed in the traditional polytheistic religion of Egypt,
she supported Akhenaten’s monotheistic reforms, most likely
because she recognized them as important political stratagems
to increase the power of the throne at the expense of the
priesthood of Amun. She died in her early sixties and was
buried in the Valley of the Kings. Her mummy has positively
been identified as that known as the 'Elder Lady’, and a lock of
her hair, possibly a keepsake of the young king’s, was found in
Tutankhamun’s tomb.
 According to some scholars (Margaret Bunson, among them), Tiye's
father was Yuya, a provincial priest from Akhmin, and her mother was
Tjuya, a servant of the queen mother, Mutemwiya. Other sources,
however, claim Yuya was Master of the Horse of the royal court and
Tjuya a priestess. Tiye grew up in the royal palace but was not a royal
herself. She would have been a part of the court life if her mother had
been the queen's servant but it seems more likely that both her parents
enjoyed a more elevated status. She had one brother, Amen, who later
took over his father’s position and eventually became high priest of the
cult of Akhmin, and she may have had another brother, Ay, who would
later rule Egypt (though this is disputed). Her parents' names, some
claim, are not Egyptian, and it has been suggested that they were Nubian.
Scholars who have noted Tiye’s unusual role in the affairs of state point to
the Nubian custom of female rulers. The Candaces of Nubia were all
strong female rulers, and so some scholars speculate that perhaps Tiye
felt free to wield power in the same way as a male ruler because of her
upbringing and heritage.
 This theory is disputed, however, as it has been pointed out that
women in ancient Egypt had more rights and were held in higher
regard than in most other ancient cultures and, therefore, there is
no need to seek a reason in neighboring Nubia for Tiye’s behavior.
The counter-argument, however, is that this latter objection does
not account for the Nubian-sounding names of Tiye’s parents. The
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass claims that the names are not Nubian
and that “some scholars have speculated that Yuya and Tjuya
were of foreign birth, but there is no good evidence to substantiate
this theory” (28). He also contradicts Bunson by claiming that
Tiye’s parents were associated with the clergy from the Egyptian
region of Akhmin, serving the gods Amun, Hathor, and Min;
Yuya was Master of the Horse and Tjuya was not a servant of the
royal house but a priestess of considerable power. If Hawass is
correct, this would explain how Queen Tiye came to wield as
much power as she did -- far more than any other queen of Egypt
before her (as Hatshepsut was pharaoh, not queen, she cannot be
considered in this equation).The historian Margaret Bunsone note
that, "Tiye probably married Amenhotep while he was a prince.
She is believed to have been only 11 or 12 at the time” (265). When
Amenhotep III came to the throne, Tiye ascended with him.
 From the beginning of her husband’s reign, Tiye was a
significant force at court. Bunson writes that she was
“intelligent and diligent, the first queen of Egypt to have her
name on official acts, even on the announcement of the king’s
marriage to a foreign princess” (265). Hawass agrees, stating,
“Tiye is featured prominently on her husband’s monuments,
and seems to have borne more real power than the queens who
came before her. Her name is even written in a cartouche, like
that of the king” (28). Amenhotep III’s reign was luxurious,
and Egypt was the most powerful and richest nation in the
region, if not the world, and so the king was free to expend this
wealth in building a grand palace for his queen at Malkata,
across the river from Thebes and the old palace of his father.
 Tiye and her husband lived at Malkata where she
gave birth to six children: two sons, Thutmosis,
Amenhotep IV; and four daughters, Sitamen,
Henuttaneb, Isis, Nebetah, and Baketaten.
Thutmosis died early in life, and Amenhotep IV
(later known as Akhenaten) was pronounced heir
to the throne. Images from the time show Tiye
with her family enjoying domestic life, but she was
equally involved in affairs of state. Besides the
customary titles for a queen, like Hereditary
Princess, Lady of the Two Lands, King’s Wife, or
Great King’s Wife, Tiye was also known as
Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt and Mistress
of the Two Lands. The royal couple presented a
united front in dealing with domestic and foreign
policies, and the reign of Amenhotep III is
considered a high point in Egyptian history.
 There is no doubt, however, that the king and queen loved each other and
enjoyed each other’s company. They are depicted as constant companions
and, as Hawass notes, “The palace at Malkata had an enormous artificial
lake attached to it. Amenhotep III and Tiye took pleasure cruises on this
lake in their Aten bark” (31) and also strolled in the gardens. Every
inscription, statue, or letter presents the couple as equal partners in both
domestic and public life.

 Tiye’s importance is evident in that she is depicted in statuary as the same

height as her husband. Previously, in dyad statuary representing pharaoh
and his queen, the king was considerably taller to symbolize his greater
power and prestige. From inscriptions and the letters found at Amarna, it
is clear that Tiye was in every way the equal of her husband and presided
at festivals, met with foreign dignitaries, and directed both domestic and
foreign policies. Bunson writes that “Tiye was mentioned by several kings
of other lands in their correspondence, having been made known to them
in her official dealings” (265). Amenhotep III’s great contribution to
Egyptian culture was the peace and prosperity which enabled him to
erect his great monuments, temples, public parks, and palaces. Bunson
writes, “While Amenhotep busied himself with his own affairs, Queen
Tiye worked tirelessly with officials and scribes overseeing the
administrative aspects of the empire. She was devoid of personal
ambition and served Egypt well during her tenure” (18). The royal couple
ruled Egypt successfully for 38 years until Amenhotep III’s death in 1353
BCE when he was 54 and Tiye was 48 years old.
 Tiye assumed the title of King’s Mother upon the ascent to the
throne of her son Amenhotep IV. Initially, he ruled from Malkata
and continued his father’s policies but, in the fifth year of his
reign, he abolished the old religion of Egypt, closed the temples,
and proclaimed a new order based on the worship of the one true
god Aten. He changed his name to Akhenaten and built a new
city, with an even grander palace, on virgin land in the middle of
Egypt, which he called Akhetaten (horizon of Aten). Even though
there is no indication that Tiye had ever entertained anything like
monotheistic leanings, she seems to have supported her son’s
radical departure from the religious policies of the past. The
priests of Amun had gradually been growing in wealth and power
throughout the 18th dynasty until, by Amenhotep III’s reign, their
influence was on par with the royal house. Whatever Tiye may
have thought of her son’s monotheism privately, she would have
approved of a measure to increase the power of the throne at the
expense of the clergy.
 During Akhenaten’s reign, Tiye is depicted in the role of a
grandmother sitting with the royal children of her son and his
wife, Nefertiti, but she continued to play an important role in
the political life of Egypt. The king of Mitanni, Tushratta,
carried on a correspondence directly with Tiye and even
mentioned matters having nothing to do with state issues such
as the pleasant times they had passed together in visits.
Akhenaten is routinely depicted with his mother in domestic
scenes or official visits to Akhetaten, and he was clearly very
fond of her. Even her servants held her in high regard. She is
depicted with her family enjoying a banquet on the wall of the
tomb of her steward Huya, where she is bathed in the light of
the god Aten and is surrounded by her grandchildren. Bunson
writes that depictions of Tiye at this time “show a forceful
woman with a sharp chin, deep-set eyes, and a firm mouth”
(265), and she continues to be depicted as a figure of
prominence and royal stature. Her example is thought to have
served as a model for her daughter-in-law, as Nefertiti enjoyed
much the same status as Tiye, served the court in the same
capacity, and, most importantly, took care of the affairs of state
when her husband was otherwise occupied or distracted from
his duties.
 It is not known when Tiye died, but it was most probably around the
twelfth year of Akhenaten’s reign in the year 1338 BCE. The painting and
inscription on Huya’s tomb is the last known mention made of her and is
dated to that year. Her death is seen by some as coinciding with
Akhenaten’s seeming loss of interest in foreign affairs, and perhaps his
grief over the loss of his mother influenced his withdrawal. It has also
been suggested, however, that he may have had no interest all along and
simply left affairs of state to his mother and Nefertiti. Either way, his
reign suffers a marked decline after Tiye’s death, and he largely neglected
foreign policy, preferring to remain in his palace at Akhetaten and attend
to his new religion. This preoccupation with Aten led to a decrease in
Egypt’s prestige and the loss of a number of territories long held by the
crown, notably Byblos, as well as the rise in strength of the Hittites to the
north since there was no longer a significant Egyptian foreign policy to
check their expansion. These circumstances have led scholars to speculate
that, had she lived longer or perhaps exerted more direct influence on her
son’s religious interest, the Amarna Period would have been remembered
more favorably by future generations of Egyptians. As it came to be,
however, Akhenaten would come to be considered `the heretic king’ and
his reign wiped from memory.
 Following Akhenaten’s death, his son Tutankhamun took the
throne, repealed his father’s religious reforms, and re-instituted
the old religion of Egypt. Akhenaten’s monotheism was so hated
by the people of Egypt that measures were taken by his
successors, Tutankhamun first and then Ay following him, to bury
the legacy of the `heretic king', put his reign behind them, and
build Egypt back to its former height. The last king of the 18th
dynasty, Horemheb, took these measures further and, claiming
the gods had chosen him to restore Egypt to its former glory, tried
to erase Akhenaten from history. He ordered the temples to Aten,
the stele, and even the city of Akhetaten destroyed. The only way
scholars in the modern day know anything about the Amarna
Period is because Horemheb used the ruins from Akhenaten’s
reign as fill in constructing new temples to the ancient gods of
Egypt and, from these ruins, the reign of the heretic king has been
pieced together. It is for this reason, also, that Tiye’s death date,
and even her initial place of burial, is a matter of debate.
 Tiye appears to have first been buried in the tomb of
Akhenaten and then re-buried in the tomb of her husband
Amenhotep III. There is no clear agreement on this,
however, because the argument for burial in Amenhotep
III’s tomb is based on the discovery of her Shabti dolls there
but nothing else. Further, her actual mummy was
discovered (by the archaeologist Victor Loret in 1898 CE) in
the tomb of Amenhotep II. The claim that she was first
buried in her son’s tomb is supported by inscriptions but, as
these writings are not clear and often incomplete, they are
open to interpretation. Her mummy was first identified only
as “The Elder Lady” and it was only later, when more
information came to light on the reign of Akhenaten, that
she was positively identified by name. At this time it became
clear that, centuries before the reign of Cleopatra, well
known from Greek and Roman accounts, there existed a
queen of Egypt who ruled with the same authority as a man
and exercised her power in equal measure with the great
kings of the ancient world.