Meritaten

I was the firstborn child of the 18th dynasty Egyptian king Akhenaten and his chief wife Nefertiti. Probably born in Thebes or Memphis, I was only a small child when my father moved the capital to his newly built city of Akhetaten. I had five younger sisters; Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten(who would later become the wife of the legendary and tragic Tutankhaten/amun), Neferneferuaten-Tasherit, Neferure, and Setepenre.
The name Meritaten means "Beloved of Aten", and in the Amarna Letters, which were diplomatic correspondences written in Akkadian, my name was written as "Mayati". There has been some debate over what this supposed pet name means; some have even suggested "kitten". Kitten would be something more like "Miu-ti". More likely, Mayati is derived from Beloved, or Meri(t). The "t" that was written to indicate the feminine was not pronounced, and that the sound represented by an "r" was pronounced more like a "y". Mayati=little beloved.
Around the 14th year of Akhenaten's reign, Nefertiti died or otherwise disappeared, and I took my mother's place as the King's Great Wife. There is evidence that I gave birth to at least one child, named Meritaten-Tasherit.
Following the death of Akhenaten, I am believed to have married Smenkhkare, who only reigned for a year or less. What happened between his disappearance and the coronation of Tutankhaten remains a mystery to Egyptologists.
There are some Egyptologists who support the theory that I was the co-regent(and possible successor) of Akhenaten called Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten, although Nefertiti and Smenkhkare are more popular candidates.
In Manetho's kings lists, a female ruler whom he calls "Acencheres, daughter of Orus(Akhenaten) and sister of Rathosis(Tutankhamun)" appears near the end of the 18th dynasty, corresponding to the indications of feminine gender that are found on the artifacts attributed to Ankh(et)kheperure. The use of the familial relationships to both my predecessor and successor can be seen as evidence that I did indeed have my turn on the throne.
My full name is: Ankh(et)kheperure-Meryaten Neferneferuaten-Meriwaenre. Meryaten, although seldom included in Egyptologists' interpretation of the name, appears in at least two examples and is the gender-neutral version of my birth name that is also attributed to some of my earlier portrayals as princess/priestess. Neferneferuaten was a title given to my mother, indicating her elevated status as Queen/Goddess/King's female counterpart. I adopted this title after her death and continued to use it even when I stood alone as "Acencheres".
During my reign, I proudly used the name "Meriwaenre"(beloved of Waenre[Akhenaten]), along with the epithet "beneficial to her husband", which likened me to the widow Aset(Isis) in service of her beloved Wesir(Osiris). Despite my attempts at making peace between the old and new orders, my loyalty to Akhenaten remains more than apparent.
In the tomb of Tutankhamun, an ivory scribe's palette was found resting between the paws of the large Anubis statue....It was inscribed with my name, and still held the remains of coloured paints.
Another article of mine that was found in the tomb was a musical instrument also made of ivory, in the shape of two hands that could be rattled or used like castanets. They are inscribed with the names Meritaten and Tiye, the whole inscription enclosed in a cartouche. "The Great Royal Wife Tiye, may she live; the King's daughter Meritaten". It remains a mystery as to why my name was grouped with my grandmother's in this way.
Interestingly, neither the names of Nefertiti nor Kiya were found on any items in the tomb. It is also worth noting that the majority of the "re-used" burial items bore traces of the name Ankhkeperure(Neferneferuaten), some even including feminine epithets. These artifacts included most notably the second(middle) coffin, the alabaster canopic chest, and the golden coffinettes that were found therein.
~Meketaten and Me~
~the Aten still rises~