Meresankh III
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Queen consort of Egypt | |||||
Tenure | c. 2550 BC | ||||
Born | c. 2578 BC | ||||
Died | c. 2520 BC (aged c. 53)[1] | ||||
Spouse | Khafre | ||||
Issue | Nebemakhet Duaenre Kenterka Niuserre (A) Ankhemre Shepsetkau | ||||
Father | Kawab | ||||
Mother | Hetepheres II | ||||
Religion | Ancient Egyptian religion |
Queen Meresankh III (c. 2578 BC - c. 2520 BC[1]) was the daughter of Hetepheres II and Prince Kawab and a granddaughter of the Egyptian king Khufu. She was the wife of King Khafre.
Hetepheres also provided her daughter with a black granite sarcophagus decorated with palace facades for Meresankh's burial.[2]
Her tomb was discovered by archeologist George Reisner on April 23, 1927,[3] with subsequent excavations undertaken by his team on behalf of Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Her sarcophagus and skeleton are today located in the Cairo Museum; the latter reveals that she was 1.54 metres (5'1") tall and between 50–55 years at her death.[1] An anthropological study suggested, that she might have suffered from bilateral silent sinus syndrome.[4]
The tomb also contained a set of the earliest known canopic jars.[5] A limestone statue depicting Queen Hetepheres embracing her late daughter Meresankh was found in her tomb and is today located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.[6]