Rulers and Priestesses
A cast of a statue of Amenirdis I, Divine Wife of Amun in 740-720 BC, is displayed here, carrying a flail as a sign of her royal authority. As Ta-Kheru moved in high circles, she would probably have seen Amenirdis I at court functions and religious ceremonies and might even have known her personally.
Ta-Kheru lived a long lifetime, and would have experienced the rule of several of the Divine Wives of Amun in Thebes. She could herself have served for a short time in a temple and learned hidden religious knowledge, such as the secret names of the gods that the soul must speak aloud at the judgement of the dead. If not, she would have relied on priestesses and priests, who knew the secrets of the gods, to make ritual offerings on her behalf.
This is a plaster cast of a statue of Amenirdis I, ruler of Thebes. The original alabaster statue was found in a temple built by Amenirdis I and her brother Shabaka, the third Kushite king to rule over Egypt.
The Divine Wives of Amun were powerful local rulers. As priestesses, they were seen as brides of the god Amun and did not marry. They chose other royal women as their adopted daughters and heirs, and became goddesses themselves after death.