Hey, I don’t know if you have much opinion on this since I know the Amarna period is it’s own area of study but I was wondering on your opinion of the theories about Neferneferuaten and Smenkhkare?
I know there’s the main theories about Neferneferuaten being either Nefertiti or Meritaten but I haven’t found much on the theories about Smenkhare since the main two I’ve seen, him being Akhenaten’s lover or being Nefertiti, seem to have both been pretty debunked. I was curious what your thoughts were on these theories or who you think they might be? Sorry if this question is kinda vague.
Yes, Amarna is an area of study all on its own and one I tend to avoid as much as I can. It’s part lack of interest and part just… not wanting to sort through that particular trash heap of lacking evidence. Personally I agree that Neferneferuaten was likely Nefertiti, but not that Nefertiti, as Neferneferuaten, was also Smenkhkare.
You’ll know because you’ve read the theories, but for other people reading this ask: the reason the theory has been floated that Neferneferuaten and Smenkhkare are the same person, namely Nefertiti, is that both Neferneferuaten and Smenkhkare use the throne name Ankhkheperure. However in certain cartouches we can find traces of a feminine -t ending that doesn’t show up in others. In addition, Ankhkheperure when it’s connected to Neferneferuaten comes with an epithet referring to Akhenaten. When it’s connected to Smenkhkare, it does not. So that, as far as I’m concerned, is evidence enough to say they were likely two individual people.
Now as for Smenkhkare himself, I honestly have not much of an opinion on that beyond that he was likely a male relative of Akhenaten and married to Meritaten. I don’t even think we can say much more beyond that, but I’ll field this one to @23-tiny-wishes, who is our trash possum (affectionate) when it comes to the Amarna period and so may have something more substantive to say about the matter.
Ah, Smenkhkare. He comes out of nowhere which isn’t unusual for royal male children in the Eighteenth Dynasty but it is endlessly frustrating that we don’t have much evidence for him.
Possibly the most logical identity for him is that he was another, younger, son of Amenhotep III and Tiye. It was not unusual for royal sons to not be depicted on monuments in the late Eighteenth Dynasty. We only know of Akhenaten’s older brother Thutmose from precious few sources (including his cat’s coffin) and Akhenaten (as Prince Amenhotep) is only known from like one ring from Malqata whereas their sisters appear on colossal statuary with their parents.
In this vein, it was suggested recently that Smenkhkare was the son of Prince Thutmose and thus a cousin of Meritaten. Thutmose seems to have died quiet late in Amenhotep III’s reign, making him possibly in his thirties at death, and quite old enough to have fathered a child.
Moving into territory I personally consider unlikely is the theory that Smenkhkare is the Hittite prince Zannanza. This is based on the theory that Smenkhkare’s throne and birth names both sound like throne names, ie. they are a bit pompous sounding. This is presumably because a foreign name wouldn’t do so he was given an Egyptian one. Unfortunately I don’t find this theory to hold much water as the Deeds of Sippilulima record that Zannanza died before he reached Egypt (granted these are being recorded well after the fact buuut that’s how it be sometimes). It also would make Meritaten the Dakhamunzu of the Hittite texts which is much less compelling, as linguistically the king whose name is rendered in Hittite as ‘Nibkhururiya’ is so much closer Tutankhamun’s throne name Nebkheperure than it is to Akhenaten’s Neferkheperure-waenre. They would also have had to a hide the fact a perfectly good heir (Tutankhaten/amun) was there from the envoy who visited to check it wasn’t a trap!
Hope that was helpful!
