Meresankh III
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Queen consort of Egypt | |||||
| Tenure | c. 2550 BC | ||||
| Born | c. 2578 BC | ||||
| Died | c. 2520 BC (aged c. 53) [1] | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| 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.
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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 Egyptian Museum; the latter reveals that she was 1.54 metres (5 ft 1 in) tall and between 50 and 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] [ full citation needed ] 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]
