Henutmire on a statue of Queen Tuya. The lower part of the small figure of Henutmira underwent a restoration in the 17th or 18th century which mistakenly attributed it a male kilt.
She is supposedly the third and youngest child ofSeti IandTuya,and the younger sister ofRamesses IIandTia.This theory is based on a statue of Queen Tuya, now in theVatican.The statue shows Tuya with Henutmire, thus it is assumed that they were mother and daughter. However, she is nowhere mentioned as "King's Sister", a title which Princess Tia used, thus it is unclear whether she was a younger sister or a daughter of Ramesses.[1]
Her name means "The lady is likeRê".She married Ramesses II and became Great Royal Wife; if she was his daughter, she was the fourth to do so, afterBintanath,MeritamenandNebettawy.She is shown on statues of Ramesses fromAbukirandHeliopolis.[2]On a colossus from Hermopolis she is depicted together with Princess-Queen Bintanath. Both have the titles The Hereditary Princess, richly favoured, Mistress of the South and the North, King's Daughter, Great Royal Wife.[3]
She died around Ramesses' 40th regnal year, and was buried in the tombQV75.Her tomb was robbed already in antiquity; the trough of her coffin was later used for the burial of priest-kingHarsieseinMedinet Habu.It is now in theEgyptian MuseuminCairo.[4]
