What was the role of the Queen of Egypt?
The Pharoah of Egypt generally married several wives, but his chief wife was known as the Great Royal Wife. She was usually, but not always, his sister. She was second only to the king in terms of the political and religious hierarchy, and she is often represented alongside him on monuments. Very occasionally, as in the case of Nefertiti, she ws also reprsented alone. It was usually one of the sons of the Great Royal Wife who was heir to the throne. For many years scholars believed that succession to the throne was purely via the female line, it was thus suggested that each king, irrespective of whether he was the son of the previous ruler, had to marry a sister or half-sister in order to legitimise his claim to the throne. This so-called ‘heiress theory’ would have meant that one of the daughters of the previous king would always have to become a great royal wife in the subsequent reign. However, it has been pointed out that there are several clear instances where kings married women
