In ancient Egypt a king could not rule without his Great Royal Wife. In everything the Egyptians strove for Ma'at, the right way of things, or balance. Harmony. And harmonious balance meant that everything had two sides and both sides must be recognised and honoured. Darkness and light. Masculine and feminine. Religious ceremonies required that both aspects should be clearly visible, male and female, and it was the Great Royal Wife's duty to travel with the king to perform the female aspect of the rituals. On great festival days, they travelled together to carry out their religious duties in the great temples of Egypt.
If the Great Royal Wife was not there, the king could not carry out his duties in a way that pleased Ma'at. And so, if a Great Royal Wife died, someone was quickly found to take on her role. That's why many of the father-daughter marriages existed. A royal daughter, already well versed in religious ceremonies, was a very good choice, that was the opinion of the ancients. Amenhotep's daughter Sitamun had the title of the Great Royal Wife, but did she marry her father or her brother? And which brother? Thutmose who died young, or Akhenaten? Also Sitamen's sister Iset had gained the same title.
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