Tati (queen)
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| Tati | |
|---|---|
| Queen consort of Egypt | |
 Scarab of queen Tati in a drawing by Percy Newberry. British Museum BM20824 | |
| Spouse | Sheshi (uncertain) |
| Issue | Nehesy (uncertain) |
| Dynasty | Second Intermediate Period 14th Dynasty? 15th Dynasty? |
Tati was an ancient Egyptian king's wife of the 14th Dynasty or 15th Dynasty in the Second Intermediate Period. Her chronological position is unknown.
Scarabs with cartouche
Tati is poorly attested with no major archaeological monuments.
King's Wife Tati is known from several scarab seals.[1] A total of eleven scarab name seals of Tati have been found.[2] They bear both her name and her royal titles, and on some scarabs the name is enclosed in a cartouche. Scarab seals indicate that goods were stored at or sent from estates controlled by Tati. The scarabs have features associated with the 14th Dynasty and 15th Dynasty.
The cartouche was reserved for the king and sometimes the heir apparent. There are only a few examples of females writing their names in cartouche. The fact that Tati wrote her name inside a cartouce is significant because it suggests she held a status beyond that of a typical queen consort. The use of a cartouche could indicate that she may have had a hereditary role as the heir apparent, or a ruling role as a regent or a ruler in her own right.
- Seal, Basel Cat. 130[3]
- Seal, Berlin ÄM 32716[4]
- Seal, Berlin ÄM 32717[5]
- Seal, BM EA 20824[6] found at Tell el-Yahudiya.
- Seal, MMA 30.8.646[7]
- Seal, Sotheby's London 21.04.1975 no. 88 (5)[8]
Scarabs without cartouche
If she wrote her name in cartouche on many scarabs, it is also significant that her name appear without a cartouche on some scarabs. This may indicate that she started as a king's wife and then had her status elevated to justify the use of a cartouche. One example could be the death of her husband and the succession of a minor heir where she acted as a regent.
