I've read that high priestess office was very important for the pharaohs to control the Thebes and the surrounding area. Rulers were doing their best to assign their daughters etc. to that position. But I can't find anything about what were these women doing. In a book I'm reading (Toby's Wilkinson's "the rise and fall of the Ancient Egypt), there are no actions of these high priestesses mentioned. They are never mentioned in decision making process or doing anything.
What were they doing, if they were so important? Are there some of their documents preserved? Some decrees, they wrote? Some letters in which they describe their intrigues?
The title itself can be traced rather far back, but it started to gain more importance during later Dynasties. For the earlier examples there is indeed little record of what exactly their duties might have included, in fact, there even is much discussion what kind of title a God`s wife even might have been.
Some early researchers` theories included the idea that it might have been a title exclusive to royal princesses designated future main-wife of an heir, and did not included any priestly activities, at least during the earlier dynasties. But this was disputed over time as many women known to be main wives or mothers of a King never carried the title and there was no evidence of a special title reserved for a future main wife. There is, however, evidence that a great number of royal women carried the title either exclusively or amongst their numerous other titles, that the role of wife of a god and reigning monarch could not be carried at the same time (Hatchepsut carried the title until she took on the role as King and gave the title over to her daughter instead), and that it must have been tied to priesthood. It was also not included into the line of royal family up to Ahmose`s times, and even then, there was evidence of non-royal women holding the title of god`s wife later than that.
What seems to be clear is that it must have been a title equal to that of a priest, and high priest during later dynasties, and must have included priestly duties. The best evidence for that are some accounts left in the Red Chapel of queen Hatshepsut in which a god`s wife is shown ritually burning images and names of Egypt`s enemies alongside a priest inside a temple.
Another action recorded here is the Pharao`s offering of food to the main gods of Karnak, where Hatchepsut is directed toward the temple, and inside the temple several importatn main priests are seen accepting the offering alongside a woman with raised arms, named as the god`s wife.
Another scene shows how the god`s wife is purified in the sacred lake, a rite performed by high priests before they enter the temple, here she even is in a leading position. Indicating also that she, as a purified priestess, was allowed to enter the hollier areas of the temple unlike common folk.
A further image shows the god`s wife following the pharao and the high priests inside the sanctuary of the temple to perform rights before the statue of Amun-Ra, the most sacred and holliest area of the temple.
All of this indicated that she must have been endowed with important and high ranking duties similar to those of the high priests. Meaning, her ranking was higher than that of singers or mucisians, typical roles for women in any temple previous to this time.
A last role came with a secondary title: "god`s hand." In the creation myth the hand of the creator god was what had aided in masturbating the first pair of Gods, Shu and Tefnut, into the world by devine seed, giving both titles a sexual context connected to the creation myth. It is not clear how such a ritual was performed, but since gods could also eat and needed song and dance in worship, it seems only natural to have a wife also perform like this.
Further evidence that she must have had equal powers to those of a higher priest in the community and cult was the wealth granted alongside the title. Ahmose gave the women carrying these titles own domains, including lands that could provide for her and her household. She also stood above a number of male officials who exclusively administrated her property, meaning her office must have been very powerful and large enough to have true political influence and money backing it up. High priests held real economical power due to rich estates coming alongside the often giant temple areas they controlled, and also held much power with their respective Kings due to that and their connection to the gods. If the title of god`s wife came with similar riches then it can be assumed that she also wielded great economic power and might be also politically influencial due to her connection to the priesthood, the temples, and royalty. In fact it is one of the current theories that Hachepsut might have build much of her political power that enabled her to carry off her role as a female Pharao as a god`s wife, and that she might have handed that title off to her daughter afterwards to see this power in hands she could trust.
Further evidence for this is that, during later periods, god`s wives switched from being wives or mothers of Kings, or non-royal women of influence, to celibate daughters and sisters of a King. Thus being able to untie themselves from all other loyalties except to the King, and not being in any way, shape or form loyal to husbands or inlaws. This also came alongside a few political changes during the 20th Dynasty where royal rule moved more to the north, and left much of Thebes and the south in the hands of the chief priest of Amun as leading local political governing figure. God`s wives became a King`s main means to counterbalance this and keep at least some influence in Thebes, and since she remained celebate, each new King could place their own sister or daughter in office. And while this made sure that these royal women could not form own family dynasties in power, later generations of god`s wives adopted daughters from royal families to leave the title and office to them. There even is evidence in which some Kings gave their daughters over to be adopted into office, bidding them farewell as if truely marrying them off to the gods, even giving them some form of dowry along the way, thus, making the office richer and more influencial from generation to generation. (Robins 150-155)
I do hope this can shed some light on what wives of Amun did and what made them powerful, if you are further interested in this, I`d suggest reading Women in Ancient Egypt, by Gay Robins, where I also got most of the information above from. Or Dancing for Hathor, by Carolyn Gaves-Brown, who also dives into the different roles and jobs of women in ancient Egypt.
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Robins, Gay. Women in Ancient Egypt. USA, Harvard University Press, 1993.