Neferneferure

Neferneferure ( "beautiful are the beauties of Re") (14th century BCE) was an ancient Egyptian princess of the 18th Dynasty. She was the fifth of six known daughters of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti.

Family Neferneferure was born during the 8th or 9th regnal year of her father Akhenaten in the city of Akhetaten. She had four older sisters named Meritaten, Meketaten, Ankhesenpaaten and Neferneferuaten Tasherit, as well as a younger sister named Setepenre.

Life From left to right: Setepenre, Neferneferure, and Neferneferuaten Tasherit at the Durbar in year 12. One of the earliest depictions of Neferneferure is in a fresco from the King's House in Amarna. She is depicted sitting on a pillow with her sister Neferneferuaten Tasherit. The fresco is dated to c. year 9 of Akhenaten, and the entire family is depicted, including the baby Setepenre.

Death and burial Neferneferure probably died in the 13th or 14th regnal year, possibly in the plague that swept across Egypt during this time. She is absent from one scene and her name was plastered over in another scene in the Royal Tomb in Amarna. To be specific, on Wall C of the chamber of the Royal Tomb her name was mentioned among the five princesses (the list excluded the youngest, Setepenre, who was possibly dead by this time), but was later covered by plaster. On Wall B of the chamber she is missing from the scene which shows her parents and three elder sisters – Meritaten, Ankhesenpaaten and Neferneferuaten Tasherit – mourning the dead second princess, Meketaten. This suggests that she is likely to have died shortly before the decoration of these chambers was finished. This theory is based on an amphora handle bearing an inscription mentioning the inner (burial) chamber of Neferneferure.

Other objects mentioning Neferneferure

A lid of a small box (JdE 61498) bearing her picture was found among the treasures of Tutankhamun. It shows the princess crouching, with a finger pressed to her mouth, as very young children were often depicted. On the lid Re's name in her name was written phonetically instead of with the usual circled dot.