Meresankh III
| Meresankh III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen consort of Egypt | |||||
| Tenure | c. 2550 BC | ||||
| Born | c. 2578 BC | ||||
| Died | c. 2520 BC (aged c. 53) | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Khafre | ||||
| Issue | Nebemakhet Duaenre Kenterka Niuserre (A) Ankhemre Shepsetkau | ||||
| Father | Kawab | ||||
| Mother | Hetepheres II | ||||
| Religion | Ancient Egyptian religion | ||||
Queen Meresankh III (c. 2578 BC - c. 2520 BC) was the daughter of Hetepheres II and Prince Kawab and a granddaughter of the Egyptian king Khufu. She was the wife of King Khafre.
Hetepheres also provided her daughter with a black granite sarcophagus decorated with palace facades for Meresankh's burial.
Her tomb was discovered by archeologist George Reisner on April 23, 1927, with subsequent excavations undertaken by his team on behalf of Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Her sarcophagus and skeleton are today located in the Egyptian Museum; the latter reveals that she was 1.54 metres (5 ft 1 in) tall and between 50 and 55 years at her death. An anthropological study suggested, that she might have suffered from bilateral silent sinus syndrome.
The tomb also contained a set of the earliest known canopic jars. A limestone statue depicting Queen Hetepheres embracing her late daughter Meresankh was found in her tomb and is today located in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.