00:00موسيقى
00:30Tia was probably born in Akmim, in Upper Egypt, into a wealthy family connected to the royal court.
00:38Her exact birth date is unknown, but she likely lived during the 15th century before Christ, when Egypt was flourishing.
00:47Her father, Yuya, commanded chariots, supervised royal horses, and served as a priest of the god Min.
00:56Her mother, Yuya, held religious titles connected with Amun and Min, and had strong ties to the palace.
01:05Tia therefore grew up close to religion, politics, ceremony, and the world of royal government.
01:12Early in Amun-Hotep's reign, she married the young king and entered the center of Egypt's ruling family.
01:20She received the title Great Royal Wife, the highest rank granted to the principal queen of a pharaoh.
01:29Amun-Hotep celebrated her origins, distributing scarabs carrying Tia's name beside those of her parents, Yuya and Thuya.
01:40This was unusual, showing that she needed no royal ancestry, because the king himself had raised her status.
01:47She appeared beside Amun-Hotep in statues, temple reliefs, ceremonies, and official images of royal authority.
01:57She was sometimes shown almost equal in size to the pharaoh, in art where scale represented status.
02:05In one enormous family statue, Tia sits beside Amun-Hotep, while their daughters appear around the throne.
02:14Other scenes show her close to the king, or placing an arm around him, revealing unusual warmth in royal art.
02:23Amun-Hotep created a large artificial lake in her honor, where the royal couple sailed aboard a ceremonial vessel.
02:32The lake was more than a romantic gift.
02:35It displayed wealth, devotion, and Tia's extraordinary importance.
02:41Farther south, Amun-Hotep built a temple for her at Setiengah in Nubia, near his sanctuary at Soleb.
02:49Through this temple and other images, Tia became associated with Mut, Tefnut.
02:56Tia and Amun-Hotep had several children, whose lives would shape Egypt's political and religious future.
03:03Their eldest known son, Prince Thutmose, was expected to inherit the throne, but died before his father.
03:11The succession passed to Amun-Hotep, who became Amun-Hotep IV, and later changed his name to Akheniten.
03:21Tia also had daughters, including Sitaman, Isis, Hinutaneb, and Nabita, some receiving royal titles.
03:29Her family became famous, her son changed Egyptian religion, while her grandson, Tutankhamun, became celebrated worldwide.
03:39Yet Tia's importance came from more than family.
03:43She took part in palace politics, diplomacy, and international relations.
03:49During Amun-Hotep's reign, Egypt exchanged letters, gifts, alliances, and marriage proposals with Babylon, Assyria, and Mitanni.
03:59The Amarna letters reveal that Tia understood these negotiations and knew the promises made between Egypt and foreign rulers.
04:09After Amun-Hotep died, Tushrata of Mitanni wrote directly to Tia about agreements made with her late husband.
04:18He believed she knew them better than anyone else, proving that foreign kings respected her political knowledge.
04:28Tia never ruled as pharaoh, but she was almost certainly a senior advisor and later an experienced queen mother.
04:38Her son Akhenaten transformed Egypt by promoting Aten, weakening traditional cults, and founding a new capital at Akhenaten.
04:48Tia appeared there with Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and other royal family members, showing her continued importance.
04:56No reliable evidence proves that she created his religious revolution, opposed it, or secretly controlled his decisions.
05:06Her appearance survives in several portraits, especially a wooden head in Berlin, showing a mature face marked by experience.
05:17Tia survived Amun-Hotep and lived into Akhenaten's reign, but the date and cause of her death remain unknown.
05:26Objects bearing her name were found in tomb, K-555, although the body discovered there was male.
05:34Her mummy was identified in K-555, where an unnamed older woman had been called the Elder Lady.
05:42A lock of hair bearing Tia's name was found in Tutankhamun's tomb and matched the Elder Lady.
05:50DNA testing confirmed that she was the daughter of Yuya and Thuya, and grandmother of Tutankhamun.
05:57Her mummy was damaged by robbers, then rescued and hidden for protection, without a named royal coffin.
06:06More than 3,000 years later, Tia remains one of ancient Egypt's most intelligent and influential royal women.
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