Queen Tiye’s Statue (2006)
Queen Tiye was one of Amenhotep III’s wives and grandmother to King Tutankhamun. She stepped out of her Pharaoh husband’s shadow to achieve prominence on her own merit. In 2006, archeologists from Johns Hopkins University found a life-sized statue of Queen Tiye in the temple of the goddess Mut, constructed around 700 BCE. Unlike most royal portraits, Queen Tiye is shown alone rather than the traditional placement at the side of Akhenaten. The size of the statue and solo placement at the temple indicates that Queen Tiye played a prominent role in honoring Mut, possibly even holding leadership or authority in religious practices.