Do Egyptians marry their own siblings?

Several of the Egyptian Pharaohs married their siblings and had several children with them. For example, Tutankhamun married his half-sister Ankhesenamun, and was himself the child of an incestuous union between Akhenaten and an unidentified sister-wife.

Why did Tutankhamun marry his sister?

Incestuous alliances were common among Egypt’s royalty, said renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass. “A king could marry his sister and his daughter because he is a god, like Iris and Osiris, and this was a habit only among kings and queens,” Hawass told a news conference at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum.

Did fathers marry their daughters in ancient Egypt?

In fact, there is no confirmed evidence of the idea of a father marrying his daughter(s) in a real marriage in ancient Egypt. Many consider it just a noble title to give a kind of rank or holiness to the royal daughters.

Did the Egyptians have incest?

Historical records claim incest was rampant among rulers of ancient Egypt who believed they descended from the gods. The study found Pharaohs varied less in height than common Egyptians suggesting incest was rife among royals.

Who is Tutankhamun’s wife?

Ankhesenpaaton
Tutankhamun was nine years of age when he ascended to the throne after the death of King Akhenaten’s coregent, Smenkhkare. Shortly after his coronation, Tutankhamun was married to Ankhesenpaaton, Akhenaten’s third daughter and (probably) the eldest surviving princess of the royal family.

Why did ancient pharaohs marry their biological sisters?

It is believed that the pharaohs did this because of the ancient belief that the god Osiris married his sister Isis to keep their bloodline pure. read more The Greek pharaohs did marry their biological sisters.

Why do Kings marry their sisters?

We in the Twentieth Century tend to think of kings as ordinary people with extra-ordinary jobs. The Ancient Egyptian believed their Pharaoh was a god and not at all like an ordinary man. Perhaps marriage to a sister was seen as a way of increasing the amount of royal blood in the next heir.

Did the king of Egypt marry his sister?

The one exception to this rule was the King of Egypt who often married his sister. Early scholars were quite repulsed by this idea and developed the heiress theory by which inheritance passed through the female line.

Why were foreign princesses sent to the harem of pharaohs?

However this was mitigated by foreign princesses sent to cement an alliance by blood. So the daughter of a foreign princess & the Pharaoh was sent to the heir apparent’s harem. Cause they thought their bloodline was from the gods and they wanted to keep it pure.