# Takhat (20th dynasty)

Takhat was a royal lady of Egypt's 20th Dynasty, the wife of Prince Montuherkhepeshef (also written Montjuhirkopshef), a son of [Ramesses III](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramesses-iii), and the mother of [Ramesses IX](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramesses-ix).<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf)</sup> *Not to be confused with [Takhat](https://www.edgepedia.org/takhat-19th-dynasty) (19th dynasty), the royal wife associated with Sethos II and the king Amenmesse.*

| Key fact | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Dynasty and period | 20th Dynasty (Ramesside New Kingdom) |
| Husband | Prince Montuherkhepeshef, a son of Ramesses III<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf)</sup> |
| Son | Ramesses IX, who succeeded Ramesses VIII<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf)</sup> |
| Burial | KV 10 in the Valley of the Kings, the older tomb of Amenmesse<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup> |
| Namesake | A separate 19th-dynasty Takhat, wife of Sethos II and mother of Amenmesse<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup> |
| later rulers | Ramesses X and Ramesses XI followed Ramesses IX, but their relationships to him, to Takhat, and to each other are not established<sup>[2](https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://ijtah.journals.ekb.eg/article_243753_04e7ce9f7bed477b375e3c254b35d36a.pdf)</sup> |

## Family placement and the two Takhats

The Ramesside monuments name more than one royal woman called Takhat. A 1987 study by Dodson, an Egyptologist then publishing in the *Journal of Egyptian Archaeology*, separated them into two individuals: Takhat A, wife of Sethos II and mother of [Amenmesse](https://www.edgepedia.org/amenmesse) in the 19th Dynasty, and Takhat B, wife of Prince Montjuhirkopshef B, a son of Ramesses III, and mother of Ramesses IX.<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup> The subject of this article is the second of these ladies.

Her husband Montuherkhepeshef was a son of Ramesses III.<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf)</sup> The succession instead passed through other lines until, after [Ramesses VIII](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramesses-viii), the crown went to Ramesses IX, described in the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology as the grandson of Ramesses III by prince Montuherkhopshef.<sup>[2](https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf)</sup> This makes Takhat the link between the generation of Ramesses III's sons and the dynasty's last kings: Takhat was the mother of Ramesses IX, who was followed by [Ramesses X](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramesses-x) and [Ramesses XI](https://www.edgepedia.org/ramesses-xi); the relationships among these three kings are not established, so they cannot all be identified as her family line.<sup>[2](https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://ijtah.journals.ekb.eg/article_243753_04e7ce9f7bed477b375e3c254b35d36a.pdf)</sup>

## Burial in KV 10

The primary monument attesting Takhat is KV 10 in the [Valley of the Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/valley-of-the-kings), the tomb originally cut for Amenmesse. The 1987 study identifies Takhat B, the mother of Ramesses IX, as buried there.<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup>

A second royal lady is depicted in the same tomb, and the study identifies her as the wife of Ramesses IX.<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup> The tomb thus preserves evidence for two generations of the family: the king's mother and the king's wife, both buried in a monument neither was its original owner of.

## By the numbers

The evidence for Takhat is compact. One prosopographical study distinguishes exactly two royal ladies named Takhat on the monuments, of whom she is the second.<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup> One tomb, KV 10, attests her burial.<sup>[1](https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126)</sup> She is known to be connected to Ramesses III, her father-in-law, and to Ramesses IX, her son, but neither Ramesses IX's relationship to his successors nor her relationship to Ramesses XI, her supposed great-grandson, is established.<sup>[2](https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf)</sup>

## References


1. Dodson, A., "The Takhats and some other royal ladies of the Ramesside period", *Journal of Egyptian Archaeology* 73 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1177/030751338707300126
2. UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, paper on Ramesses III and the Twentieth Dynasty. https://escholarship.org/content/qt0d84248t/qt0d84248t.pdf
3. ijtah.journals.ekb.eg, https://ijtah.journals.ekb.eg/article_243753_04e7ce9f7bed477b375e3c254b35d36a.pdf

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Periods and civilizations › Ancient Near East, Egypt, Nubia, and the Punic world › Ancient Egypt › New Kingdom › New Kingdom: rulers and royal family*

*Initially written Sep 19, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026 · Last review: Sep 19, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license