Karomama Meryetmut was a prominent Kemetic high priestess and held the esteemed title of God’s Wife of Amun during the 22nd Dynasty. Her statue is similar to that of Princess Takushit, the Kushite, and predates it by several centuries. It was discovered at Karnak and later acquired by Champollion in 1829, eventually becoming part of the Louvre Museum’s collection. Another statue associated with her, originally crafted for a priest holding a naos, is now housed in the Berlin Museum. Like many artworks from the Libyan Dynasties of the Third Intermediate Period, it was usurped during the 22nd Dynasty; its inscription was altered to represent Karomama, shown shaking two sistra in reverence before a seated figure of Amen-Ra.

STATUE OF PRINCESS TAKUSHIT (THE KUSHITE):

https://www.knowthyselfinstitute.com/post/statue-of-princess-takushit-the-kushite

Thought to be the daughter of Osorkon II, Karomama Meryetmut was part of a ruling family that emerged from the Meshwesh, a Libyan tribal group that had long settled in the Nile Delta. Osorkon II, like others in the 22nd Dynasty known as the Bubastite Dynasty, rose to power around 943 BCE by seizing control of the Delta region, establishing his capital in Bubastis. These rulers appropriated Kemetic culture, adopting royal titles, religious roles, and artistic conventions in an effort to legitimize their authority over the traditionally Kemetic population. A key strategy in their bid for legitimacy was the widespread usurpation of statues, monuments, and inscriptions.

Statues originally commissioned by earlier rulers or priesthoods were defaced or re-carved with the names and images of the new Libyan kings and their families. In Karomama’s case, a statue that originally depicted a priest holding a naos was later altered to represent her shaking two sistra before a seated Amen-Ra, aligning her visually and symbolically with divine authority. This practice wasn’t just symbolic—it was deeply political. By overwriting the spiritual lineage of former rulers, Osorkon II and his dynasty aimed to insert themselves directly into the sacred history of Kemet, using religious imagery to mask their foreign origins and assert control over the state.

However, these moves were met with resistance. Upper Kemet, long regarded as the spiritual and political heart of the nation, never fully accepted the authority of the Libyan rulers. The south remained loyal to the traditional priesthood of Waset (Thebes) and the divine cults that had ruled there for centuries. The High Priests of Amun wielded immense power and saw the northern rulers as illegitimate usurpers.

Amid growing social unrest and political instability, the Bubastite kings often enriched themselves by looting royal tombs and coffers, consolidating wealth in the north while the south remained economically and spiritually autonomous. Rather than uniting the country, their reign deepened the divide between Lower and Upper Kemet, accelerating the fragmentation of the state. The use of cultural symbols to cloak greed and foreign rule could not fully erase the fact that their dynasty lacked deep roots in the land they claimed to govern.

Despite her origins as a daughter of Osorkon II and a product of the Libyan Meshwesh elite, Karomama Merytmut transcended the role of dynastic pawn and emerged as a Divine Adoratrice of Amun, one of the most powerful spiritual offices in ancient Kemet. In a time when the throne was contested and the gods were said to turn their faces away from chaos, it was these women of the temple who wielded the kind of soft power that could shift dynasties.

Karomama’s legacy did not end with her. Her successor Shepenupet I also of Libyan decent, would later adopt the Kushite princess Amenirdis I, into the office of Divine Adoratrice. This act was more than symbolic, it forged a bridge between the struggling Libyan rulers of the north and the rising power of Kush in the south. As the Kushite kings emerged from the city of Napata in Nubia, driven by a divine mission to restore Ma’at and political stability. They saw it as their sacred duty to liberate Kemet from the corrupt and fractured rule of the Bubastite Dynasty. To them, the chaos and tomb-raiding of the Libyan rulers were not just political crimes, they were offenses against the gods. Despite the friction of these power men, as a sign of respect and gesture of good faith Amenirdis, would name her daughter Shepenupet II, after the Meshwesh Princess who put her into position. Shepenupet II would succeed her mother as Divine Adoratrice of Amun and her power and influence would continue long after the Kushite Kings themselves would lose control over Kemet and retreat to their capital of Napata in the Kingdom of Kush.

While the Delta Meshwesh dynasts and the Kushite pharaohs maneuvered for control of the Two Lands, these Divine Adoratrices—powerful priestesses of Amun—played a quiet but decisive game of their own. Stationed in the sacred city of Waset (Thebes), they held vast wealth, commanded temple lands and estates, and were seen as semi-divine figures who interceded between the gods and the people. Through adoption and succession, the line of these spiritual queens passed from Libyan to Kushite hands, not by blood, but by choice—an unbroken chain of holy women weaving together rival houses in a kind of ancient political Game of Thrones.

Karomama’s successors would include Shepenwepet I, Amenirdis I, and later Shepenwepet II, each continuing this sacred-political legacy. Though often overlooked by traditional histories, these women were kingmakers in their own right, anchoring the spiritual legitimacy of whichever family controlled Thebes. Their presence in Upper Kemet symbolized a tug-of-war over Kemet’s soul, with Waset as the battleground, not of armies, but of ideology and ancestral right.

As the 25th Dynasty of Kush rose to power, it was not through brute force alone, but through the restoration of temples, the revival of ancient traditions, and the alignment with the Divine Adoratrices that they gained widespread acceptance. The Kushites saw themselves as the true inheritors of Egypt’s sacred duty—to maintain harmony between earth and the gods—and it was through these women, like Karomama, that the threads of old power could be untangled and rewoven.

The Kushite Kings of Napata, held a legitimate claim to the Kemetic throne due to their deep ancestral ties which date back to predynastic times. The Kushites viewed themselves as the true heirs to Kemet's spiritual and political legacy, seeing the Old Kingdom and its forms of governance as part of their heritage. As the Libyan usurpers controlled Kemet during a period of political instability, the Kushites sought to restore Kemet's traditional religious practices and royal institutions.

Their kings, especially those of the 25th Dynasty, viewed their reigns as a divine mandate to revive the glory of ancient Egypt, focusing on preserving and promoting the traditional religious and cultural values that had once made Egypt a dominant force in the ancient world. This struggle for restoration forms the basis for understanding the role of the Kushites in Egypt’s history, as explored in the documentary The Entire History Of Ancient Egyptian Civilization. In it, renowned professor Joan Fletcher delves into the influence and achievements of the Kushite rulers, shedding light on their rightful place in Egyptian history:

“They (Kushites) were the natural successors of the 18th Dynasty Kings” - Professor Joan Fletcher.

The Entire History Of Ancient Egyptian Civilization, Timestamp 2:59:00: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BlseGoYC7RI

Karomama Meryetmut's regin as the Divine Adoratrice of Amun was a time marked by civil strife, foreign influence, and competing dynasties vying for control over the fragmented kingdom. Despite the growing chaos, Karomama upheld the sacred traditions of the temple and maintained her authority as High Priestess of Amun, acting as a stabilizing force amid the storm of shifting regimes. She became a spiritual bridge between dynasties, paving the way for a remarkable line of successors who would continue the office of God’s Wife of Amun and Divine Adoratrice. These included Shepenwepet I, another Meshwesh princess, followed by the powerful Kushite princess Amenirdis I, then Shepenwepet II, and later Nitocris I, the daughter of Psamtik I, ruler of the Saite Dynasty (26th Dynasty).

Each of these women, regardless of their regional or ethnic origin—Libyan, Kushite, or Saite—were adopted into this sacred sisterhood not by blood, but by spiritual succession. They wielded enormous influence in Waset, controlling vast temple estates, commanding religious rites, and playing a central role in dynastic legitimacy. Through this chain of high priestesses, the temple of Amun retained continuity and spiritual authority, even as kings rose and fell.

While the Meshwesh of the Delta and the Kushite rulers of Nubia waged battles for political dominance, these women were engaged in a different kind of warfare,a spiritual and symbolic battle for the soul of Kemet. For the Kushites, who believed it was their divine duty to restore Ma’at—the sacred balance disrupted by the Libyan dynasties—gaining control of Waset and the office of Divine Adoratrice was essential. By placing Amenirdis I, a royal daughter of Kush, into Karomama’s lineage, they aligned themselves with the gods and claimed not just the throne, but the moral and cosmic right to rule.

In this way, Karomama's legacy endured long after her time. She stood at the forefront of a powerful lineage of sacred women who, behind the scenes of pharaohs and conquerors, shaped the spiritual and political landscape of a nation in flux. Though her father and the Libyan 22nd Dynasty eventually faltered, Karomama’s influence was not bound by the fate of her lineage. The office of the Divine Adoratrice of Amun, which she helped strengthen, would continue to resonate long after her reign. The Kushite priestess Shepenwepet II would be succeded by Nitocris I, daughter of Psamtik I, representing the Saite Dynasty and symbolizing a broader continuity of spiritual authority. And alough her father Psamtik was at war with her father it seems that the priestess of Anum remained insulated from this political violence and managed to remain at least cordial within the sacred spaces and temple of Amun.

Beyond the boundaries of dynastic struggle, the Kushites, despite their kings losing their political grip, also maintained their presence within the temple of Amun, ensuring their influence endured through the priestesses. These women of the priesthood, linked by both religious duty and political savvy, transcended the endless cycles of pharaonic warfare and territorial rivalries. The Kushites, like the Libyans, found their power not only in military conquest but in the continued legitimacy and spiritual dominance that the office of the Divine Adoratrice provided. Even as the Kushite kings’ direct political authority waned, their religious influence, exercised through these women, remained a powerful force, stabilizing and uniting Upper and Lower Kemet across the turbulent centuries.

Karomama Meryetmut thus became more than just a daughter of a usurper. She was a spiritual matriarch, whose role bridged dynasties and helped mend the deep fractures within the kingdom. The priestess’s office, which she served was a center of authority in its own right, transcending the rise and fall of pharaohs and rulers. In doing so, Karomama laid the groundwork for an era where power was no longer derived solely from the throne or the sword but from the sanctified halls of the temple—where divine will and religious tradition could shape the course of Kemet’s destiny.

Statue of Karomama, “Divine Adoratrice of Amun“

Third Intermediate Period, 22nd Dynasty, c. 865-809 B.C.

Discovere: Thebes, Upper Egypt

Musée du Louvre. N 500

Know Thyself Merch:

https://www.knowthyselfinstitute.com/shop

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at