Seqenenre Taa II
Second Intermediate Period, 17th Dynasty
One of the most fascinating royal mummies ever found, Seqenenre Taa II was the ruler of Thebes (modern day Luxor) during the late Second Intermediate Period.
When he became king, the Hyksos (foreigners from the northeast) had been ruling the northern part Egypt for over a century, and were threatening Theban territory.
History remembers Seqenenre Taa as the king who began the fight against these invaders; the war was continued by his sons Kamose and Ahmose I. His principal wife, also his sister, was Ahhotep.In addition to Kamose and Ahmose, they had at least two daughters, Ahmose-Nefertari and Ahmose Nebetta.
Seqenenre Taa died at about the age of 40, His skull bears the marks of horrific wounds, almost certainly the result of the battle against the Hyksos and clear evidence that he died a violent death. It is likely that this ruler was originally interred at Dra Abu el-Naga, the northernmost cemetery of the Theban necropolis, where the kings of the 17th Dynasty were buried. His body was eventually moved to TT 320, where it was found in 1881.
