What's a king without his queen(s)? For this week's Thutmose Tuesday, we'll be taking a look at the royal harem, a facet of ancient Egyptian court life that took on a particular significance during the New Kingdom. Every 18th Dynasty king (save Hatshepsut) had a harem, including our old friends Thutmose I, II, III, and IV. Far more than simply a pleasure palace, the royal harem served a variety of political purposes, helping to ensure Egypt's political stability both at home

Today, we're diving right into the core of Thutmose Tuesday itself: the name "Thutmose". For the ancient Egyptians, names held tremendous power. If your name lived on in the memories of your family (or, if you were a pharaoh, in the hearts and minds of your subjects), then your spirit would endure forever in the afterlife. This was primarily why Egyptian kings built such extravagant tombs and mortuary temples, so they would be remembered and worshipped for generations to come