Meritmaat
Meritmaat was the village leader of Kerke in Atef-Pehu Nome, Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy XIII
Biography
During the 1st century BCE, Meritmaat lived in the village of Kerke, which was famous for its honey and opium. At some point, she became the leader of the village and had a daughter named Ipy. Many years prior to 48 BCE, a Ptolemaic Commander received word of the village's honey and opium production, leading him to attempt a takeover of the village. Several villagers attempted to resist the takeover, causing them to be branded as rebels and hunted down by the Ptolemies.[1]
To ensure that no villagers are further harmed, Meritmaat negotiated a deal with the Ptolemaic Commander: the village would supply him and his camp with honey and opium in exchange for his protection, which he accepted. Behind the Commander's back, Meritmaat also secretly supplied the goods to the villagers who fled to the north to become rebels. This act was eventually found out by the Commander, who took Ipy hostage and had her "killed" so as to assure Meritmaat's compliance. In reality, the Commander did not kill Meritmaat 's daughter and instead took her as his own as a replacement for his own daughter who died young. Meritmaat was unaware of this, and thus continued to comply with the Commander's deal, ensuring that no villagers were taken hostage once again.[1]
Despite her efforts however, another villager, Henuttawy, was taken hostage and held at the nearby camp in 48 BCE.[1]