Chentkaus II.

Chentkaus II was an ancient Egyptian queen and royal consort of Pharaoh Neferirkare , the third king of the 5th dynasty in the Old Kingdom . She was the mother of the subsequent kings Raneferef and Niuserre .

Origin and title

Nothing is known about the origin of Chentkaus II, but their titles have been handed down: King Wife ( Ḥmt-njswt - Hemet-nisut ) and mother of the king ( Mw.t-nswt - Mut-nesut ). Reliefs from her mortuary temple , some of which have been preserved, show the queen with a uraeus snake on her forehead and name the ambiguous title "Mother of the two kings of Upper and Lower Egypt " and "King of Upper and Lower Egypt" ( Mw.t-nsw-bj. tj-nsw-bj.tj ). Apart from a former confusion with Queen Chentkaus I , who had the same title, Mw.t-nsw-bj.tj-nsw-bj.tj(Mut-nisut-biti nisu-biti) can be translated in both variants. This would mean that Chentkaus II could also have ruled over Egypt as king.

Grave complex

→ Main article: Chentkaus II pyramid

Reconstruction of the pyramid

When the grave Chentkaus II. Which applies Chentkaus-II. Pyramid in the necropolis of Abusir , which an independent queens pyramid is. The construction of the structure began during the reign of King Neferirkare. The work was then stopped in his 10th or 11th year, presumably due to his death. The construction was continued or completed later under his second son Niuserre. Papyri from this period show that the mortuary temple of Chentkaus II contained around 16 statues of the queen, among other things. From the former 17 meter high pyramid, only a shapeless rubble mound is preserved today. Parts of a sarcophagus made of rose granite were found in the burial chamber .

literature

Michel Baud : Famille royale et pouvoir sous l'Ancien Empire égyptien. Tome 2 (= Bibliothèque d'Étude. Volume 126/2). Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Cairo 1999, ISBN 2-7247-0250-6 , pp. 553–554 ( PDF; 16.7 MB ).
Aidan Dodson , Dyan Hilton : The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, London / New York 2004, ISBN 0-500-05128-3 , pp. 66, 68.
Joyce Tyldesley : The Queens of Ancient Egypt. From the early dynasties to the death of Cleopatra. Koehler & Amelang, Leipzig 2008, ISBN 978-3-7338-0358-2 , pp. 54-55.
Miroslav Verner : The pyramids (= rororo non-fiction book. Volume 60890). Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1999, ISBN 3-499-60890-1 , pp. 332–336.

Individual evidence

↑ Susanne Martinssen-von Falck, Martin von Falck: The great pharaohs. From the early days to the Middle Kingdom. Marix, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-7374-0976-6 , p. 135.

personal data
SURNAME	Chentkaus II.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	ancient Egyptian queen of the 5th dynasty
DATE OF BIRTH	25th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	25th century BC Chr.

[1] Susanne Martinssen-von Falck, Martin von Falck: The great pharaohs. From the early days to the Middle Kingdom. Marix, Wiesbaden 2015, ISBN 978-3-7374-0976-6 , p. 135.