Neferhetepes

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Neferhetepes in hieroglyphics
F35 R4
X1 Q3
S29

Neferhetepes
(Nefer hetepes)
Nfr ḥtp.s

Neferhetepes (* around 2570 BC) was a queen of the 5th Egyptian dynasty . She was the wife of King Userkaf and the mother of King Sahure .

family

The family relationships of Neferhetepes were controversial among historians, so that different theories are discussed. However, recent relief finds at the pyramid of Sahure show with certainty that she was the mother of the latter and thus the wife of Userkaf. She was probably also the mother of Queen Meretnebty , the wife of Sahure.

Historical evidence

It appears on two reliefs that belong to the pyramid ascent of the Sahure. Once she is shown sitting on the floor in front of Sahure. His wife Meretnebty is sitting behind her. A second time she stands behind the king, with Meretnebty again following behind her. They both hold hands. Neferhetepes bore the title " Mother of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt ", " God's daughter ", "Head of the Butcher of Acacia House," "priestess of Papef" and "priestess of Tjasep".

Neferhetepes is also recorded in the grave of a certain Persian . There was an inscription on a relief that referred to her as "Mother of the King".

funeral

A queen pyramid was probably built for Neferhetepes , which is only about 100 meters from the pyramid of Userkaf . It is in a badly damaged condition, but it can be seen that the structure was 17 meters high and was significantly smaller than the king's pyramid. It is noteworthy that their pyramid had its own temple area, which was not integrated into the Userkafs, but was directly adjacent to them. The name of the owner was not found in the pyramid. The attribution is pure guesswork.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A list of Queens of Ancient Egypt . From: joanlansberry.com , last accessed August 15, 2014.
  2. Tarek El Awady: The royal family of Sahure. New evidence. In: Miroslav Bárta, Filip Coppens, Jaromír Krejčí (eds.): Abusir and Saqqara in the Year 2005: proceedings of the conference held in Prague, June 27-July 5, 2005. Czech Institute of Egyptology - Faculty of Arts - Charles University in Prague, Prague 2006, ISBN 978-80-7308-116-4 , pp. 192-98.
  3. Tarek El Awady: The royal family of Sahure. New evidence. Prague 2006, pp. 192-198.
  4. The pyramid of Neferhetepes . From: egyptphoto.ncf.ca , last accessed on August 15, 2014.