Rahotep (Prince)

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Rahotep in hieroglyphics
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Rahotep
(Ra hetep)
Rˁ ḥtp
Re is satisfied
Statue of Rahotep; Egyptian Museum, Cairo (CG 3)
Statue of Nefertiti; Egyptian Museum, Cairo (CG 4)
Relief representation of Rahotep from his mastaba; British Museum

Rahotep was a prince of the ancient Egyptian 4th Dynasty ( Old Kingdom ). He was a son of King ( Pharaoh ) Sneferu , his mother is unknown. During his father's reign, he held several high offices, including that of High Priest of the Re of Heliopolis .

family

Rahotep was married to Nofret , a high official of the royal court. The couple had three sons named Djedi, Itu and Neferkau and three daughters named Mereret, Nedjemib and Sethtet. These children are only documented by naming them in the grave of Rahotep.

tomb

Rahotep owns Mastaba 6 on the so-called " North Mastaba Field ", north of the first pyramid of his father Snofru in Meidum . The mastaba is made of bricks and has two separate grave rooms. Rahotep was buried in room A, his wife Nofret in room B.

Statues

When Auguste Mariette excavated Rahotep's mastaba in 1871, he found two life-size, superbly preserved statues of Rahotep and Nefertiti there. Both are now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo . The two people are shown sitting on white armchairs, the backs of which show the names and titles of the owners in black letters. The statue of Rahotep is 121 cm high and that of Nefertiti 122 cm high. Rahotep is only dressed in a short apron and has a simple chain around his neck. His statue is given a special individuality in that Rahotep is shown here with a mustache, which is relatively seldom reproduced in Egyptian art. Nefertiti is wrapped in a thin cloak that leaves the shoulders uncovered. She wears an ornate collar around her neck and a wig on her head. Both statues look particularly lifelike due to the fine elaboration of the eyes, in which the iris is made of quartz and the eyeball is made of alabaster .

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 , p. 512 ( PDF; 16.7 MB ).
  • Alessandro Bongioanni, Maria Sole Croce (ed.): Illustrated guide to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. White Star, Vercelli 2001, ISBN 88-8095-703-1 , pp. 78-79.
  • Aidan Dodson , Dyan Hilton: The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. The American University in Cairo Press, London 2004, ISBN 977-424-878-3 , pp. 52-61.
  • Eva Martin-Pardey : Rahotep. In: Lexicon of Egyptology. Vol. 5, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1984, columns 86-87.

Web links

Commons : Rahotep  - Collection of Images
personal data
SURNAME Rahotep
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Prince of the ancient Egyptian 4th Dynasty
DATE OF BIRTH 27th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 27th century BC Chr.