Wahka II.

Wahka II was an ancient Egyptian civil servant of the Middle Kingdom . He was “ mayor ” ( ḥ3tj-ˁ ) and “head of priest ” ( jmj-r3-ḥmw-nṯr ) in Qaw el-Kebir in the 12th dynasty under Amenemhet III. Wahka II. Was the son of the " mayor " Nacht and a certain Hetepui. Wahka II was probably the night's successor. His wife was called Kemu. His two sons Ibu and Senusretanch are known by name.

Wahka II is best known from his grave in Qaw el-Kebir. It is one of the largest private tombs ever erected in Egypt. The building had a valley temple, an access path with a second valley temple halfway through and the funerary chapels that were carved into the local rock. The funerary chapels consisted of several halls, some of which were decorated with columns. One large hall had a richly patterned ceiling. The paintings in the tomb are of particular interest. They show women doing jobs that are normally done by men. There are fertility deities and dancers.

A stele in Stockholm names him and the name of Amenemhet III. Wahka II is thus the last “ mayor ” in the Middle Kingdom with a monumental grave complex. In other places these were no longer after the reign of Sesostris III. built. The latter ruler is usually believed to have overturned the local princes. Wahka II seems to have been an exception here.

literature

Wolfram Grajetzki : Comments on the mayors (HAtj-a) of Qaw el-Kebir in the Middle Kingdom. In: Göttinger Miscellen . Volume 156, 1997, pp. 55-62.
Hans Steckeweh : The princely graves of Qaw (= publications of the Ernst von Sieglin expedition. Volume 6). Hinrichs, Leipzig 1936, pp. 30-42, 48-52.

Individual evidence

↑ Tomb of Wahka II . Examples of ceiling decoration according to: WM Flinders Petrie : Antaeopolis. The Tombs of Qau (= British School of Archeology in Egypt: Publications. ). British School of Archeology in Egypt, London 1930, plate 2. on. digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk from 2002; last accessed on August 5, 2016.

personal data
SURNAME	Wahka II.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Mayor and head of priests of the ancient Egyptian 12th dynasty
DATE OF BIRTH	20th century BC BC or 19th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	19th century BC BC or 18th century BC Chr.

[1] Tomb of Wahka II . Examples of ceiling decoration according to: WM Flinders Petrie : Antaeopolis. The Tombs of Qau (= British School of Archeology in Egypt: Publications. ). British School of Archeology in Egypt, London 1930, plate 2. on. digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk from 2002; last accessed on August 5, 2016.