Kekheretnebti

Last updated
Kekheretnebti
Princess of Egypt
Naprstek Museum - NM Prague 20.JPG
Wooden statue of the Princess Khekeretnebti, found in the mastaba of Abousir - Náprstek Museum in Prague
Burial
Mastaba B at Abusir
Issue Tisethor
Dynasty Fifth Dynasty of Egypt
Father Djedkare Isesi

Kekheretnebti or Khekeretnebty was a Princess of Egypt, who lived during the Fifth Dynasty. Her father was Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi. [1]

Kekheretnebti was buried in a mastaba ('B') in the royal necropolis at Abusir, south-east of the mortuary temple of Niuserre. Her skeletal remains show that she was a slender woman of 30–35 years when she died. Originally the mastaba belonged only to Kekheretnebti but later on the tomb was reconstructed and enlarged on the northern side to include a second burial, that of Kekheretnebti's daughter Tisethor, who had barely reached the age of puberty. [2]

Kekheretnebti was a full sister of princess Hedjetnebu who was buried in a tomb nearby. The examination of the skeletal remains show that the sisters showed some similarities and were both clearly related to Djedkare Isesi. Archaeological evidence shows that Kekheretnebti's tomb was constructed first, soon followed by the construction of the tomb of her sister Hedjetnebu. A scribe to the royal children named Idu had a tomb constructed a short time after the tomb construction for the princesses. [3]

Burial site

The burial mastaba of Kekheretnebti is nineteen meters long and fifteen meters wide and built of limestone and brick. It has a single entry on its eastern side which gives access to a suite of rooms arranged in a row. Despite having been looted by tomb robbers in ancient times, upon excavation the mastaba was found to be relatively well preserved and in places still had roofing blocks in position. The tomb consisted of an antechamber, two offering rooms and a serdab which contained the funerary statue of the princess. The hastily executed decoration of the offering room, roughly cut false door stelae and inferior wall paintings, including an unfinished painting of Kekheretnebti (sitting in a chair and watching wild animals), leads to the assumption that the death of Kekheretnebti was unexpected. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saqqara</span> Burial ground in Giza Governorate, Egypt

Saqqara, also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English, is an Egyptian village in Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara contains numerous pyramids, including the Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb, and a number of mastaba tombs. Located some 30 km (19 mi) south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around 7 by 1.5 km.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hor-Aha</span> Egyptian pharaoh (First Dynasty)

Hor-Aha is considered the second pharaoh of the First Dynasty of Egypt by some Egyptologists, while others consider him the first one and corresponding to Menes. He lived around the 31st century BC and is thought to have had a long reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menkauhor Kaiu</span> Pharaoh of Egypt

Menkauhor Kaiu was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Old Kingdom period. He was the seventh ruler of the Fifth Dynasty at the end of the 25th century BC or early in the 24th century BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Djedkare Isesi</span> Ancient Egyptian pharaoh

Djedkare Isesi was a pharaoh, the eighth and penultimate ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt in the late 25th century to mid-24th century BC, during the Old Kingdom. Djedkare succeeded Menkauhor Kaiu and was in turn succeeded by Unas. His relationship to both of these pharaohs remain uncertain, although it is often conjectured that Unas was Djedkare's son, owing to the smooth transition between the two.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neferefre</span> Pharaoh of Egypt

Neferefre Isi was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period. He was most likely the eldest son of pharaoh Neferirkare Kakai and queen Khentkaus II. He was known as prince Ranefer before he ascended to the throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nectanebo I</span> Egyptian pharaoh

Nectanebo I was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, founder of the last native dynasty of Egypt, the 30th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomb of Perneb</span>

The Tomb of Perneb is a mastaba-style tomb from ancient Egypt, built during the reigns of Djedkare Isesi and Unas, in the necropolis of Saqqara, north of Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid and about 30 kilometers south of Giza, Egypt. It was the tomb of Perneb, and from the size and placement of the tomb he might have been a court official or royal family member.

Nefertkau I was a 4th Dynasty princess of ancient Egypt. She was the eldest daughter of King Sneferu and hence a half-sister to King Khufu. She was the mother of Nefermaat II and the grandmother of Sneferukhaf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meresankh IV</span>

Meresankh IV was a queen of Egypt in the 5th Dynasty. Her name means "she loves life". While some sources consider that her husband is unknown, other sources suggest her husband was Pharaoh Menkauhor Kaiu. It is also possible that Meresankh was the wife of Djedkare Isesi.

Meret-Isesi was a Princess of Egypt during the 5th Dynasty. Her father was Pharaoh Djedkare. Meret-Isesi appears as a King's daughterof his body in a relief which likely comes from Abusir.

Hedjetnebu (Hedjetnub) was a Princess of Egypt who lived during the 5th Dynasty. Her father was Pharaoh Djedkare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isesi-ankh</span> Ancient Egyptian high official

Isesi-ankh was an ancient Egyptian high official during the second half of the Fifth Dynasty, in the late 25th to mid 24th century BC. His name means "Isesi lives". He may have been a son of pharaoh Djedkare Isesi and queen Meresankh IV, although this is debated. Isesi-ankh probably lived during the reign of Djedkare Isesi and that of his successor Unas. He was buried in a mastaba tomb in north Saqqara, now ruined.

Neserkauhor was an Ancient Egyptian prince, son of pharaoh Djedkare Isesi, during the second half of Fifth Dynasty. Neserkauhor was buried in Abusir, in an area known today as "Djedkare's family cemetery".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senedjemib Inti</span> Vizier

Senedjemib Inti was a vizier from the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt during the reign of king Djedkare Isesi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senedjemib Mehi</span> Vizier

Senedjemib Mehi was a vizier from the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. Senedjemib Mehi started out his career under Djedkare Isesi and eventually became vizier under Unas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashepses</span> Vizier

Rashepses was a vizier from the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. Rashepses was vizier under Djedkare Isesi. A letter directed to Rashepses has been preserved. This decree is inscribed in his tomb in Saqqara. As vizier he was one of the most important Ancient Egyptian officials. In his tomb are many titles recorded. It seems that he was first overseer of the scribes of the royal documents, overseer of the two granaries and overseer of all royal works. These are all very important titles, making him an influential official at the royal court. At the final stage of his career he became vizier. The vizier title is only preserved in two letters that are copied on the decoration of the tomb. It seems that most of his tomb was finished and after all that, he was promoted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tisethor</span>

Tisethor was a princess of ancient Egypt, a daughter of Princess Kekheretnebti and granddaughter of the King Djedkare Isesi. Her father is not known. She was a niece of Neserkauhor, Meret-Isesi and Isesi-ankh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ba (pharaoh)</span> Early ancient Egyptian king

Ba, also known as Horus Ba, is the serekh-name of an early Egyptian or ancient Egyptian king who may have ruled at the end of the 1st Dynasty, the latter part of 2nd Dynasty or during the 3rd Dynasty. Neither the exact length of his reign nor his chronological position is known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nodjmet</span> Queen consort of Egypt

Nodjmet, Nedjmet, or Notmit was an ancient Egyptian noblewoman of the late 20th-early 21st dynasties of Egypt, mainly known for being the wife of High Priest of Amun at Thebes, Herihor.

Akhetaa was an ancient Egyptian high official during the mid to late 3rd Dynasty. He is mostly known for his tomb inscriptions, which refer to various seldom used titles as well as to the shadowy king Nebka, in whose cult Akhetaa served.

References

  1. Dodson, Aidan; Hilton, Dyan (2004), The complete royal families of Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson, ISBN   978-0-500-05128-3
  2. Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft (1989), Zeitschrift für ägyptische sprache und altertumskunde, Volumes 116-118, p. 72
  3. Miroslav Verner, Archaeological Remarks on the 4th and 5th Dynasty Chronology, pg 363-418, Archiv Orientální 69 (2001), No. 3
  4. Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft (1978), Zeitschrift für ägyptische sprache und altertumskunde, Volumes 105-108, p. 162