Khenmet

Last updated
Necklace from the burial of Khenmet Jewellery of Khenmet- 12th Dynasty.jpg
Necklace from the burial of Khenmet
Princess Khenmet's necklace (top), from her burial Bijoux de la XIIe dynastie (la Villette, 2023).jpg
Princess Khenmet's necklace (top), from her burial

Khenmet was an ancient Egyptian king's daughter of the Twelfth Dynasty, around 1800 BC. [1] She is mainly known from her unrobbed tomb containing a set of outstanding personal adornments.

Khenmet is only known from her burial next to the pyramid of Amenemhat II at Dahshur. On the West side of the pyramid were three underground galleries with each of two tombs. Four of these tombs, including those of Khenmet as well as Ita and Itaweret were found unlooted.

Khenmet was buried in a set of three containers. There was an outer, undecorated sarcophagus, next, a wooden coffin, decorated on the outside with gold foil and on the inside with hieroglyphic texts. Finally there was an inner anthropoid coffin, that was found only badly preserved. The body of Khenmet was adorned with an array of jewellery including a broad collar, armlets, and anklets. Next to the body were found many weapons, typical for royal burials of the Middle Kingdom. [2]

In the small chamber next to the sarcophagus were found further personal adornments. These included two crowns and parts of a necklace made in gold. The latter is most likely not an Egyptian work of art, but was perhaps produced in Crete.

The father of Khenmet is uncertain. From the position of the burial, next to the pyramid of Amenemhat II it seems possible that she was his daughter.

Some researchers point out that the burial equipment is more typical for the late Twelfth Dynasty. [3] [4] The same is true for the pottery found in the burials. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amenemhat III</span> Egyptian pharaoh

Amenemhat III, also known as Amenemhet III, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the sixth king of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. He was elevated to throne as co-regent by his father Senusret III, with whom he shared the throne as the active king for twenty years. During his reign, Egypt attained its cultural and economic zenith of the Middle Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Kingdom of Egypt</span> Reunified ancient Egypt c. 2000-1700 BC

The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt following a period of political division known as the First Intermediate Period. The Middle Kingdom lasted from approximately 2040 to 1782 BC, stretching from the reunification of Egypt under the reign of Mentuhotep II in the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Twelfth Dynasty. The kings of the Eleventh Dynasty ruled from Thebes and the kings of the Twelfth Dynasty ruled from el-Lisht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sobekneferu</span> Earliest confirmed female Egyptian pharaoh c. 1700-1800 BC

Sobekneferu or Neferusobek was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the last ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. She ascended to the throne following the death of Amenemhat IV, possibly her brother or husband, though their relationship is unproven. Instead, she asserted legitimacy through her father Amenemhat III. Her reign lasted 3 years, 10 months, and 24 days, according to the Turin King List.

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

Amenemhat IV was the seventh and penultimate king of the late Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt during the late Middle Kingdom period. He arguably ruled around 1786–1777 BC for about nine regnal years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amenemhat I</span> Founding Pharaoh of twelfth dynasty of Egypt

Amenemhat I, also known as Amenemhet I, was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the first king of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amenemhat II</span> Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt

Nubkaure Amenemhat II, also known as Amenemhet II, was the third pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Although he ruled for at least 35 years, his reign is rather obscure, as well as his family relationships.

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

Senusret I also anglicized as Sesostris I and Senwosret I, was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1971 BC to 1926 BC, and was one of the most powerful kings of this Dynasty. He was the son of Amenemhat I. Senusret I was known by his prenomen, Kheperkare, which means "the Ka of Re is created." He expanded the territory of Egypt allowing him to rule over an age of prosperity.

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

Senusret II was the fourth pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1897 BC to 1878 BC. His pyramid was constructed at El-Lahun. Senusret II took a great deal of interest in the Faiyum oasis region and began work on an extensive irrigation system from Bahr Yussef through to Lake Moeris through the construction of a dike at El-Lahun and the addition of a network of drainage canals. The purpose of his project was to increase the amount of cultivable land in that area. The importance of this project is emphasized by Senusret II's decision to move the royal necropolis from Dahshur to El-Lahun where he built his pyramid. This location would remain the political capital for the 12th and 13th Dynasties of Egypt. Senusret II was known by his prenomen Khakheperre, which means "The Ka of Re comes into being". The king also established the first known workers' quarter in the nearby town of Senusrethotep (Kahun).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senusret III</span> 12th dynasty pharaoh of Ancient Egypt

Khakaure Senusret III was a pharaoh of Egypt. He ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC during a time of great power and prosperity, and was the fifth king of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. He was a great pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty and is considered to be, perhaps, the most powerful Egyptian ruler of the dynasty. Consequently, he is regarded as one of the sources for the legend about Sesostris. His military campaigns gave rise to an era of peace and economic prosperity that reduced the power of regional rulers and led to a revival in craftwork, trade, and urban development. Senusret III was among the few Egyptian kings who were deified and honored with a cult during their own lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Lahun</span> Village in Faiyum, Egypt

El Lahun. It was known as Ptolemais Hormos in Ptolemaic Egypt.

Lisht or el-Lisht is an Egyptian village located south of Cairo. It is the site of Middle Kingdom royal and elite burials, including two pyramids built by Amenemhat I and Senusret I. The two main pyramids were surrounded by smaller pyramids of members of the royal family, and many mastaba tombs of high officials and their family members. They were constructed throughout the Twelfth and Thirteenth Dynasties. The site is also known for the tomb of Senebtisi, found undisturbed and from which a set of jewelry has been recovered. The pyramid complex of Senusret I is the best preserved from this period. The coffins in the tomb of Sesenebnef present the earliest versions of the Book of the Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawara</span> Village in Faiyum Governorate, Egypt

Hawara is an archaeological site of Ancient Egypt, south of the site of Crocodilopolis at the entrance to the depression of the Fayyum oasis. It is the site of a pyramid built by the Pharaoh Amenemhat III in the 19th century BC.

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

Neferuptah or Ptahneferu was a daughter of the Egyptian king Amenemhat III of the 12th Dynasty. Her sister was the Pharaoh Sobekneferu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ankhu</span> Egyptian vizier

Ankhu was an Egyptian vizier during the early 13th Dynasty in the late Middle Kingdom. He is believed to have resided in Thebes in Upper Egypt.

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

Siese was a vizier and treasurer of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He was most likely in office under Senusret III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashayet</span> Egyptian queen consort

Ashayet or Ashait was an ancient Egyptian queen consort, a wife of Mentuhotep II in the 11th Dynasty. Her tomb (DBXI.17) and small decorated chapel were found in Mentuhotep II's Deir el-Bahari temple complex. The shrine and burial to Ashayet was found along with the tombs of four other women in their twenties and a young girl, Henhenet, Kawit, Kemsit, Sadeh and Mayet. However, it is likely that there were three other additional shrines that were destroyed in the expansions of Mentuhotep II's burial complex. The nine shrines were built in the First Intermediate Period, prior to Mentuhotep II's reunification of Egypt. She and three other women of the six bore queenly titles, and most of them were Priestesses of Hathor. The location of their burial is significant to their titles as Priestesses of Hathor as the cliffs of Deir el-Bahri were sacred to Hathor from the Old Kingdom onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abydos Dynasty</span> Hypothetical Ancient Egyptian dynasty

The Abydos Dynasty is hypothesized to have been a short-lived local dynasty ruling over parts of Middle and Upper Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period in Ancient Egypt. The Abydos Dynasty would have been contemporaneous with the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Dynasties, from approximately 1650 to 1600 BC. It would have been based in or around Abydos and its royal necropolis might have been located at the foot of the Mountain of Anubis, a hill resembling a pyramid in the Abydene desert, close to a rock-cut tomb built for pharaoh Senusret III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S 10 (Abydos)</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb in Abydos

S 10 is the modern name given to a monumental ancient Egyptian tomb complex at Abydos in Egypt. The tomb is most likely royal and dates to the mid-13th Dynasty. Finds from nearby tombs indicate that S10 suffered extensive state-sanctioned stone and grave robbing during the Second Intermediate Period, only a few decades after its construction, as well as during the later Roman and Coptic periods. These finds also show that S10 was used for an actual burial and belonged to a king "Sobekhotep", now believed to be pharaoh Sobekhotep IV. According to the Egyptologist Josef W. Wegner who excavated S10, the tomb might originally have been capped by a pyramid, although Aidan Dodson states that it is still unclear whether S10 was a pyramid or a mastaba.

Sebat was an ancient Egyptian king's daughter of the Twelfth Dynasty. Her only known title is king's daughter of his body. She is so far only attested on the back slab of a statue base found at Serabit el-Khadim on Sinai. The statues are now lost but once depicted a falcon, king Amenemhat I and king Senusret I. The inscription mentions at the top Amenemhat II and in a lower register Senusret I, the king's daughter Sebat, the king's wife Neferu, Amenemhat I and again Senusret I. From this evidence it seems clear that Sebat was the daughter of Senusret I and Neferu and the sister of Amenemhat II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Itaweret</span> Ancient Egyptian kings daughter

Itaweret was an Ancient Egyptian king's daughter who lived in the 12th Dynasty around 1850 BC. She is known from her burial next to the pyramid of king Amenemhat II at Dahshur. The burial was found intact and contained a decorated wooden coffin and canopic box with longer religious texts including her name. Some personal adornments were found in the tomb too. The location of the tomb might indicate that she was a daughter of Amenemhat II, but a final proof is missing. Remarkable is the wooden statue of a swan found in her burial apartments.

References

  1. Grajetzki, Wolfram (2014-01-23). Tomb Treasures of the Late Middle Kingdom: The Archaeology of Female Burials. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN   978-0-8122-4567-7.
  2. Jacques de Morgan et al.: Fouilles a Dahchour 1894-1895. Band 2, Holzhausen, Vienna 1903, p. 55-68.
  3. Grajetzki, Wolfram (2014-01-23). Tomb Treasures of the Late Middle Kingdom: The Archaeology of Female Burials. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN   978-0-8122-4567-7.
  4. Biri Fay: The Louvre Sphinx and Royal Sculpture from the Reign of Amenemhat II, von Zabern, Mainz 1996, ISBN   3-8053-1760-3, p. 46
  5. Dorothea Arnold: The Fragmented Head of a Queen Wearing the Vulture Headdress. In: E. Czerny, I. Hein, H. Hunger, D. Melman, A. Schwab (editors): Timelines, Studies in Honour of Manfred Bietak. Leuven, Paris, Dudley 2006, ISBN   90-429-1730-X, p. 47, note 3.