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*The original, paper version of this page in “Chapter 16: The Royal Family of Dynasty Four” can be found in archival box L01 in the Egyptian Section archives of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Details

  • Classification
    Documentation-Unpublished manuscripts
  • Department
    Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
  • Credit Line
    Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
  • Date
    about 1934—1942
  • Mentioned on page
    Selim Hassan (Bey), Egyptian, 1886–1961
    Ankhmare (G 8460)
    Hemetre (G 8464)
    Kadjeded (Service tomb 1)
    Khafre
    Khamerernebty [II] (G 8978 & G III-a)
    Khuenre (MQ 1)
    Khufu
    Menkaure
    Merkhufu (Service tomb 6)
    Nikauhor (Service tomb 11)
    Sekhemkare (G 8154)
    Shepseskaf
    Userkaf
  • Author
    George Andrew Reisner, American, 1867–1942

Tombs and Monuments 4

People 15

Ancient People

  • Ankhmare (G 8460)

    • Type Mentioned on page
  • Hemetre (G 8464)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Father probably Khafre
  • Kadjeded (Service tomb 1)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Owner(?) of Service tomb 1. Red granite chapel entrance drum lintel inscribed for Kadjeded, identified as [sA nswt n Xt=f] king's son of his body; found fallen in entrance of Service tomb 1.
  • Khafre

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Fourth king of Dynasty 4. Son of Khufu. Builder of the Second Pyramid at Giza and probably of the Great Sphinx as well. Known two thousand years later by the Greeks as King Khephren. A number of diorite and greywacke statues and statue fragments depicting the king have been discovered in Khafre's valley temple, including Cairo CG 9-17. The fragmentary head of an alabaster royal statue (MFA 21.351 + MFA 33.1113) is attributed to Khafre.
  • Khamerernebty [II] (G 8978 & G III-a)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Wife of Menkaure, daughter of Khafre and Khamerernebty [I]. Identified on entrance lintel as [sAt nswt nt Xt=f Hmt nswt mAAt Hr StX] king's daughter of his body, king's wife, seer of Horus and Seth; found above entrance to G 8978, possibly not in situ. Two uninscribed statues: one fragmentary wearing pleated robe (JE 48828), the other seated (JE 48856), probably represent Khamerernebty II (or possibly her mother Khamerernebty I); JE 48828 found in serdab ("room B") of G 8978, JE 48856 found in pillared outer hall ("room C") of G 8978. Mother ([mwt=f] his mother) of Khuenre (owner of MQ 1). Appears in chapel relief, south wall (seated before her son), identified as [mAAt Hr StX wrt Hts xrpt sSmtjw SnDt Hmt nswt sAt nswt smswt] seer of Horus and Seth, great one of the hetes-scepter, directress of the butchers of the "Acacia House," king's wife, king's eldest daughter; in situ in Menkaure quarry cemetery MQ 1 = MQ 137. Also mentioned on entrance lintel of Washptah (owner of G 8976), identified as [sAt smswt nswt nt Xt=f mAAt Hr StX wrt Hts Hmt nswt] king's eldest daughter of his body, seer of Horus and Seth, great one of the hetes-scepter, king's wife; in situ in G 8976.
  • Khuenre (MQ 1)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Owner of MQ 1. Son of Menkaure and Khamerernebty [II]. Appears in chapel relief, west wall (unnamed), east and south walls (depicted as young naked boy standing in front of his seated mother Khamerernebti on south wall), identified as [sA nswt smsw n Xt=f xrj-sStA n jt=f smr watj n jt=f] king's eldest son of his body, secretary of his father, sole companion of his father; in situ in Menkaure quarry cemetery MQ 1 = MQ 137. Limestone seated scribe statue (13-1-560 = MFA 13.3140) inscribed for Khuenre; found in Menkaure quarry cemetery MQ 1 = MQ 137.
  • Khufu

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Second king of Dynasty 4, son of Snefru. Builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Known two thousand years later by the Greeks as King Cheops. Horus name: [mDdw] Medjedu. Full birth-name: Khnum-Khufu.
  • Menkaure

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Fifth king of Dynasty 4. Son of Khafre. Husband of Khamerernebti II. Builder of the Third Pyramid at Giza. Known two thousand years later by the Greeks as King Mycerinus.
  • Merkhufu (Service tomb 6)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Owner of Service tomb 6. Chapel entrance lintel, drum lintel, and facade inscribed for Merkhufu, identified as [jmj-r jdw n Hwt aAt Hm-nTr xafra Hm-nTr mnkAwra wab-nswt rx nswt jmj-r st] overseer of young men of the Great Estate, priest of Khafre, priest of Menkaure, royal wab-priest, royal acquaintance, overseer of a department; in situ in Service tomb 6. Architrave and false door (south false door) on W wall (because of tomb orientation actually NW wall) of chapel inscribed for Merkhufu, identified as [sHD wabw mwt nswt jmj-r jdw n Hwt aAt rx nswt jmj-r st Hm-nTr xafra Hm-nTr mnkAwra] inspector of wab-priests of the king's mother, overseer of young men of the Great Estate, royal acquaintance, overseer of a department, priest of Khafre, priest of Menkaure; in situ in Service tomb 6.
  • Nikauhor (Service tomb 11)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Owner (along with Ankhwedjes) of Service tomb 11. False door inscribed for Nikauhor, identified as [rx nswt sHD wabw jmj-r qbHw-SpsskAf] royal acquaintance, inspector of wab-priests, overseer of the pyramid of Shepseskaf; in situ in Service tomb 11.
  • Sekhemkare (G 8154)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Owner of G 8154 (Lepsius 89). Entrance door jambs, right-hand reveal and drum inscribed for Sekhemkare, identified as [sA nswt n Xt=f jrj-pat hAtj-a jmj js xtmw-bjtj Xrj-Hb Hrj-tp n jt=f smr watj Hrj-sStA n pr-dwAt aA dwAw Hrj-sStA n jt=f] king's son of his body, hereditary prince, count, councillor, sealer of the king of Lower Egypt, chief lector-priest of his father, sole companion, secretary of the House of Morning, assistant of (the god) Duau, secretary of his father; in situ in G 8154. Appears seated with his mother on western wall and seated with his wife on eastern wall of room a-1, identified as [tAjtj sAb TAtj] chief justice and vizier; in situ in G 8154. Also appears seated with his mother on eastern wall of room a-2, identified as [xrp aH] director of the palace; in situ in G 8154. Western wall of room a-2 inscribed for Sekhemkare, identified as [Xrj-Hb Hrj-tp xrp sSw mDAt nt (jt=f) smr watj n jt=f wt jnpw] chief lector-priest, director of scribes of the documents of (his father), sole companion of his father, embalmer of Anubis; in situ in G 8154. Northern wall of room a-2 inscribed for Sekhemkare, identified as [jmAx xr jt=f nswt xr nTr aA xr nswt-bjtj xafra xr nswt-bjtj mnkAwra xr nswt-bjtj SpsskAf xr nswt-bjtj wsrkAf xr nswt-bjtj sAHwra] revered before his father the king, before the Great God, before the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Khafre, before the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Menkaure, before the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Shepseskaf, before the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Userkaf, before the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Sahure; in situ in G 8154.
  • Shepseskaf

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks Last king of Dynasty 4. Son of Menkaure. Horus name: [SpsXt] Shepseskhet.
  • Userkaf

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Remarks First king of Dynasty 5. Horus name: [jrjmAat] Irymaat.

Modern People

  • George Andrew Reisner

    • Type Author
    • Nationality & Dates American, 1867–1942
    • Remarks Egyptologist, archaeologist; Referred to as "the doctor" and "mudir" (Arabic for "director") in the excavation records. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.
  • Selim Hassan (Bey)

    • Type Mentioned on page
    • Nationality & Dates Egyptian, 1886–1961
    • Remarks Egyptologist; Sub Director General. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology. (1886-1961) Egyptian Egyptologist; born Mit-Nagi, 15 April 1886, he studied at the Higher Teacher's College, Cairo under Kamal (q.v.); in 1912 he became a teacher and in 1921 obtained a post in the Egyptian Museum as assistant keeper; he studied in Paris 1923-7 at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes; he was the first Egyptian to be appointed as a Professor of Egyptology in the Universitv of Cairo, 1928 - 36; he was later made Deputy Director of the Egyptian Antiquities Service responsible for the care of all monuments in the Nile valley, 1936-39; Ph.D. Vienna University, 1935; stimulated by the archaeological work of P. E. Newberry (q.v.) and Junker (q.v.)he began an active career in excavations with the clearance of some of the Giza mastabas in 1929; the excavations carried on by him in this necropolis continued until 1939 by which time a great deal of digging had been achieved, published in 10 parts; he also cleared the Sphinx and its temple, for the first time completely digging out the great amphitheatre around it and ensuring that it would not be buried by send again so easily; he wrote a study on this work and on the temple of Amenhotep II here; in addition the so-called Fourth Pyramid or the palace-façade tomb of Queen Khent-kawes of the Fourth Dynasty was investigated and also the funerary town of the priests associated with it; he later worked on the Unas causeway at Saqqara and at the valley temple of this king, discovering some of the mastabas in this area and two great subterranean tombs dated to the Second Dynasty; his final excavations at Giza were carried out on the east and south faces of the Great Pyramid and at the mortuary temple of King Khufu, 1938-9; he also took part in the campaign to save the monments of Nubia, and wrote a report on this subject; he published about 53 books and articles on Egyptological subjects in English, French, and Arabic, Hymnes religieux du Moyen Empire, 1928; Le Poème dit de Pentaour et Le rapport officiel sur la bataiILe de Qadesh , 1929; Excavations at Giza, 10 pts., 1929-60; The Sphinx. Its History in the Light of recent Excavations, 1949; Report on the Monunents of Nubia,1955Excavations at Saqqara 1937-8, 3 vols., 1975; in Arabic Literature of Ancient Egpt, 2 vols.; Ancient Egypt from Prehistoric Times to the Age of Rameses 11, 6 vols.; he died in Giza, 30 Sept. 1961. AfO 20 (1963), 310 (H. Brunner); Archaeology 14, no, 4 (1961, 293; ASAE 58 (1964), 61- 84 (bibl.) (Dia Abou-Ghazi); Orientalia 31 (1962), 271; Goettinger Miszellen 76 (1984), 78-80; Reid, JAOS 105 (1985), 237, 241-44.