Djefatnebti (also Djefatnebty) was an

ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

. She lived at the end of the

3rd Dynasty The Third Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty III) is the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Other dynasties of the Old Kingdom include the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth. The capital during the period of the Old Kingdom was at Memphis. Overview Af ...

and may have been a wife of the last king of that dynasty,

Huni Huni (original reading unknown) was an ancient Egyptian king, the last pharaoh of the Third Dynasty of Egypt during the Old Kingdom period. Based on the Turin king list, he is commonly credited with a reign of 24 years, ending c. 2613 BC. ...

.Francesco Raffaele
Royal Women (queens, princesses) in early Egypt (Dynasty 0–3)
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Identity

Djefatnebti’s name appears in one single, black

ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. ...

inscription on an earthen beer jar, which was excavated at the eastern corner of

Elephantine Elephantine ( ; ; ; ''Elephantíne''; , ) is an island on the Nile, forming part of the city of Aswan in Upper Egypt. The archaeological site, archaeological digs on the island became a World Heritage Site in 1979, along with other examples of ...

. Altogether three inscriptions were found. The first one mentions the "year of the followers of

Horus Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () in Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and t ...

" and the foundation of a building which name is lost due to damage. The second one mentions the "year of the 2nd time of the followers of Horus" and an "11th time of counting-the-fields at Heliopolis". The third one contains the notation "The king of Upper- and Lower Egypt appears", a "3rd time of battling the robbers" and the death of Djefatnebti. Since the "counting of the fields" was performed as a

tax collection A revenue service, revenue agency or taxation authority is a government agency responsible for the intake of government revenue, including taxes and sometimes non-tax revenue. Depending on the jurisdiction, revenue services may be charged with ...

every second year, the one beer jar inscription dates into the 22nd year of rulership of the unnamed king. The death of Djefatnebti might therefore have occurred shortly before or shortly after the creation of the inscription.Silke Roth: ''Die Königsmütter des Alten Ägypten von der Frühzeit bis zum Ende der 12. Dynastie'', Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2001, , p. 385.Günter Dreyer: ''Drei archaisch-hieratische Gefässaufschriften mit Jahresnamen aus Elephantine.'' In: G. Dreyer, J. Osing (Hrsg.): ''Form und Maß - Beiträge zur Literatur, Sprache und Kunst des Alten Ägypten.'' (= Festschrift G. Fecht). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1987, p. 98-109.

Datation

The inscription assigns to Djefatnebti the female title "Weret-hetes" (meaning "the great one of the Hetes sceptre"), which was a common title for queens of the Old Kingdom period. Thus it is at least secure that Djefatnebti was a queen of the late 3rd dynasty. Egyptologist Günter Dreyer is convinced, that Djefatnebti was married to Huni, since no other king of the 3rd dynasty is proven to have ruled longer than 22 years. His theory is not commonly accepted, though, because the ink inscription doesn't mention Huni by name.

Tomb

Djefatnebti's burial is unknown.

References

{{Queens of Ancient Egypt 27th-century BC women Queens consort of the Third Dynasty of Egypt