Mentuhotep was an ancient Egyptian official and

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

under the

12th Dynasty The Twelfth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty XII) is considered to be the apex of the Middle Kingdom by Egyptologists. It often is combined with the Eleventh, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth dynasties under the group title, Middle Kingdom. Some ...

pharaoh

Senusret I Senusret I (Middle Egyptian: z-n-wsrt; /suʀ nij ˈwas.ɾiʔ/) 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 (1920 BC to 1875 BC), and was one of the mo ...

. Mentuhotep is one of the best attested officials of the Middle Kingdom period. There is a series of statues found at

Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constr ...

, showing him as a scribe. On these he has been given the title of ''overseer of all royal works'', which would suggest that he was involved in overseeing the construction of the temple at Karnak. At el-Lisht he had a large tomb next to the pyramid of Senusret I. When it was found it was badly damaged, but there are remains of high quality reliefs and fragments of statues. The burial chamber still contained two sarcophagi, one smashed and the other one well preserved, made of granite and with brightly painted interiors. In Abydos a large stele is erected in Mentuhotep's name. It is inscribed with a number of official titles, including those of

vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called '' katib'' (secretary), who was ...

. The vizier's title does not appear in the tomb of Mentuhotep. Therefore, there is some discussion as to whether he was actually a vizier or whether it was an honorific title. In year 22 of Senusret I a certain Sobekhotep is attested as treasurer. Mentuhotep must have been his successor. It is unknown whether he was still in office under Amenemhet II.

Literature

*Dieter Arnold: ''Middle Kingdom Tomb Architecture at Lisht.'' New York 2008, S. 38–50, Tafeln 62–92, *William Kelly Simpson: ''Rulers and Administrators - Dynasty 12, The Rule of the House of Itj-towy with Some Personal Reminiscences'', In: D. P. Silverman, W. K. Simpson, J. Wegner (Hrsg.): ''Archaism and Innovation: Studies in the Culture of Middle Kingdom Egypt'', New Haven, Philadelphia 2009 S. 297-300 {{ISBN, 978-0-9802065-1-7 Ancient Egyptian treasurers Officials of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian overseers of royal works