Haankhef was the father of the

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 kings

Neferhotep I Khasekhemre Neferhotep I was an Ancient Egypt, Egyptian pharaoh of the mid Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt, Thirteenth Dynasty ruling in the second half of the 18th century BCKim Ryholt, Ryholt, K.S.B: The Political Situation in Egypt During the Se ...

Sihathor Menwadjre Sihathor was an ephemeral ruler of the late 13th Dynasty during the Middle Kingdom. Sihathor may never have enjoyed an independent reign, possibly only ruling for a few months as a coregent with his brother Neferhotep I. According to ...

, and

Sobekhotep IV Khaneferre Sobekhotep IV was one of the more powerful Egyptian kings of the 13th Dynasty (c. 1803 BC to c. 1649 BC), who reigned at least eight years. His brothers, Neferhotep I and Sihathor, were his predecessors on the throne, the latter havi ...

, who successively ruled

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

during the second half of the 18th century BC as kings of the

13th Dynasty The Thirteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty XIII) was a series of rulers from approximately 1803 BC until approximately 1649 BC, i.e. for 154 years. It is often classified as the final dynasty of the Middle Kingdom (which includes ...

Biography

Haankhef is known from a number of monuments all of which are connected to his royal sons. On his monuments Haankhef bears the titles "''Royal Sealer''" and "''God's Father''". Both titles were given to him after his sons became kings and it is consequently unknown what position he held before these events. "God's father" is a title often given to the non-royal parents of a king and Haankhef's father Nehy is indeed known to have been a simple "''officer of the town regiment''" in Thebes. Similarly Haankhef's mother Senebtysy only held the common title of "''Lady of the House''". This indicates that Haankhef belonged to a rather middle level family of military officials. What role this background played in the accession of Neferhotep I to the throne is unknown. Haankhef is one of only two fathers of a pharaoh to be mentioned on the

Turin canon The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is an ancient Egyptian hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II (r. 1279–1213 BC), now in the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) in Turin. The papyrus is the m ...

, a king list redacted during the early Ramesside era. The reason for this rare privilege is uncertain, it may be connected to his two royal sons who were later considered as the greatest kings of the 13th Dynasty in an otherwise shaky period for Egypt.

Family

The wife of Haankhef is known to have been named Kemi thanks to several sources, in particular rock inscriptions made by Neferhotep I on

Sehel Island Sehel Island () is located in the Nile, about southwest of Aswan in southern Egypt. It is a large island, and is roughly halfway between the city and the upstream Aswan Low Dam. Geography Sehel Island, spanning 3/4 the width of the Nile, is th ...

, Konosso and

Philae The Philae temple complex (; , , Egyptian: ''p3-jw-rķ' or 'pA-jw-rq''; , ) is an island-based temple complex in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt. Originally, the temple complex was ...

. In these inscriptions, Kemi is often named together with Haankhef although there are also a number of

scaraboid seal Scarabs are amulets and impression seals shaped according to the eponymous beetles, which were widely popular throughout ancient Egypt. They survive in large numbers today, and through their inscriptions and typology, these artifacts prove to be a ...

s naming her and her son without any mention of Haankhef. A stela of Neferhotep I from Abydos indicates that she was already dead by the second regnal year of her eldest son. Haankhef grandson by Neferhotep I was also named Haankhef, possibly in his honour.

Attestations

Haankhef (PD 410) is known from several items. Block Rio de Janeiro 637/638 428'' provides the name of his parents. At Elephantine, a statue Aswan 1347 belonging to King's Son Sihathor (brother of King Neferhotep I) refers to the King's Mother Kemi and God's Father Haaankhef.https://pnm.uni-mainz.de/5/inscription/3372

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haankhef Officials of the Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt 18th-century BC Egyptian people Ancient Egyptian god's fathers Ancient Egyptian royal sealers