Henutsen is the name of 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 ...

who lived during the 4th dynasty of the Old Kingdom Period. She was the second or third wife of

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

Khufu Khufu or Cheops (died 2566 BC) was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom period (26th century BC). Khufu succeeded his ...

and most possibly buried at

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah, Gizeh, Geeza, Jiza''; , , ' ) is the third-largest city in Egypt by area after Cairo and Alexandria; and fourth-largest city in Africa by population after Kinshasa, Lagos, and Cairo. It is the capital of ...

Identity

Life

Little is known about Henutsen's life. Some scholars believe, that she was the daughter of pharaoh

Sneferu Sneferu or Soris (c. 2600 BC) was an ancient Egyptian monarch and the first pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, during the earlier half of the Old Kingdom period (26th century BC). He introduced major innovations in the design and constructio ...

, but this is not commonly accepted. Henutsen is not known to have ever borne the title "king's daughter" or "king's bodily daughter", both titles which would have unmistakably designated her as a princess. The only document describing her as a princess is the famous Inventory Stela from the 26th Dynasty ( Saite Period). The artifact is identified by scholars as a contemporary fake created by Saitic priests, thus the information about Henutsen's royal status as a princess are questioned.Peter Jánosi: ''Die Pyramidenanlagen der Königinnen'' (= ''Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften'', volume 13). Vienna 1996, , p. 11, 125. The only royal title that is proven for her is the title of a "king's wife".Zahi A. Hawass: ''Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders''. Doubleday, New York 2006, , p. 91-96.

Children

Henutsen is known to have given birth to at least two princes, Khufukhaf and Minkhaf. In case that Khufukhaf was not identical to king Khafre, Henutsen was Khafre's mother, too. All her sons are buried at Giza. The

mastaba A mastaba ( , or ), also mastabah or mastabat) is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks or limestone. These edifices marked the burial sites ...

tomb of Khufukhaf was partially destroyed during the Middle Kingdom Period in attempt to make place for a temple of the goddess

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

Burial

Henutsen was most possibly interred in Pyramid G1-c. Egyptologists believe that this pyramid was originally not part of Khufu's pyramid complex, but later added, as its southern side is not aligned with that of the

Great Pyramid The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It served as the tomb of pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Built , over a period of about 26 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wond ...

. In fact, the pyramid's southern side is aligned with Khufukhaf's

tomb nearby.

Rainer Stadelmann Rainer Stadelmann (24 October 1933 – 14 January 2019) was a German Egyptology, Egyptologist. He was considered an expert on the archaeology of the Giza Plateau. Biography After studying in Neuburg an der Donau in 1953, he studied Egyptology, ...

additionally believes that prince Khufukhaf was identical to king Khafre and that Khafre erected G1-c as the tomb for his (now royal) mother.Miroslav Verner: ''The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments''. Grove Press, New York 2007, , page 212. Pyramid G1-c was long time thought to be a satellite pyramid, because it did not come with a boat pit, as it was the case for the pyramids Pyramid G1-a and Pyramid G1-b. G1-c was later identified as an unfinished pyramid which was constructed in a hurry.Zahi Hawass: ''The Discovery of the Satellite Pyramid of Khufu (G1-d).'' In: Peter Der Manuelian: ''Studies in Honor of William Kelly Simpson, Vol. 1''. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1996, pp. 379-398.

References

External links

Pyramid ''G1-c'' (Henutsen's burial), photography and short info at ''egyptphoto.ncf.ca''
(English) {{Authority control Queens consort of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt 26th-century BC Egyptian people 26th-century BC women Khufu Sneferu Mothers of monarchs