
Ikhernofret (also Iykhernofert) was an
ancient Egyptian
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 o ...
of 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 ...
, under king
Senusret III
Khakaure Senusret III (also written as Senwosret III or the hellenised form, Sesostris III) was a pharaoh of Egypt. He ruled from 1878 BC to 1839 BC during a time of great power and prosperity, and was the fifth king of the Twelfth Dynasty of ...
until the early years of
Amenemhat III. On his monuments he bears several important titles, including ''overseer of the double treasury'', ''overseer of the double gold house'', ''royal sealer'' and his main title ''treasurer''. Ihkernofret is known from several
stelae
A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek language, Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ...
found at
Abydos Abydos may refer to:
*Abydos, a progressive metal side project of German singer Andy Kuntz
*Abydos (Hellespont), an ancient city in Mysia, Asia Minor
* Abydos (''Stargate''), name of a fictional planet in the ''Stargate'' science fiction universe
* ...
. One of these stelae contains a biography.
This stela is now in the
Egyptian Museum of Berlin
The Egyptian Museum of Berlin (german: Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung) is home to one of the world's most important collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts, including the iconic Nefertiti Bust. Since 1855, the collection is a part of ...
(Stela Berlin 1204). According to its text, Ikhernofret grew up at the royal court. When he was 26, he became ''friend'' of the king, which was most likely a special honor. However, the text of the stela is of special importance as it reports the arrangement by Ikhernofret of a festival for
Osiris
Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He ...
at Abydos.
Not much is known about the family of Ikhernofret. His mother was called Zatkhons, while his father is not mentioned on his monuments. Ikhernofret appears on several stelae and it is possible to reconstruct from there a network of people around this high official.
[Danijela Stefanović: ''The Social Network(s) of the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period Treasurers: Rehuerdjersen, Siese, Ikhernefret and Senebsumai'', in: ''Journal of Egyptian History'' 12 (2019) 270–274]
Sources
{{Reflist
External links
picture and translation of the stela
Ancient Egyptian treasurers
Officials of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt
Ancient Egyptian royal sealers