Neferthenut was an ancient Egyptian queen of the

Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt 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 ...

. She was most likely the wife of

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 ...

. Neferthenut was ''king’s wife'', ''member of the elite'' (iryt-pat) and ''she who sees Horus and Seth''. She is so far only known from her sarcophagus and from fragments from the chapel found next to her pyramid, which was part of the pyramid complex of Senusret III at

Dahshur DahshurAlso transliterated ''Dahshour'' (in English often called ''Dashur'' ar, دهشور ' , ''Dahchur'') is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately south of Cairo. It is known chiefly for several ...

. The position of her tomb, next to the pyramid of king Senusret III makes it highly likely that she was his wife. Dieter Arnold, who re-excavated the pyramid complex and the tomb of the queen noted the low quality of the inscription on her sarcophagus, which is in stark contrast to the sarcophagi of other royal women buried next to the pyramid. Her tomb was found robbed, only two mace heads were discovered by

Jacques de Morgan Jean-Jacques de Morgan (3 June 1857, Huisseau-sur-Cosson, Loir-et-Cher – 14 June 1924) was a French mining engineer, geologist, and archaeologist. He was the director of antiquities in Egypt during the 19th century, and excavated in Memphis ...

who excavated the tomb first in 1894. D. Arnold: ''The Pyramid Complex of Senwosret III at Dahshur, Architectural Studies'', New York 2002, pp. 61-63, pl. 119

References

{{Queens of Ancient Egypt Queens consort of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt 19th-century BC women Senusret III