Netjernakht was 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 official known from his tomb chapel at

Beni Hasan Beni Hasan (also written as Bani Hasan, or also Beni-Hassan) () is an ancient Egyptian cemetery. It is located approximately to the south of modern-day Minya in the region known as Middle Egypt, the area between Asyut and Memphis.Baines, John ...

Middle Egypt Middle Egypt () is the section of land between Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta) and Upper Egypt, stretching upstream from Asyut in the south to Memphis, Egypt, Memphis in the north. At the time, Ancient Egypt was divided into Lower and Upper Egypt, ...

. He lived most likely in the

Twelfth Dynasty The Twelfth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty XII) is a series of rulers reigning from 1991–1802 BC (190 years), at what is often considered to be the apex of the Middle Kingdom (Dynasties XI–XIV). The dynasty periodically expanded its terr ...

. His exact date and position are disputed. Netjernakht bears in his tomb chapel different titles. He was on the one side ''overseer of the

eastern desert The Eastern Desert (known archaically as Arabia or the Arabian Desert) is the part of the Sahara Desert that is located east of the Nile River. It spans of northeastern Africa and is bordered by the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea to the east, a ...

'', but also ''mayor'' ( ḥꜣty-ꜥ) and ''overseer of the priests of

Horus Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () in Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and t ...

, smiter of the rekhyt people''. In his tomb chapel family members are depicted or mentioned. His mother was a woman called Arythotep, who was ''lady of the house'' and ''priestess of

Hathor Hathor (, , , Meroitic language, Meroitic: ') was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god R ...

in Aryt''. His wife was a woman called Herib with the titles ''lady of the house'' and ''

priestess of Hathor Priestess of Hathor or Prophetess of Hathor was the title of the Ordination of women#Ancient Egypt, Priestess of the goddess Hathor in the Temple of Dendera in Ancient Egypt. Title The title is known to be given during the Old Kingdom of Egypt, an ...

in Aryt at all her places''. His father is not mentioned in his tomb (Beni Hasan BH23) and remains unknown. In the tomb chapel there is an inscription by the governor Khnumhotep II who states that he made this tomb for ''his father'', Netjernakht. In Ancient Egyptian, ''father'' can also mean grandfather, or even great-grandfather. Therefore, the family relations between these two men and the succession of the office holders of ''overseer of the eastern desert'', but also of the ''mayor'' remains unclear. According to Abdel Ghaffar Shedid, Netjernakht was the predecessor of Khnumhotep II.A. G. Shedid (1994)ː ''Die Felsgräber von Beni Hassan in Mittelaegpten'', Mainz, von Zabern, . page 22

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Netjernakht Nomarchs Officials of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian priests