Ankhhaf was an Egyptian prince and served as an overseer during the reign of the Pharaoh

Khufu Khufu or Cheops was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom period ( 26th century BC). Khufu succeeded his father Sneferu as king. He is generally accepted as having c ...

, who is thought to have been Ankhhaf's half-brother. One of Ankhaf's titles is also as a vizier, but it is unknown which pharaoh he would have held this title under. He lived during Egypt's

4th Dynasty The Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty IV) is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Dynasty IV lasted from to 2494 BC. It was a time of peace and prosperity as well as one during which trade with other ...

(''c.'' 2613 to ''c.'' 2494 BC).

Family

Ankhhaf was likely a son of the pharaoh

Sneferu Sneferu ( snfr-wj "He has perfected me", from ''Ḥr-nb-mꜣꜥt-snfr-wj'' "Horus, Lord of Maat, has perfected me", also read Snefru or Snofru), well known under his Hellenized name Soris ( grc-koi, Σῶρις by Manetho), was the founding phar ...

and an unknown wife. Ankhhaf's tomb in Giza (G 7510) depicts his sister-wife

Princess Hetepheres Princess Hetepheres (or Hetepheres A) was an Egyptian princess who lived during the 4th Dynasty. Hetepheres was the daughter of King Sneferu and the wife of vizier Ankhhaf. Biography Princess Hetepheres A was a daughter of Pharaoh Sneferu and ...

. Hetepheres is thought to have been the eldest daughter of Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I and thus Ankhhaf's half-sister. Hetepheres had the titles "eldest king's daughter of his body", "the one whom he loves" (''sat nswt n khtf smst mrt.f'') and "Priestess of Sneferu" (''hmt-nTr Snfrw'').Laurel Flentye, ''The Mastabas of Ankh-haf (G7510) and Akhethetep and Meretites (G7650) in the Eastern Cemetery at Giza: A Reassessment'' in Essays in Honor of David B. O'Connor, pp. 291-308 Ankhhaf and Hetepheres had a daughter, who was the mother of their grandson Ankhetef.Reisner, George A., and William Stevenson Smith. ''A History of the Giza Necropolis. Vol. 2, The Tomb of Hetep-Heres the Mother of Cheops: A Study of Egyptian Civilization in the Old Kingdom.'' Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1955. pp 1-12 (The family and general background of Hetepheres I)

Career

Ankhhaf had the titles "eldest king's son of his body" ('' sa nswt n khtf smsw''), "

vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called '' katib'' (secretary), who was ...

" and "the great one of Five of the house of

Thoth Thoth (; from grc-koi, Θώθ ''Thṓth'', borrowed from cop, Ⲑⲱⲟⲩⲧ ''Thōout'', Egyptian: ', the reflex of " eis like the Ibis") is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or ...

" ('' wr djw pr-

Djehuti Sekhemre Sementawy Djehuti (also Djehuty and other variants) was possibly the second king of the Theban 16th Dynasty reigning over parts of Upper Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period. Alternatively, he may be a king of the late 13th Dyna ...

''). Ankhhaf is thought to have been involved with the building of the

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient Worl ...

and likely played a role in the construction of the

Sphinx A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...

. In 2013 a collection of papyri fragments, the

Diary of Merer The Diary of Merer (also known as ''Papyrus Jarf'') is the name for papyrus logbooks written over 4,500 years ago by Merer, a middle ranking official with the title ''inspector'' (''sHD''). They are the oldest known papyri with text, dating to the ...

, was discovered at the ancient Harbor of Khufu at

Wadi al-Jarf Wadi al-Jarf ( ar, وادي الجرف) is the present name for an area on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, south of Suez, that is the site of the oldest known artificial harbour in the world, developed about 4500 years ago. It is located at the mout ...

. The logs from an inspector named Merer appear to date from the 27th year of Khufu's reign and record months worth of operations transporting limestone from Tura to Giza. The records refer to an administrative center named ''Ro-She Khufu'' which was under the authority of the Vizier Ankhhaf. According to Egyptologist Pierre Tallet, this would place him in charge of the construction of the pyramid towards the end of the project. Though the diary does not specify, Tallet believes the operations refer to the delivery of the Tura

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

used for the casing. In the papyrus Ankhkhaf is called ''nobleman'' (''iry-pat'') and ''overseer of Ra-shi-Khufu''. The latter place was the harbor at Giza where the stones for the pyramid building arrived.

Tomb

Ankhaf's mastaba tomb, G 7510, was one of the largest in the eastern cemetery at Giza. The tomb was dated to the reign of Khafre by Reisner. More recently a study of the architecture, iconography and titles of the occupants has led to a reassessment and the tomb likely spans the reigns of Khufu,

Djedefre Djedefre (also known as Djedefra and Radjedef – Modern Greek: ) was an ancient Egyptian king (pharaoh) of the 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He is well known by the Hellenized form of his name Rhatoisēs (Ῥατοίσης) by Manetho. D ...

and Khafre. A superb and realistic painted

portrait

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

of Ankhhaf discovered in his tomb is considered the work "of a master" of

ancient Egyptian art Ancient Egyptian art refers to art produced in ancient Egypt between the 6th millennium BC and the 4th century AD, spanning from Prehistoric Egypt until the Christianization of Roman Egypt. It includes paintings, sculptu ...

from the time of the

Old Kingdom In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700–2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth ...

, and can be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.Berman, Lawrence, Freed, Rita E., and Doxey, Denise. Arts of Ancient Egypt. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. 2003. p.78. . Its catalog number is Museum Expedition 27.442.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ankhhaf Viziers of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt Princes of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt Sneferu Khufu