Haankhef was the father of the ancient Egyptian kings

Neferhotep I Khasekhemre Neferhotep I was an Egyptian pharaoh of the mid Thirteenth Dynasty ruling in the second half of the 18th century BC K.S.B. Ryholt: ''The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, c.1800–1550 BC'', Carst ...

Sihathor Menwadjre Sihathor was an ephemeral ruler of the 13th Dynasty during the late Middle Kingdom. Sihathor may never have enjoyed an independent reign, possibly only ruling for a few months as a coregent with his brother Neferhotep I. According to E ...

, and

Sobekhotep IV Khaneferre Sobekhotep IV was one of the more powerful Egyptian kings of the 13th Dynasty (c. 1803 BC to c. 1649 BC), who reigned at least eight years. His brothers, Neferhotep I and Sihathor, were his predecessors on the throne, the latter having ...

, who successively ruled

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

during the second half of the 18th century BC as kings of the

13th Dynasty In music or music theory, a thirteenth is the note thirteen scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the thirteenth. The interval can be also described as a compound sixth, spanning an octave p ...

Attestations

Haankhef is known from a number of monuments all of which are connected to his royal sons. On his monuments Haankhef bears the titles "''Royal Sealer''" and "''God's Father''". Both titles were given to him after his sons became kings and it is consequently unknown what position he held before these events. "God's father" is a title often given to the non-royal parents of a king and Haankhef's father Nehy is indeed known to have been a simple "''officer of the town regiment''" in Thebes. Similarly Haankhef's mother Senebtysy only held the common title of "''Lady of the House''". This indicates that Haankhef belonged to a rather middle level family of military officials. K.S.B. Ryholt, ''The Political Situation in Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, c.1800–1550 BC'', Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications, vol. 20. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1997, p. 225 What role this background played in the accession of Neferhotep I to the throne is unknown. Haankhef is one of only two fathers of a pharaoh to be mentioned on the

Turin canon The Turin King List, also known as the Turin Royal Canon, is an ancient Egyptian hieratic papyrus thought to date from the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, now in the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) in Turin. The papyrus is the most extensive list av ...

, a king list redacted during the early Ramesside era. The reason for this rare privilege is uncertain, it may be connected to his two royal sons who were later considered as the greatest kings of the 13th Dynasty in an otherwise shaky period for Egypt.

Family

The wife of Haankhef is known to have been named Kemi thanks to several sources, in particular rock inscriptions made by Neferhotep I on Sehel Island, Konosso and

Philae ; ar, فيلة; cop, ⲡⲓⲗⲁⲕ , alternate_name = , image = File:File, Asuán, Egipto, 2022-04-01, DD 93.jpg , alt = , caption = The temple of Isis from Philae at its current location on Agilkia Island in Lake Nasse ...

. In these inscriptions, Kemi is often named together with Haankhef although there are also a number of

scaraboid seal Scarabs were popular amulets and impression seals in ancient Egypt. They survive in large numbers and, through their inscriptions and typology, are an important source of information for archaeologists and historians of the ancient world. They ...

s naming her and her son without any mention of Haankhef. A stela of Neferhotep I from Abydos indicates that she was already dead by the second regnal year of her eldest son. Haankhef grandson by Neferhotep I was also named Haankhef, possibly in his honour.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haankhef Officials of the Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt 18th-century BC Egyptian people Ancient Egyptian god's fathers Ancient Egyptian royal sealers