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Khenmet was an ancient Egyptian king's daughter of the
Khenmet was an ancient Egyptian king's daughter of the Twelfth 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 s ...
, around 1800 BC. She is mainly known from her unrobbed tomb containing a set of outstanding personal adornments.
Khenmet is only known from her burial next to the pyramid of Amenemhat II 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 p ...
. On the West side of the pyramid were three underground galleries with each of two tombs. Four of these tombs, including those of Khenmet as well as Ita and Itaweret
Itaweret (''Ita-the elder'') was an Ancient Egyptian king's daughter who lived in the 12th Dynasty around 1850 BC. She is known from her burial next to the pyramid of king Amenemhat II at Dahshur
DahshurAlso transliterated ''Dahshour'' (in Engli ...
were found unlooted.
Khenmet was buried in a set of three containers. There was an outer, undecorated sarcophagus, next, a wooden coffin, decorated on the outside with gold foil and on the inside with hieroglyphic texts. Finally there was an inner anthropoid coffin, that was found only badly preserved. The body of Khenmet was adorned with an array of jewellery including a broad collar, armlets, and anklets. Next to the body were found many weapons, typical for royal burials of the Middle Kingdom.
In the small chamber next to the sarcophagus were found further personal adornments. These included two crowns and parts of a necklace made in gold. The latter is most likely not an Egyptian work of art, but was perhaps produced in Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
.
The father of Khenmet is uncertain. From the position of the burial, next to the pyramid of Amenemhat II
Nubkaure Amenemhat II, also known as Amenemhet II, was the third pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Although he ruled for at least 35 years, his reign is rather obscure, as well as his family relationships.
Family
Archaeological fi ...
it seems likely that she was his daughter. Some researchers point out that the burial equipment is more typical for the late Twelfth Dynasty. The same is true for the pottery found in the burials. Dorothea Arnold: ''The Fragmented Head of a Queen Wearing the Vulture Headdress.'' In: E. Czerny, I. Hein, H. Hunger, D. Melman, A. Schwab (editors): ''Timelines, Studies in Honour of Manfred Bietak.'' Leuven, Paris, Dudley 2006, , p. 47, note 3.
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