Nehsi was an official at the court of the ancient Egyptian

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...

Hatshepsut Hatshepsut (; also Hatchepsut; Egyptian: '' ḥꜣt- špswt'' "Foremost of Noble Ladies"; or Hatasu c. 1507–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the second historically confirmed female pharaoh, af ...

. He appears to have been of

Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...

n descent–nehsi (nHs.j) meaning He of Nubia–and held a number of important official positions, such as Wearer of the Royal Seal and chief treasurer. He is depicted in the "Punt Reliefs" in the temple of

Deir el-Bahri Deir el-Bahari or Dayr al-Bahri ( ar, الدير البحري, al-Dayr al-Baḥrī, the Monastery of the North) is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt. This is a part of ...

where he is described as having been responsible for dispatching Hatshepsut's expedition to Punt. This has been interpreted by some as his having led the expedition from beginning to end. The expeditionary force comprised five ships, each seventy feet long, accommodating 210 men including sailors and 30 rowers. Among the company were people who made records of the fauna, flora and the inhabitants of Punt, spiritual forebears of the Napoleonic scientists who wrote their ''Déscriptions'' of Egypt. Nehsi was buried in Saqqara, where he had a rock cut tomb.Alain Zivie: ''Un chancelier nommé Nehesy''. In: ''Mélanges Adolphe Gutbub'', Montpellier 1984, p. 245–252; Alain Zivie: ''Les tombeaux retrouvés de Saqqara''. 2003, S. 22

References

Ancient Egyptian treasurers Explorers of Africa Egyptian explorers {{AncientEgypt-bio-stub

See also

References