Henutsen is the name of an ancient Egyptian queen consort who lived and ruled during the 4th dynasty of the Old Kingdom Period. She was the second or third wife of

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 an ...

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 co ...

and most possibly buried at

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...

Identity

Life

Little is known about Henutsen's life. Some scholars believe, that she was the daughter of 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 ...

, but this is not commonly accepted. Henutsen is not known to have ever borne the title "king's daughter" or "king's bodily daughter", both titles which would have unmistakably designated her as a princess. The only document describing her as a princess is the famous

Inventory Stela The Inventory Stela (also known as Stela of Khufu's Daughter) is an ancient Egyptian commemorative tablet dating to the 26th Dynasty (c. 670 BC). It was found in Giza during the 19th century. The stela presents a list of 22 divine statues owned b ...

from 26th Dynasty (

Saite Period The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVI, alternatively 26th Dynasty or Dynasty 26) dynasty was the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC (although others followed). The dynasty's reign (664–525 ...

). The artifact is identified by scholars as a contemporary fake created by Saitic priests, thus the information about Henutsen's royal status as a princess are questioned.Peter Jánosi: ''Die Pyramidenanlagen der Königinnen'' (= ''Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften'', volume 13). Vienna 1996, , p. 11, 125. The only royal title that is proven for her is the title of a "king's wife".Zahi A. Hawass: ''Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders''. Doubleday, New York 2006, , p. 91-96.

Children

Henutsen is known to have given birth to at least two princes, Khufukhaf and

Minkhaf Minkhaf I was an ancient Egyptian prince of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, 4th Dynasty. He was a son of Pharaoh Khufu, half-brother of Pharaoh Djedefre and elder brother of Pharaoh Khafre., p. 60 His mother may have been Queen Henutsen.Porter, Bert ...

. In case that Khufukhaf was not identical to king

Khafre Khafre (also read as Khafra and gr, Χεφρήν Khephren or Chephren) was an ancient Egyptian King (pharaoh) of the 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He was the son of Khufu and the successor of Djedefre. According to the ancient historia ...

, Henutsen was Khafre's mother, too. All her sons are buried at Giza. The

mastaba A mastaba (, or ), also mastabah, mastabat or pr- djt (meaning "house of stability", " house of eternity" or "eternal house" in Ancient Egyptian), is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inwar ...

tomb of Khufukhaf was partially destroyed during the Middle Kingdom Period in attempt to make place for a temple of the goddess

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

Burial

Henutsen was most possibly interred in

Pyramid G1-c G1-c is one of the subsidiary pyramids of the Giza East Field of the Giza Necropolis immediately to the eastern side of the Great Pyramid of Giza, built during the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt. It is the southern of the three pyramids of the queens ...

. Egyptologists believe that this pyramid was originally not part of Khufu's pyramid complex, but later added, as its southern side is not aligned with that of the

Great Pyramid 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 World ...

. In fact, the pyramid's southern side is aligned with Khufukhaf's

tomb nearby.

Rainer Stadelmann Dr. Rainer Stadelmann (24 October 1933 – 14 January 2019) was a German Egyptologist. He was considered an expert on the archaeology of the Giza Plateau. Biography After studying in Neuburg an der Donau in 1933, he studied Egyptology, orienta ...

additionally believes that prince Khufukhaf was identical to king Khafre and that Khafre erected G1-c as the tomb for his (now royal) mother.Miroslav Verner: ''The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments''. Grove Press, New York 2007, , page 212. Pyramid G1-c was long time thought to be a satellite pyramid, because it did not come with a boat pit, as it was the case for the pyramids

Pyramid G1-a G1-a is one of the subsidiary pyramids of the Giza East Field of the Giza Necropolis, located immediately to the eastern side of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built during the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt. The tomb is the northernmost of the thr ...

and

Pyramid G1-b G1-b is one of the subsidiary pyramids of the Giza East Field of the Giza Necropolis immediately to the eastern side of the Great Pyramid of Giza, built during the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt. It is the central of the three pyramids of the queens, ...

. G1-c was later identified as an unfinished pyramid which was constructed in a hurry.Zahi Hawass: ''The Discovery of the Satellite Pyramid of Khufu (G1-d).'' In: Peter Der Manuelian: ''Studies in Honor of William Kelly Simpson, Vol. 1''. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1996, pp. 379-398.

References

External links

Pyramid ''G1-c'' (Henutsen's burial), photography and short info at ''egyptphoto.ncf.ca''
(English) {{Authority control Queens consort of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt 26th-century BC Egyptian people 26th-century BC women Khufu Sneferu