Egyptian nomarch
Khnumhotep I
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Entrance_of_the_tomb_of_Khnumhotep_I.jpg/220px-Entrance_of_the_tomb_of_Khnumhotep_I.jpg) Entrance to tomb of Khnumhotep I BH14 at Beni Hasan (c. 1890)
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Successor
| Nakht
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Dynasty
| 12th Dynasty
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Pharaoh
| Amenemhat I
|
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Father
| Unknown
|
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Mother
| Baqet
|
---|
Wife
| Zatipy
|
---|
Children
| Nakht, Baqet
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Burial
| Beni Hasan
tomb 14 (BH14)
|
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Khnumhotep I
(
?nmw-?tp, "
Khnum
is pleased"
) was an
ancient Egyptian
Great Chief
of the
Oryx nome
(the 16th nome of
Upper Egypt
) during the reign of
Pharaoh
Amenemhat I
of the
12th Dynasty
,
Middle Kingdom
(early 20th century BCE).
Biography
[
edit
]
Khnumhotep I is the earliest known member of a powerful family of nomarchs and officials, housed in
Men'at Khufu
, which lasted for most of the 12th Dynasty; many of Khnumhotep's descendants were named after him, the most notable of them being his grandson
Khnumhotep II
, well known for his tomb's remarkable decorations. Some biographical information about Khnumhotep I came from his tomb at
Beni Hasan
(BH14) as well as from that of his grandson Khnumhotep II (BH3).
[1]
A Libyan
[2]
or Kushite
[3]
woman with her baby, depicted in Khnumhotep I's tomb
Khnumhotep's mother was a lady called Baqet whilst his father's name is unknown. His family apparently replaced an earlier family of nomarchs who were active at Men'at Khufu during the second part of the
11th Dynasty
, whose members were usually named Khety or Baqet (a prominent member of this family was
Baqet III
).
[4]
[5]
From the inscriptions in Khnumhotep's tomb is known that early in his career he accompanied Amenemhat I in a military expedition aimed to expel a foe from Egypt. The name of this enemy is deliberately omitted in order to prevent his unintended “immortality”, but was undoubtedly one of Amenemhat's rivals for the crown, possibly
Segerseni
.
[6]
Ultimately, Amenemhat emerged victorious over “
Nubians
and Asiatics” and Khnumhotep was rewarded for his loyalty with the title
count of Men'at Khufu
.
[1]
[5]
Khnumhotep I later was granted other titles such as
great lord of the Oryx nome, hereditary prince and count, wearer of the royal seal, sole companion
, and was also in charge of an important office at
Nekhen
.
[1]
He married a woman named
Zatipy
who was his main wife. Lesser wives were Herit and Heryib. From a fourth wife, the name is not preserved.
[7]
After Khunmhotep's death, his titles passed to his son Nakht, then to a seemingly unrelated man called
Amenemhat
and then again to one of his relatives, Netjernakht. Khnumhotep I also had a daughter, Baqet, herself mother of the aforementioned Khnumhotep II who inherited the title of nomarch after Netjernakht.
[4]
See "
Nomarchs of the Oryx nome
" for further notes about his genealogy.
Tomb BH14
[
edit
]
His tomb (no. 14) at Beni Hasan consists of a single rock cut offering chapel with two columns. The columns are gone by now. The walls of the chapel are painted although the paintings are today heavily faded. Within the chapel there are two shafts leading down to burial chambers, only one of them was finished.
[8]
The west wall of the offering chapel, south of the entrance shows a long biographical inscription that is an important historical document. Under the inscription Khnumhotep I is shown on a boat hunting in the marshes.
[9]
North of the entrance on the same wall is a
false door
and the family of Khnumhotep I is depicted. Especially the scene with the family members is much faded so that not all names are preserved.
[10]
The North wall shows Khnumhotep I and his wife Zatipy standing in front of an offering table. In front of them in five registers are workmen at different tasks. In the top register a desert hunt is shown.
[11]
On the same wall, Khumhotep I is again shown watching men working in the marshes.
[12]
The east wall is fully dedicated to battle scenes. There is shown a siege of a fortress or town. There are fighting soldiers and wrestlers.
[13]
The South wall is not well preserved and shows once Khnunhotep sitting and watching people and work as well as musicians playing music for him. A second time he is standing and is watching peasants working in the marshes.
[14]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Breasted, §§. 463-65.
- ^
Percy Newberry,
Beni hasan. Part I
, London 1893, pp. 85 & 204.
- ^
Gaston Maspero,
History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria - Volume II
. 1903, p. 354.
- ^
a
b
Grajetzki, p. 136.
- ^
a
b
Grajetzki, pp. 113-14.
- ^
Nicolas Grimal
,
A History of Ancient Egypt
, Oxford, Blackwell Books, 1992, p. 158?60.
- ^
Lashien, Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, p. 14
- ^
Lashien, Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, p. 20-21
- ^
Lashien, Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, pl. 67
- ^
Lashien, Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, pl. 68
- ^
Lashien, Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, pl. 71
- ^
Miral Lashien, Anna-Latifa Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, pl. 62
- ^
Lashien, Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, pls. 74-75
- ^
Lashien, Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, pl. 77-78
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- James Henry Breasted
,
Ancient Records of Egypt, Volume I, The First to the Seventeenth Dynasties
, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1906?1907,
Available online
.
- Wolfram Grajetzki
,
Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom
, London 2009.
- Miral Lashien, Anna-Latifa Mouradː
Beni Hassan, Volume V, The Tomb of Khnumhotep I
, Oxford 2019
ISBN
978-0-85668-842-3
- Percy Newberry
,
Beni Hasan. Part 1
. London, England: Kegan Paul, Trench, Tubner & Co., Ltd., 1893.
Available online
.