Rekhetre
Encyclopedia
Rekhetre was an ancient Egypt
ian queen from the late 4th dynasty
or early 5th dynasty
. She was a daughter of Pharaoh Khafra
. Her husband is never mentioned, but Rekhetre would have been the wife of one of Khafre's successors, possibly Menkaure.
and Set
, Great one of the hetes sceptre and a King's wife. In the tomb of her ka-servant Kaemnefret she is referred to as a daughter of Khafra
.
which is part of the Giza Necropolis.
The tomb has a long passage which takes a 90 degree turn to the left and via an entrance leads to a shorter passage. A sharp turn to the right leads to a chapel. In one corner a niche was created and on the other side three pillars mark the passage to a side room. From that side room a sloping passage leads to a burial chamber containing a sarcophagus. The sarcophagus was empty. The leg bones of a bull were found on top of the sarcophagus, and human bones were found besides the sarcophagus. These human remains may be those of Rekhetre herself. A recess had been cut in one of the walls to hold the canopic jars, but these had disappeared.
Several items were found in the debris from the floor of the burial chamber. These include several small alabaster vases, a lid of a canopic jar, and an alabaster fragment containing the image of a woman seated on a chair. Further fragments of the canopic jars were found in the chapel area and the forecourt of the tomb.
Kaemnefret was a overseer of ka-priests of the funerary estate, and senior of the dockyard of neheb-boats. He was also a ka-servant of Rekhetre.
Kaemnefret is shown standing before Rekhetre in two matching scenes on the door jambs. She is shown holding a lotus flower to her nose with her left hand. She is dressed in a simple long dress and has a long tripartite wig. She wears bracelets, anklets, and a necklace. Kaemnefret is shown at a smaller scale before the queen and is holding a censer in his hands. In a register below this scene four ka-servants are depicted: Ptahsheri carries a ewer and a basin, Ihy carries a live goose, followed by Iynefer who is holding a duck in each hand, and then Ptahwer who carries another live goose. All men are apparently wearing their kilts backwards. The matching scene on the other jamb is very similar. The ka-servants in the lower register are shown carrying legs of a bull and another goose.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian queen from the late 4th dynasty
Fourth dynasty of Egypt
The fourth dynasty of ancient Egypt is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom. Dynasty IV lasted from ca. 2613 to 2494 BC...
or early 5th dynasty
Fifth dynasty of Egypt
The fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and VI under the group title the Old Kingdom. Dynasty V dates approximately from 2494 to 2345 BC.-Rulers:...
. She was a daughter of Pharaoh Khafra
Khafra
Khafra — also Khafre — was an Egyptian pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty, who had his capital at Memphis. According to some authors he was the son and successor of Khufu, but it is more commonly accepted that Djedefre was Khufu's successor and Khafra was Djedefre's...
. Her husband is never mentioned, but Rekhetre would have been the wife of one of Khafre's successors, possibly Menkaure.
Titles
Reketre was a King's daughter (of his body), She who sees HorusHorus
Horus is one of the oldest and most significant deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion, who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists...
and Set
Set
A set is a collection of well defined and distinct objects, considered as an object in its own right. Sets are one of the most fundamental concepts in mathematics. Developed at the end of the 19th century, set theory is now a ubiquitous part of mathematics, and can be used as a foundation from...
, Great one of the hetes sceptre and a King's wife. In the tomb of her ka-servant Kaemnefret she is referred to as a daughter of Khafra
Khafra
Khafra — also Khafre — was an Egyptian pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty, who had his capital at Memphis. According to some authors he was the son and successor of Khufu, but it is more commonly accepted that Djedefre was Khufu's successor and Khafra was Djedefre's...
.
Tomb
Rekhetre's tomb was excavated in 1934-35 by Selim Hassan. The tomb was first just known as the tomb of Rekhit-Ra, but was later given the number G 8530. The tomb is located in the Central FieldCentral Field, Giza
The Central Field is located to the east of Khafre's causeway and extends to the pyramid town of Queen Khentkaus I. One of the main excavators of the central field is Selim Hassan. The central field is located at the site of some large stone quarries that provided the stones for the construction of...
which is part of the Giza Necropolis.
The tomb has a long passage which takes a 90 degree turn to the left and via an entrance leads to a shorter passage. A sharp turn to the right leads to a chapel. In one corner a niche was created and on the other side three pillars mark the passage to a side room. From that side room a sloping passage leads to a burial chamber containing a sarcophagus. The sarcophagus was empty. The leg bones of a bull were found on top of the sarcophagus, and human bones were found besides the sarcophagus. These human remains may be those of Rekhetre herself. A recess had been cut in one of the walls to hold the canopic jars, but these had disappeared.
Several items were found in the debris from the floor of the burial chamber. These include several small alabaster vases, a lid of a canopic jar, and an alabaster fragment containing the image of a woman seated on a chair. Further fragments of the canopic jars were found in the chapel area and the forecourt of the tomb.
Tomb of Kaemnefert
The family tomb G 8538 belongs to Kaemnefert, Irenakhet Iri and Kakaiankh.Kaemnefret was a overseer of ka-priests of the funerary estate, and senior of the dockyard of neheb-boats. He was also a ka-servant of Rekhetre.
Kaemnefret is shown standing before Rekhetre in two matching scenes on the door jambs. She is shown holding a lotus flower to her nose with her left hand. She is dressed in a simple long dress and has a long tripartite wig. She wears bracelets, anklets, and a necklace. Kaemnefret is shown at a smaller scale before the queen and is holding a censer in his hands. In a register below this scene four ka-servants are depicted: Ptahsheri carries a ewer and a basin, Ihy carries a live goose, followed by Iynefer who is holding a duck in each hand, and then Ptahwer who carries another live goose. All men are apparently wearing their kilts backwards. The matching scene on the other jamb is very similar. The ka-servants in the lower register are shown carrying legs of a bull and another goose.