Sennefer
Encyclopedia
The Ancient Egypt
ian noble Sennefer was "Mayor of the City" (i.e. Thebes
) and "Overseer of the Granaries and Fields, Gardens and Cattle of Amun
" during the reign of Amenhotep II
of the 18th dynasty
. Being a favourite of the king he accumulated great wealth. He was also allowed to place a double statue of himself and his wife in the temple at Karnak. The famous garden plan, often described is Sennefer's Garden, is more likely to be of a garden which Sennefer managed, and perhaps designed, than to be of a garden which Sennefer owned.
He was the son of Ahmose Humay, a male royal nurse, brother to Amenhotep II's vizier Amenemopet, and married to the royal nurse Sentnay. His elder daughter Muttuy apparently married Kenamun, who succeeded Sennefer as mayor of Thebes. His brother Amenemopet called Pairy was buried close by in TT29
.
He was buried in a small but well decorated tomb (TT96
, sometimes known as the "Tomb of the Vineyards" due to its decoration), located in the Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
district of the Theban Necropolis
opposite Luxor
in Egypt
.
However, some funerary items for Sennefer and his family have been found in KV42
, the tomb of Hatshepsut-Meryetre, so he may have re-used this tomb for his actual burial. Some containers of Sennefer and Senetnay were also discovered in KV32, the tomb of Queen Tiaa, wife of Amenhotep II and mother of Thutmose IV.
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 noble Sennefer was "Mayor of the City" (i.e. Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...
) and "Overseer of the Granaries and Fields, Gardens and Cattle of Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
" during the reign of Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II was the seventh Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns in Syria; however, he fought much less than his father, and his reign saw the effective cessation of hostilities...
of the 18th dynasty
Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt
The eighteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt...
. Being a favourite of the king he accumulated great wealth. He was also allowed to place a double statue of himself and his wife in the temple at Karnak. The famous garden plan, often described is Sennefer's Garden, is more likely to be of a garden which Sennefer managed, and perhaps designed, than to be of a garden which Sennefer owned.
He was the son of Ahmose Humay, a male royal nurse, brother to Amenhotep II's vizier Amenemopet, and married to the royal nurse Sentnay. His elder daughter Muttuy apparently married Kenamun, who succeeded Sennefer as mayor of Thebes. His brother Amenemopet called Pairy was buried close by in TT29
TT29
The Theban Tomb TT29 is located in Deir el-Medina, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. It is the burial place of the Ancient Egyptian noble Amenemopet called Pairy who was Vizier and Governor of Thebes....
.
He was buried in a small but well decorated tomb (TT96
TT96
The Theban Tomb TT96 is located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor...
, sometimes known as the "Tomb of the Vineyards" due to its decoration), located in the Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
The necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna is located on the West Bank at Thebes, Egypt.Named after the doomed tomb of the local saint. This is the most frequently visited cemetery on the Theban west bank, with the largest concentration of private tombs....
district of the Theban Necropolis
Theban Necropolis
The Theban Necropolis is an area of the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes in Egypt. It was used for ritual burials for much of Pharaonic times, especially in the New Kingdom of Egypt.-Mortuary Temples:* Deir el-Bahri** Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut...
opposite Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
However, some funerary items for Sennefer and his family have been found in KV42
KV42
Tomb KV42 is located in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. It was constructed for Hatshepsut-Meryetre, the wife of Thutmose III, but she was not buried in the tomb. It was reused by Sennefer, a mayor of Thebes during the reign of Amenhotep II, and by several members of his family...
, the tomb of Hatshepsut-Meryetre, so he may have re-used this tomb for his actual burial. Some containers of Sennefer and Senetnay were also discovered in KV32, the tomb of Queen Tiaa, wife of Amenhotep II and mother of Thutmose IV.