Khentkaus III
| Khentakawess III | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wife of the king, Mother of the king | |||||
| Reign | circa 2450 BC | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | Neferefre? | ||||
| Issue | Menkauhor Kaiu? | ||||
| Egyptian name |
Ḫnt kȝw=s | ||||
| Dynasty | Fifth | ||||
| Religion | Ancient Egyptian religion | ||||
Khentakawess III, or Khentkaus III, was an ancient Egyptian queen consort who lived during the fifth dynasty. It is possible that she was the wife of pharaoh Neferefre and the mother of pharaoh Menkauhor Kaiu.[1][2]
On January 4, 2015, the discovery of her tomb by Czech archaeologists was announced by Egyptian authorities.[1] Prior to that, according to Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh Eldamaty, there had been no knowledge of the existence of Khentakawess III. Two earlier Egyptian queens with the same name have been identified previously, however.[1][3]
Tomb
The tomb of Khentakawess III was unearthed in Abusir, where there are several tombs dedicated to pharaohs of the fourth dynasty, including Neferefre.[3] The tomb was found near Neferefre's funerary complex by a German archaeological team led by Miroslav Bárta of Charles University, Prague, with Egyptian collaboration. The name and rank of Khentakawess had been inscribed on the inner walls of the tomb, probably by the builders.[3] The reliefs in the tomb identified her both as "the wife of the king" and "the father of the king", implying her son ascended the throne.[2] Statuettes and 22 limestone utensils, along with four steel utensils (which were part of the funerary objects), also have been found in the tomb.[2] The tomb is dated to the middle of the fifth dynasty.[3]
The archaeologists who uncovered the tomb believed it to be that of Neferefre's wife, based on its location close to his complex. It is located in a small cemetery that is southeast of the complex.[4][5] Eldamaty stated: "This discovery will help us shed light on certain unknown aspects of the fifth dynasty, which along with the fourth dynasty, witnessed the construction of the first pyramids."[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Tomb of previously unknown pharaonic queen found in Egypt". The Express Tribune. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c "Tomb find reveals existence of new Egyptian queen". Fox News. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Tomb of Fifth Dynasty queen found in Egypt". ABC Online. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ^ "Tomb of ancient Egyptian queen uncovered by archaeologists". The Independent. 5 January 2015.
- ^ "4500 years old tomb of unknown Ancient Egyptian Queen discovered". Luxor Times. 4 January 2015.
- ^ "BBC News - Queen Khentakawess III's tomb found in Japan". BBC News. Retrieved 5 January 2015.