Djedefhor
Djedefhor
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Djedefhor | |||||
| Died | c. 2530 BC | |||||
| Burial place | Giza, Egypt | |||||
| Title | overseer of all works of the king | |||||
| Children | Auibra | |||||
| Parent | Khufu | |||||
| Relatives | Sneferu and Hetepheres I (grandparents) several brothers and sisters | |||||
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Djedefhor or Hordjedef (died c. 2530 BC)[1] was a noble Egyptian of the 4th Dynasty. He was the son of King Khufu and his name means "Enduring Like Horus".
Biography
[edit]Djedefhor was a son of Khufu and half-brother of kings Djedefre and Khafre.[2] Queen Meritites I is named in the tomb G 7220 of Djedefhor and it is possible she is his mother.[3]
He is mentioned on an inscription in Wadi Hammamat, his name appears in a cartouche, written after the names of Khufu, Djedefre and Khafre, preceding the name of another of his brothers, Baufra.[4] There is no evidence that either Djedefhor or Baufra ruled as a king, even though only kings' names were written in cartouches during the 4th dynasty.
The Teachings of Djedefhor, a document of which only fragments remain, is attributed to him. Djedefhor seems to have been deified after his death.[2] The wisdom text by Djedefhor was written as advice to his son, Prince Auibra.[citation needed]
Titles
[edit]Djedefhor's titles were:[5]
| Title | Translation | Jones Index |
|---|---|---|
| imy-rȝ kȝt nbt (nt) nzwt | overseer of all works of the king | 950 |
| tȝyty zȝb ṯȝty | he of the curtain, chief justice, vizier | 3706 |
| iry-pˁt | hereditary prince/nobleman, 'keeper of the patricians' | 1157 |
| wr di.w pr ḏḥwty | Greatest of the Five in the temple of Thoth | 1471 |
| mniw nḫn | protector/guardian of Hierakonpolis | 1597 |
| rȝ p nb | mouth of every Pe-ite/Butite (see Buto) | 1831 |
| ḥȝty-ˁ | count | 1858 |
| ḥry-sštȝ n it.f | privy to the secret of his father | 2241 |
| ḥry-sštȝ n nzwt m swt.f nbt | privy to the secret [of the king in] all his cult places/secretary [of the king in] all his cult-places | 2311 |
| ḫrp ˁḥ | director of the ˁḥ palace | 2579 |
| ẖry-ḥbt | lector priest, 'he who cames the ritual-book' | 2848 |
| ẖry-ḥbt ḥry-tp | chief lector priest, lector priest in charge | 2860 |
| zȝ nswt | king's son | 2911 |
| zȝ nswt n ẖt.f smsw | king's eldest son of his body | 2914 |
| zš mḏȝt-nṯr | scribe of the god's book | 3132 |
| smr | companion, courtier | 3263 |
| smr wˁty | sole companion | 3268 |
| smr wˁty n it.f | sole companion of his father | 3272 |
| nb imȝḫw ḫr it.f | possessor of reverence with his father | 1782 |
Translation and indexes from Dilwyn Jones.[6]
Burial
[edit]He was still alive during the reign of Menkaure, Khufu's grandson. Hence he must have been buried towards the end of the Fourth Dynasty. Djedefhor was buried in mastaba G 7210–7220 in the east field which is part of the Giza pyramid complex. His sarcophagus is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.[1]
Appearance in ancient Egyptian fiction
[edit]He is one of the main characters in a story included in the Papyrus Westcar. In the text of that papyrus, Djedefhor is mentioned as one who brought the soothsayer and magician called Djedi to the court of Khufu. This Djedi was inspired by real Prince Djedi, who was a son of Prince Rahotep and nephew to Khufu.[7]
Sources
[edit]- ^ a b Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume III: Memphis, Part I Abu Rawash to Abusir. 2nd edition (revised and augmented by Dr Jaromir Malek, 1974. Retrieved from gizapyramids.org
- ^ a b Dodson, Aidan; Hilton, Dyan (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05128-3., p.58
- ^ gizapyramids.org G 7220
- ^ Dodson & Hilton, pp.54-55
- ^ Baud, Michel, Famille royale et pouvoir sous l'Ancien Empire Egyptien 1 & 2 IFAO, 1999, ISBN 2-7247-0248-4.
- ^ Jones, Dilwyn, An Index Of Ancient Egyptian Titles Epithets And Phrases Of The Old Kingdom 1 & 2 BAR, 2000, ISBN 1-84171-069-5.
- ^ "Tales of magic in Ancient Egypt". Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-05-08.