Djedefre was the third
pharaoh of the IV dynasty however many are unaware that even he ruled for eight years or 23 years as suggested. Djedefre was the son of Khufu
but not the son of Hetepheres whom we mentioned in the last blog. He inherited
the throne from Khufu upon the death of Prince Kawab who was crown prince which
suggests intrigue surrounding the court of the IV dynasty. This entry will
discuss the debunked theory that Djedefre murdered his brother, Prince Kawab
and focus a bit on two women of this period called Hetepheres II and Merysankh
III, her daughter and finally their tombs respectively.
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| Tomb of Djedefre courtesy of narmer.pl |
It all started upon the discovery of Djedefre’s tomb at Abu Roash. Once thought to be a temple, it was later discovered that it was a tomb that was positioned away from the Giza plateau. But why? Well, one theory posited that Djedefre murdered his brother Prince Kawab and married his wife, Hetepheres II, in an attempt to usurp the throne upon the death of Khufu however this has now been dismissed, according to Alissa Lyon of Michigan State University and several other Egyptologists (Lyon, 2014). She goes on to say as well that his statues had been defaced which may have been the work of his successor, Khafre. Additionally, his pyramid was left uncompleted as well. Upon further study and discovery however, this theory became false because there is evidence that Djedefre finished his predecessor’s burial in order to honour his father, Khufu. Another reason that renders this theory debunked is that of his position of the tomb at Abu Roash. He may have moved his tomb there because he simply wanted the sun to rise directly over Heliopolis during the summer solstice.
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| This statue shows the intimacy between mother and daughter courtesy of Wikipedia |
What was the relationship
like between Merysankh III and her mother Hetepheres II? Unfortunately, we know
very little but the tomb and the reliefs suggest that they were extremely
close. The fact that her mother, Hetepheres II took the time to not only build
her time but to elaborately paint it as well eludes to their closeness.
Although, she was not the daughter of king however she was the mother of king
and husband of king which allowed her to wield significant power in the IV
dynasty.
The
tombs of Hetepheres II and Merysankh III are rather elaborate in their work,
especially the tomb of Merysankh III of which W. Stevenson
Smith describes as a splendidly decorated rock-cut tomb complete with pictures
of the family, (Smith, 1998). The tomb of Djedefre, however, introduced a new
idea into Egyptian Art. A fragment found at Abu Roash depicts Djedefre’s wife
at his feet which was unheard of up to this point in the history of Egypt. This
piece was soon copied by later kings of the V and VI dynasties.
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| Tomb of Merysankh III courtesy of Roanoke University |
In conclusion, Djedefre
was the third pharaoh of the IV dynasty whose conspiracy theory included the
murder of his brother, the Crown Prince Kawab has now been debunked upon
further discovery of the tomb and his name found in and around the Giza
plateau. Additionally, it is now assumed that Djedefre constructed the Great
Sphinx because the face resembles the face of Khufu rather than Khafre which
further discredits the conspiracy theory. Hetepheres II, who was the wife of
Prince Kawab married Djedefre but outlived him as well but married her
daughter, Merysankh III to Khafre, her uncle with whom she had five children.
Finally, the tombs of these three individuals are beautiful, especially the
tomb of Merysankh III. The tomb of Djedefre introduced a new idea of art that
included a statue on which his wife was chiseled which the kings of the V and
VI dynasties would copy.
References
Smith, W. Stevenson. 1998. The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt.
www.osirisnet.net
Lyon, Alissa. 2014. Djedefre. Michigan State University.
