The Dawn of the Age of the Pyramids Part III

     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.

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.  

This statue shows the intimacy between mother
and daughter courtesy of Wikipedia

     Turning attention now to the women of this period particularly Hetepheres II, Merysankh III, and Hetepheres II who was the wife of Crown Prince Kawab, granddaughter of Hetepheres I. She survived both husbands, Kawab and Djedefre as well as her daughter, Merysankh III of whom Hetepheres II constructed an elaborate tomb for her daughter (Smith, 1998). Hetepheres II married her daughter to Khafre who not only was her uncle but build his pyramid on the Giza plateau as well which looks deceptively taller than the pyramid of Khufu. Stevenson, relying on the reliefs of the tomb, has gathered much about the lives of these women and the power struggle that emerged among the children of Khufu. Merysankh III had four sons called Nebemakhet, Duaenre, Niuserre, and Khenterka and a daughter called, Shepsetkau (osirisnet.net). These names were found in her chapel of her tomb.  

    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.

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.