Ankhu was an Egyptian vizier who lived in the 13th Dynasty around 1750 BC.
Ankhu is known from several monuments dating to the reigns of the 13th Dynasty kings Khendjer and Sobekhotep II, attesting that he served several kings. Ankhu appears in the Papyrus Boulaq 18 as the head of the court officials. The papyrus is dated to the reign of Sobekhotep II and mentions Queen Aya.[1] The queen's image appears also on a stela which shows that she was part of Ankhu's family. A stela found at Abydos dated to the reign of Khendjer reports on building works at the Osiris temple. In the Amun temple at Karnak he erected statues of himself, his father and his mother. The latter is one of the very few statues belonging to a woman placed in this temple.[2]
Ankhu was the son of a vizier, perhaps of Zamonth and the father of two viziers, Resseneb and Iymeru. The family formed a strong dynasty of high court officials.
Ankhu ruled at least under two, perhaps even under five, kings of the 13th Dynasty. His situation illustrates that during this period the viziers were the real power behind weak kings. The kings were only in power for a short period, while the viziers remained in power for longer periods.[3]