Ankhhaf

Prince Ankhhaf was an Egyptian prince and served as vizier and overseer of works to the Pharaoh Khafre, who was Ankhhaf's nephew. He lived during Egypt's 4th Dynasty^[1] (c.  2613 to c. 2494 BC).

Biography

Ankhhaf was a son of pharaoh Sneferu and an unknown wife. He had an elder brother, Kanefer. He was younger half-brother to Khufu, who became a king after Sneferu died.^[2] Ankhhaf had the titles "eldest king's son of his body" (sa nswt n khtf smsw), "vizier" and "the great one of Five of the house of Thoth" (wr djw pr-Djehuti).

Ankhhaf's tomb in Giza (G 7510) depicts his sister-wife Princess Hetepheres. Hetepheres was the eldest daughter of Sneferu and Queen Hetepheres I and thus Ankhhaf's half-sister.^[3] Hetepheres had the titles "eldest king's daughter of his body", "the one whom he loves" (sat nswt n khtf smst mrt.f) and "Priestess of Sneferu" (hmt-nTr Snfrw).^[4] Ankhhaf and Hetepheres had a daughter, who was a mother of Ankhetef.^[5]

Ankhhaf was almost certainly a witness to the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza and likely played a role in the construction of the Sphinx. His mastaba tomb, G 7510, was the largest in the eastern cemetery at Giza. A superb and realistic painted limestone portrait bust of Ankhhaf discovered in his tomb is considered the work "of a master" of Ancient Egyptian art from the time of the Old Kingdom, and can be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.^[6] Its catalog number is Museum Expedition 27.442.

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References